Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 70510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“I was talking to a male colleague, and you basically told him off because you thought he was hitting on me…and that he was a woman. Then you refused to drink water when I cut you off, and when the bar refused to serve you after two, you threatened to call the president of the United States and get it shut down, and then you tried to convince me to do it behind a dumpster next to a homeless guy peeing on the wall.”
“Huh…sounds about right.”
He smiled with his eyes as he kept eating.
“Did I do anything embarrassing?”
“Does none of that qualify as embarrassing?”
I shrugged. “Not really. I’ve done worse.”
“Oh wow.” He chuckled as he kept eating. “You really are a crazy-ass bitch.”
“Yours truly.” I dug into my food and ate, moaning with every bite because it was so damn good. It was better than sex—at least in that moment. “Have you talked to your friends?”
“Matthew hooked up with Jenny, and I’m not sure what happened to Kyle.”
“Sounds like they had a good time. Did you?”
“I always have a good time with you—even if I have to keep an eye on you.”
“I did tell you it would be a crazy night.”
“Yes, you did, in all fairness.”
We turned quiet, eating in companionable silence, demolishing the plates of food in front of us.
I ate until there was no more room in my stomach, knowing all the food would help with the headache behind my eyes. My body was exhausted, like I’d competed in the Olympic trials last night. “Well, thanks for putting up with my craziness.”
“I like your craziness.”
“Really?” I asked as I dunked my pancake into the pool of syrup, unable to resist the last bite.
“Yeah. Listening to you tell me how much you love me and begging me to fuck your brains out…pretty sexy.”
My mouth stilled and stopped chewing on my bite. “You said I didn’t do anything embarrassing.”
“I don’t think that’s embarrassing.” His eyes smiled more as he watched my reaction, watched me regret my atrocious behavior the night before. “Said that when you saw your ex, you felt nothing for him and you just wanted him to disappear so you could keep talking to me.”
I tried to brush off the embarrassment and get out of this sticky situation. “Well, he never made me breakfast like this, so…”
“I imagine he didn’t do a lot of things I do.”
I dropped my gaze and kept eating, trying to ignore the conversation even though I’d provoked it with all my craziness.
“Didn’t realize you’re the jealous type.”
“I’m not.”
“Really? Because you were pretty jealous of Bobby.” He was having so much fun with this, and he couldn’t even downplay his enjoyment.
“Look, I was drunk and out of my mind.”
“So, if a woman were hitting on me at the bar, you wouldn’t do exactly what you did?”
I pushed my food around on the plate, feeling his stare pierce my face. “How are things with your trials?”
“That’s a yes.”
“Fine, I’m not as chill as you are. You win.”
“I’m not chill.”
“Whatever. You never care when I go out with my friends. You never showed any reaction to me talking to Mason. You never care how I dress. Come on, you play it way cooler than I do.”
“Not wanting you to go out with your friends and policing your clothing is not a sign of jealousy. That’s a sign of abuse—and that’s not me. But with Mason… I didn’t show a reaction, but I certainly felt one.”
I chewed my bite as I stared at him, knowing I was sitting across from the man who had claimed my heart, knowing that no one else would ever compare. If he left, there would be a permanent hole in my heart, and no amount of success or one-night stands would ever replace it. “The reason I kept telling you I loved you is because I do, with everything that I have…and I just can’t pretend that I don’t. I can’t play it cool. I’m stuck under your thumb, I’m hooked around your finger, I’m totally hooked on you.”
I was still in his t-shirt, sitting on the couch beside him, seeing the stacks of paperwork and his laptop on the coffee table. He was like my parents, working during their evenings, having the TV on as background noise. “So, can I sleep over again?”
His arm was over the back of the couch, around my shoulders, his hand holding me close. He turned his head to regard me, affection in his eyes, looking at me with the same love I felt for him. “You can stay as long as you want.”
“Be careful what you say…you might get a roommate.”
That handsome smile moved into his lips.
“Home-cooked meals, good D, comfy shirts…”
“What about the company?”
I gave a shrug.
He released a breath from his nostrils, a quiet laugh.