Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94279 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94279 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
I took a deep breath, trying to relax a bit, and the minty scent of mouthwash washed over me. I laughed. “You weren’t kidding. You smell like Scope.”
“I was already running late and didn’t have time to shower again.”
“It doesn’t smell half bad. Clean, at least.”
Joe smiled and attempted to turn us, but his footwork did one thing and mine did another, and he wound up stomping on my pinky toe. I lifted my foot and winced.
“So sorry,” he said.
“You really didn’t exaggerate anything, huh?”
We both laughed. I was still smiling when my gaze moved over his shoulder. And landed on a man who was not smiling. Wilder. His stare was intense, but his face was expressionless. Like earlier, he soon turned away, this time without even the casual wave.
After that, I just wanted to go home. But that wasn’t happening until tomorrow since we were four hours from the city. I found Elijah and told him I was tired and ready to head back to the hotel next door. He hadn’t found a cute waiter this time, so he left with me.
Back in my room, I changed out of my dress, tied my hair up, and washed the makeup from my face. I’d just slipped under the covers when there was a light knock at my door.
My heart raced upon seeing Wilder through the peephole. The rest of my body joined in when I opened the door. Unknotted bow tie hanging loose around his neck, mussed hair, and a hint of five-o’clock shadow peppering his angular jaw—the man was a sight for sore eyes. He held up a bottle of wine, and his presumption pissed me off.
“Why aren’t you with the blonde?”
He frowned. “Because I couldn’t do it—even though I wanted to.”
I folded my arms across my chest, feeling anger rise within me. “You probably had too much to drink. It happens to men.”
Wilder closed his eyes. “That is not what I meant. I meant I wanted to fuck some random woman and not be here right now.”
I started to shut the door. “Then why don’t you go do that?”
He stuck his foot in, stopping it. “Fuck, this is coming out all wrong.”
I opened the door halfway back and sighed. “What do you want from me, Wilder?”
He raked a hand through his hair. “Can I come in? So we can talk?”
I wasn’t sure what was left to say, but I would never be able to sleep without hearing whatever it was, so I gritted my teeth and stepped aside.
Wilder took two steps into the room and stopped, staring at the bed. He shook his head. “Actually, your first instinct was right. You shouldn’t trust me in here with you. How about we go for a walk? Maybe on the beach?” He caught my eyes. “Please?”
“Fine. But I need to get dressed.”
At least the shirt I’d answered the door in tonight was longer than the one I’d greeted him with the other morning. But I still needed to put on jeans and shoes. Wilder let the door shut behind him and stood just on the other side of it while I got ready.
Neither of us said a word as we walked through the hotel and took a set of stairs built into the bluff down to the beach. It was a beautiful night with a warm breeze and twinkling stars, and the rhythmic sound of the ocean hitting the shoreline tried its best to lull me into relaxing.
“You looked really beautiful tonight,” Wilder finally said.
“Thanks.”
“Green is your color.”
I smiled, and Wilder made small talk about the wedding as we walked side by side along the water’s edge. When it seemed he’d run out of ways to fill the space, he stopped.
“Wanna sit?”
I shrugged. “Whatever.”
He took off his tuxedo jacket and laid it on the sand, gesturing for me to sit before bending and taking the spot next to it. He looked out at the ocean for a long time before speaking.
“I’m sorry I acted like an ass tonight,” he said.
“You don’t have anything to apologize for. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Maybe not, but I was avoiding you.”
I shifted to face him. “Why?”
He shrugged. “I was trying to do you a favor.”
“I don’t understand, Wilder.”
“I like you, Sloane. I feel like there’s something here, something more than physical. That’s not something I’m used to. We’re built different. Physical is usually enough for me. It’s not for you. And you’ve been hurt recently. I don’t want to do it again. My track record sucks. I know you haven’t even agreed to go out with me, but I think you feel what I feel, too.” He caught my eyes. “Am I wrong?”
My instinct was to say he was, to keep my guard up and protect myself. But he was being honest and vulnerable with me, so I couldn’t. My shoulders slumped. “No, you’re not.”