Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 112850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Slade hopped on the barstool and turned to stare at me, bypassing his meal.
“Eat,” I said, nodding to his plate, and took another bite of mine.
“I’m not hungry. I have insomnia. I’m antsy as hell. I think it’s because of you. I’ve enjoyed our time together and want more,” Slade explained, reaching for a napkin off a pile and handing it over. “I normally crave being here while I’m gone.” Slade reached for his glass of wine. “I wanna know you better. I thought about you all day.”
“I’m mid at best,” I said, using the napkin to hide all the food inside my mouth. “I suspect you have a lot of people around you who are far better human beings than me.” I couldn’t finish the thought with how ridiculous it sounded that the sexiest guy alive wanted to know anything about me.
“Another way for you to answer might be that you’re interested in getting to know me too,” he said, and finally reached for a piece of broccoli, popping it in his mouth.
My gaze held his, my laughter staying on the inside. Slade appeared completely serious. The giggle hit me hard, when Slade’s brows lowered.
=♥=
Slade
Boy, Mace was hard to read, and now he was laughing at my sincere confession.
When Mace had come over to drop the chairs off, I’d honestly put on my best moves to lure Mace to me. I’d failed spectacularly. There was no way Mace had any idea how much shit I’d gotten from my buddies.
To say I thought about Mace was a half-truth. The man had taken up residence inside my mind. The guys had taken bets on how long I’d take to get back to the bar. They all lost, no one picked less than a day.
“What?” Mace finally said. The smile was still there as he let go of the fork and placed the glass of water to his mouth. He watched me with every gulp. “Yeah, I guess.”
“You guess?” I managed, reaching for his hand to thread our fingers together. “You’re a tough man to read.”
“You talk a lot,” Mace said. “Your shirt has buttons.”
I barked out a laugh as I cast a quick look down at my chest. I’d agonized whether to button the buttons or leave it open, hoping for sexy.
“Surprisingly, I don’t normally talk this much. If you’d say more, I wouldn’t have to.”
Mace’s response was a long jaw-cracking yawn.
“You need sleep.”
“I do. It’s been thirty hours,” Mace explained and yawned again.
“I’m not at a time in my life when it’s a good idea to start anything long-term,” I said an octave above a whisper. “Before this gets too out of hand for me, you need to be honest with what you’re thinkin’.”
“It’s been like a day since we hooked up. I’m not thinkin’ about anything,” Mace answered, but it didn’t feel genuine. When he turned his attention back to his dinner plate, I sensed distance between us.
With his hand still in mine, I stood in the space between us, angling my body next to his. “I’m not asking for anything, I’m just into you. It’s a foreign feeling for me. Do I try for more or do we keep it sex.”
“Sex,” Mace said almost silently. His full bite on the fork paused as he swallowed heavily as if he had a lump in his throat. “I’m a wreck. Nothin’ worth knowin’.”
My brows knitted together at his wording. His yawn kept my rebuke inside my mouth. His words bothered me but also carried the warning sign Mace had intended. If I was smart, I’d listen to his advice.
“Come go to bed,” I said, and began to pull him off the stool, back to the bedroom.
“Let me clean this up,” he said, stopping my forward momentum.
“I got it. I slept in today and love to clean.” Reluctantly, Mace followed. A few steps from the bedroom, I turned walking backward.
Be in this with me. Even if it’s just for right now.
The honest plea stayed locked in my head. I left him by the door with a chaste kiss. “Sleep. What time do you need to wake?”
“I need to be on the road by six-thirty,” Mace said, his fingers tightening against mine. “Come to bed with me.”
“I will, but you need to sleep.” It was damned hard to leave Mace there, but I did and lasted about fifteen minutes before I was back.
Mace’s soft breath called to me like a siren’s lure. I was shit to do more than turn on the muted television and climb into bed next to him.
Chapter 11
Mace
This time, I didn’t have to open my eyes to know where I was. What confused me about the room was the absolute silence. No deep breathing or breath at all for that matter. Nothing to indicate Slade was there in the room with me.