Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66134 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66134 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
He shrugged. “I wanted to check in with you two, see how last night was, and how you’re settling in.”
“I slept like a baby after a bath in that deep soaking tub in my bathroom,” Valerie chimed in before I could answer. “It’s so quiet here and my bed is like sleeping on a soft cloud.”
Caleb chuckled. “I’m glad you slept well,” he said, then shifted his gaze to me for an answer.
“Same,” I replied, agreeing with my sister. Without any outside noise, no weird sounds from the park next to our complex, or neighbor dogs barking interrupting my sleep, I’d crashed hard last night. “I’m very well rested, thank you.”
“Good. I also wanted to let you know that your key card gives you access to all the building’s amenities, so feel free to take advantage of the pool and sauna and yoga studio. And there’s also a rooftop terrace you can enjoy, as well.” He slid his hands into the front pockets of his slacks. “So, what are you two up to today?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Finishing unpacking,” Valerie said, more chatty than I’d seen her in weeks. “And I’m submitting my résumé to Dare PR, so fingers crossed that works out.”
“Good luck,” Caleb said with a grin, then glanced at me again. “And what about you?”
I leaned my hip against the counter. “I need to finish writing a paper for one of my classes, along with studying for an upcoming test I have in macroeconomics. And I have a shift tonight at The Back Door.”
That easygoing smile on his face faded a bit. “Are you going to take a leave like we discussed?”
“Yes, but I need to talk to Raven,” I told him. “I’m not just leaving her shorthanded, so it might take a week or two until she can fully cover my shifts.”
I saw his jaw tighten and his eye twitch, and raised a brow at him. “Why do you look like you’re going to have an aneurysm?”
Valerie snickered, clearly seeing the shift in Caleb’s mood, too.
“I don’t,” he insisted.
“Yes, you do,” I argued, pretty sure I knew the cause of his displeasure.
“Yeah, this is my cue to leave and go finish unpacking my things,” Valerie said, sounding amused. She grabbed another donut and disappeared down the hallway and into one of the bedrooms.
Once she was gone, I crossed my arms over my chest and returned my attention back to Caleb—a man clearly used to getting his way—and who still wore a disgruntled expression. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?” he replied, his tone gruff.
“With that furrow between your brows like you’re not happy about something, and that little vein popping out near your temple is a dead giveaway, too.” That I could read him so well already was shocking.
His stiff shoulders relaxed, and the look on his face turned to concern. “I would just feel better if you didn’t have to work at The Back Door in the evenings.”
I’d never had a man be so protective over me, and as much as I appreciated the gesture—and even secretly liked it—I wasn’t some delicate, weak female who needed to depend on a man, for anything. “Raven works there in the evenings,” I pointed out.
“And so does Remy,” he shot back, jamming his hands on his hips. “He’s there to take her home every night and make sure she gets there safely.”
“Oh, my God,” I said incredulously, and tossed my hands up in the air in frustration. “You’re being a caveman, Caleb.”
The man had the nerve to smirk, his entire demeanor shifting as he braced his hands on either side of my hips against the counter and leaned in close. “How about you come up to my place with me right now and I’ll show you just how much of a caveman I can be?”
Feeling the light press of his body against mine, a tantalizing tease, I shivered, my nipples tightening and heat settling low in my belly. It was crazy to me how he could flip my own annoyance into arousal so easily.
Trying to distract myself, I reached over to the donut box and took a powdered, pillowy one that looked like it was filled with something. “Don’t you have to go to work?” I asked, and took a small bite of the donut, the powdered sugar sprinkling everywhere—my lips, my chin, and probably the front of my T-shirt, too.
“I’m a partner,” he murmured, his gaze falling to my mouth as though he was imagining licking away the confectioner’s sugar. “My hours are flexible. I can take hours off if I want to.”
His insinuation was clear and God he was so damned tempting. I wasn’t going to pretend that I didn’t want him. That there wouldn’t be sex between us during our two-month situationship because I knew resisting him was going to be impossible. But I wasn’t about to crumble and follow him up to his apartment right on the heels of him trying to make some kind of point.