Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 54886 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54886 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
“What ‘situation’ exactly?”
“Being a single mother.”
Anger flashed through me. “How is she possibly judging you on her first couple of days?”
“She wasn’t happy that I left on time yesterday. Or that I was fifteen minutes late this morning after dropping AJ off. The sidewalks were slippery, and I slipped on the ice. I missed the bus.”
“Are you hurt?” I asked, getting to my feet.
She shook her head. “Relax. Sit down. Other than my pride and a sore butt, I’m fine. I didn’t hit my head or any other vital part.”
I sat down, shaking my head. “Your ass is pretty vital. At least to me.”
She began to laugh, and I had to join her. “Thank you,” she said, wiping her eyes. “I needed that.”
“Did you explain?”
Rosie nodded, stood, and placed her hand on her hip. She pretended to stare down at me. “Life is filled with mishaps, Ms. Duncan. How we overcome them shows our inner strength,” she intoned in a nasal, holier-than-thou voice.
I blinked, amusement making my lips curl. “Your new boss, I presume?”
She flopped on the sofa next to me with a sigh. “She wasn’t pleased when I informed her my inner strength needed some ice and a Tylenol. She told me to settle myself and get to work.”
“Sounds lovely.”
“She loves to bark orders all day. Not only at me, but she does love to stick her head in my door and tell me what she wants done. Frequently. My old boss sent out texts and emails, the occasional call. He was polite and knew the word please. And he knew exactly what was happening in the department at any given moment. He never barked. She wants daily update reports sent before we leave for the day. And God help me if it is a minute before four. She informed me she wasn’t happy with my special hours.”
“Track it all,” I encouraged her. “You might need it for HR. It sounds rather bullying to me. And you can’t discriminate against a single mother.” I shook my head. “Better yet, quit and come work for me.”
She blinked at me and laughed. “Yeah, so not a good idea. I am not coming to work for you. I will not be that woman sleeping with the boss.”
I already knew she’d reject that idea. I pulled her to my lap and slid my hand up her leg. “There’d be perks, Rosie.” I covered the nape of her neck, drawing her close and skimming my mouth along her skin. “So. Many. Perks.”
My mouth hovered over hers, grinning as she whimpered. I kissed her. Deeply. Passionately. Without intent, but wishing there were. Except she surprised me, tugging off my tie and unbuttoning my shirt, slipping her hand inside and trailing it over my chest in light touches.
“Rosie, I didn’t come here for this,” I groaned, dropping my hands and palming her ass. God, I loved her ass. It fit perfectly in my hands.
She pressed wet, openmouthed kisses up my neck, pulling my lobe between her lips and sucking. I shuddered as the heat rolled through me. “Did you want to, though?” she whispered. “Come, I mean?”
“God, yes. I suppose I should do a thorough inspection of your injured butt. For purely medical reasons.”
“Are you playing doctor now?” she purred in my ear, dropping her hand and cupping my erection through my pants.
“Yes. You have a fever, Ms. Duncan. There’s only one cure. A special injection just for you.”
“Give it to me,” she whispered against my mouth. “Please.”
I was only too happy to do exactly as she requested.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
ASHER
The next day felt endless, which was unusual for me. I had left Rosie sleeping on her sofa, hating to depart, but not wanting to risk being found by AJ. I didn’t want him thinking I snuck in at night after he went to bed. After our frantic coupling on the sofa, we had held each other, talking about everything and nothing. It was something I enjoyed about Rosie. She found the world around her interesting. At times frightening, but still intriguing. She talked about people at work, those she saw on the bus. She told me about the homeless man she saw every day. She often brought him a sandwich and made sure he had blankets. “He tries so hard to be dignified,” she said quietly. “I worry every time there’s a storm and I hope he’s found shelter.”
I adored her tender heart and her way of looking at things.
She was on my mind all day. It was odd for me to think of anything but business. Even after hours, I was usually handling emails and messages. Once I sat at my desk, the rest of the world faded away, and I concentrated on the task at hand. But since the holidays, Rosie and AJ slipped into my thoughts all the time. Especially today. I swore I could still taste her, smell her skin. When I tugged on my overcoat to head to a meeting, I realized her fragrance clung to the material. I had wrapped it around her last night, after noticing her shiver. The apartment was chilly, given its age and the poor insulation and drafty windows. “Even with the heat working, it never is very warm,” Rosie admitted.