Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 101622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
She parts her lips, and her chest rises in response. Glancing down at her shoes, she twists her ankles to the side and then stands upright again. There’s a softness to the outer corners of her eyes, easing the tension she was gripping in her shoulders. “You had me.”
“And lost you.” My breathing deepens without permission, the lie digging into my chest and wrapping around that knot again. “You’re here. You’ve been with me since the hospital, barely leaving my side. Are you staying?”
The elevator dings, alerting us to our floor and breaking the spell I was falling under. Method acting is intense. When the doors slide open, she gets off quietly. Our bubble has been invaded by the outside world. We walk, but neither of us breaks the silence.
When she reaches the door, she waits for me without so much as a glance back. I stand behind her, staring at the top of her head. She asks, “Are you going to unlock it?”
“I thought you had a key?”
“I . . . um,” she stammers, keeping her eyes locked on the door. Avoiding me, I suspect. “Just use yours. It’s handier.”
Not really since my right hand can’t fit into my pocket these days. “The key is in that pocket. Do you mind getting it?”
She shoots a look over her shoulder, slowly turning around as her eyes travel down my body. After blinking a few times and what appears to be debating with herself, which includes a little mumbling under her breath, she reaches forward and dips her hand into my pocket.
The tips of her nails scrape through the thin fabric of the pocket against my leg. I shouldn’t have tempted fate. I resituate so she doesn’t have an encounter that she didn’t expect, but shifting doesn’t get the job done. The moment she touches my dick, her gaze jets to mine as she rips her hand from the pocket.
I could apologize, but I consider it a hazard of the job. The woman is sometimes unhinged, but she’s still hot as fuck. More so since spending time with her today and getting to know her a little better. Who knows, it could have all been fake. She’s a good actress, if it is. If it wasn’t, I bet we wouldn’t be at odds if I knew the truth of what she’s up to.
She says, “I think you should get the key.” I set the cooler down and dig into my left pocket. “Hey! You said it was on your right side!”
“Did I? I guess I mixed them up.” Pulling out the key, I say, “Voilà.” I unlock the door and open it for her. Holding it with my foot, she marches in, shaking her head, which tells me I’m winning this battle. I grab the cooler and follow her inside.
Detouring toward the bedroom, she says, “Good night.”
“Wait, where are you going? We have gelato, like lots of gelato.”
She stops and turns, her head dropping to the side as her energy depletes through her shoulders. “As tempting as that is, I’m so tired.”
“It’s barely nine.”
“Early to bed. Early to rise.” She starts walking down the hall again, her steps echoing through the penthouse.
I set the cooler on the counter. “You won’t even stay up to keep me company?”
“I really am tired, Warner. Maybe tomorrow night.”
I decide to push a button to see what happens. “What if you’re not here? We should make the most of the night we have.”
Her feet stop, but I’m still only given her back to stare at. When she turns back this time, she asks, “Why wouldn’t I be here tomorrow?”
Casually throwing my arm out to the side, I reply, “You left me, Delaney. I’m on the mend. I don’t even need meds tonight. I appreciate that you stayed, but I’m out of the zone they were concerned about regarding the concussion tomorrow. So why would you stick around?”
If I had blinked, I would have missed her mask slipping. It’s back in place before I have time to process if I saw something real. She smiles and I instantly know it’s in opposition of the person accidentally revealed, even if it only lasted a split second. The smile is pretty and could pass for most, but I know it’s not real, not compared to what I just saw. She says, “What if I made a mistake?”
“Mistake in leaving me? I can’t answer that, Delaney. Only you can.”
With a nod, an unexplainable understanding passes between us before she enters the bedroom. The air left in her wake isn’t heavy. It’s light as if hope has entered the conversation.
What the fuck are you talking about, Landers?
She’s a con artist. This elaborate scheme leaves me no choice but to play along. What’s the con, though? “Do you want me to keep you company in bed?” I call out as I unpack the containers of gelato and put them in the freezer.