Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 69018 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69018 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
He does. He does care.
And not just about his company either.
He has this whole part of him that he doesn’t show or give to the world.
I realized it when I went to his office, and not a single person there had one bad word to say about where they worked. If someone hates their company or their job and their life as a result, you’ll know, even if they don’t open their mouth and say it, but that wasn’t the vibe I got at all. Thorn might be a strict boss who runs a tight ship, but that’s because of what he does. There’s not much room for error, and people’s safety often hangs in the balance. But being a total bosshole? That’s not his style.
After making sure Peach Lips is okay, I kiss him back, my signal for him to move past my room and take me to his.
I think.
I’ve done casual snooping of his house, but the one door was locked. I immediately knew who it undoubtedly belonged to.
He stops in front of that very one, and I’m not even kidding when he presses his thumb to the small screen on the wall right beside the door. It’s like a movie when the door clicks open.
He kisses me roughly as he makes his way inside. The one window is open a crack, letting in the outdoor air even though the place is probably one hundred percent perfectly temperature controlled. The aesthetic is the same ultra minimalistic as the rest of the house. The far wall is black, but I can see where the panels probably open up into a closet or a door for the ensuite bathroom, if there is one. It’s a huge room, but it looks mostly deserted, with just a big California King bed with immaculate dark black covers and huge pieces of white and black art on the walls.
Love is knowingly being free in a world of constraints. It might only last for a few minutes, but in those minutes, you’ll find true happiness.
My mom also told me that even though she never had a conventional love story. At least not a romantic one, but she did have a great love. The love of her life was me. She transferred all that perfect love to me. She chose to have me, to raise me. She wanted me. She gave me all of her heart.
I’ve never been truly free in my life.
Even if this isn’t love, and even if it only lasts for a moment, I’d like to know what it’s like.
As soon as my feet hit the ground, I race over to the bed and jump up on it. Standing right in the middle, I whip off Thorn’s hoodie. It’s crazy that it fits him without any room to spare, but on me, it looks like a tent. Then I pull my oversized T-shirt over my head and slip out of my shorts. They’re pajamas, so of course, I went sans underwear and bra.
I send it all sailing past Thorn, and the clothes land on the floor in different spots.
He stares at me like I’ve lost my mind.
All the blinds are down, and I bet the windows are tinted, knowing how this man likes his privacy. There’s not that much light in here, just a soft glow from a lava lamp on top of the dresser.
Hold it all up. How am I only seeing that now? It’s not on, so it’s only a glowy outline, but I know it when I see it.
“Oh my god, you have a lava lamp?” This man won’t even feature on a list of people who like funky retro things.
Thorn stares at me, and I stare back. We’re not doing soul telepathy. He’s looking at me like I’ve just jumped up on his bed and stripped off all my clothes.
Right.
Jesus.
I’m standing here utterly naked.
He looks like he doesn’t know where to look. But I can tell he wants to look because he’s having a hard time tearing his eyes away. Finally, they fly up to my face, but then they drop back down before flying back up again.
I’m not exactly a very outgoing person. Anything with Peach Lips, I’ve trained myself to do. But this right here? Untrained. Very, very untrained.
“Uh, never mind. The lava lamp doesn’t matter right now.”
“You matter.”
I melt a little because he doesn’t add right now. That might be the kindest thing anyone has ever said to me.
I’m starting to feel mega awkward up here on the bed, so I crook my finger in a come hither gesture like I’m not, and thankfully, Thorn chooses this one time to obey without question. He walks over, wrenching at the buttons of his shirt and sending them flying—holy fuck, you hear about that all the time, but it’s so much crazier experiencing it.