Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 97577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
“Husband interview.”
“Well, that is serious.” He smirked, looking me over. “Please, ask away.”
I didn’t have a question off the top of my head, and him just watching me with his stupid, handsome face was making it harder to think of one, so I glanced to the side, staring at the lights of Seattle.
“Do you like it here?”
“I have not gotten to see it here,” he said, also looking out as well. “I will not get the chance to see it, either.”
“Why?”
“The press,” he reminded me.
For some reason, that really bothered me. “You can’t just stay huddled up at my place or secret dinners like this. You need to get around.”
“That is a freedom I cannot have—at least, not if I want to see it with you,” he said, capturing my attention with a single glance. “I came here not to see the city but to see you. Now that I’ve seen you, I have no desire to see the city alone.” There he went with those lines again.
I picked at my meatball for a bit. “Maybe I will show you around then.”
“I would enjoy that, but we cannot do that, either. At least, not until you commit to marrying me. And I do not want to pressure you.”
I felt the heat in my neck again. “Are you always this sweet, or is it just me?”
“I want to say it is just you, but that would be saying I was rude to other women before, and I do not think that does me any favors.” He snickered.
“How many other women have you used these lines on?” I asked with narrowed eyes.
“How many other men have you tempted like this?” he shot back. And now we had come full circle to the conversation we had both tried to avoid.
Stop. My mind screamed at me, but again, it had been so long.
“A few here and there,” I said, shrugging like I actually had such a good track record. I quickly reached for the wine.
“Ouch, and here, I have not used any of the same lines,” he replied, reaching for his own.
I rolled my eyes. “Sure, you haven’t.”
“It’s true,” he said, and once again, I saw his eyes drop to my chest. “How could I use the same lines if I am trying to get to two different places with a woman.”
“And where were you trying to get with those women?”
“In their bed.”
I coughed into my wine glass, not expecting him to be so blunt about it.
“Forgive me, too much honesty?” The look on his face was a clear mixture of amusement, teasing, and lust.
“No such thing,” I whispered back. If Gale could tease me, I could tease him back. “Though you do know, you just admitted you do not want to end up in my bed.”
“No. I don’t.” He sat back. “I want you to end up in mine.”
“What’s the difference?”
“There is no leaving my bed.”
Holy shit.
I am not in the kiddie pool, anymore.
Chapter 13
We were somehow able to pull ourselves back from any hotter conversations to more safe things, like his favorite color, which was red, and his favorite season, which was autumn. And also, his birthday, which was the day before Valentine’s Day, making me the older one of the two of us. He also talked a lot about Ersovia, sometimes without meaning to. The more he spoke, the more I could see how much he loved it, and the more I kind of wanted to see this beautiful country of grass-covered rolling mountains, flower fields, blue glacial lakes, and hybrid cities. I didn’t know what that meant until he explained. Ersovia was a country where the ancient met the modern. The Royal family, his family, had always tried to balance the future with honoring the past. He spoke, and I listened or laughed. I spoke, he listened and teased me.
It was only when our dinner, the dessert, and the wine were finished that I realize it was almost eleven. We’d been here for three hours, and I still wasn’t ready to go.
“Excuse me, I need to go powder my nose,” I lied, trying to get up.
“Powder your nose?” He shook with laughter as he got up, too.
“I need to use the bathroom, okay? We have been here for hours.”
He smiled, nodding while he stood to wait. Taking my clutch, I was extra careful with my steps, feeling his eyes on my back. It was only when I got into the restroom that I relaxed against the door for a second. My brain was all hazy, and I felt all...tingly. But I wasn’t sure if it was the wine or just me.
Both.
Walking into the stall, I had to become a freaking ninja to make sure I didn’t ruin my dress. I felt so much more aware of everything when I was next to him. Coming out, I washed my hands before checking my phone only to see a single text message from my mother. It appeared to have come through just when I left the house, but, I hadn’t noticed it.