Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 103050 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103050 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
“Are you really divorced?” she asks, her tone changing.
“I’ve never been married. But yes, I’m definitely separated from Gabby.”
“Are you still in love with her?”
I pull in a breath. Should I be honest? More honest than I ever was with Gabby?
Yes. That’s what I want to be with Aurora. “I don’t think I was ever in love with her.”
“But you had a child with her.”
I nod. “It was unplanned. We tried to make it work. It didn’t.”
She pulls out her phone. “What’s your number?”
Good for her. She’s not making it easy for me. I reel off my number and she saves it in her phone.
“Oh, and call me Deacon.” I’m not sure I should have said that. The way she says Mr. Black is like she’s whispering a spell to get me hard.
She shifts her weight and sticks out her hip. “You want me to call you Deacon, Mr. Black?” She lingers over the words Mr. Black. She knows exactly what she’s doing.
My cock presses against my zipper and I take a step towards her. My hard-on is almost touching her stomach. Our eyes lock. It feels like a standoff, like each of us is daring the other to take the next step.
I clench my fists and drag my gaze away from her. “You better get out of here,” I say.
She steps back and the spell between us is broken. “I’ll let you know about dinner.”
“Or call me anyway,” I say, sounding pathetic.
She tries her best not to grin. “Maybe. I really have to go.”
She’s full of maybes. I want her yeses.
She sweeps past me and I catch her hand. She stops, and I lift her arm and press her wrist to my mouth. Just a little bit more of her.
She smiles, I release her arm, and then she’s gone.
Fuck. What is this woman doing to me? She’s running circles around me and has me counting down the minutes until I can catch a glimpse of her. I never imagined I could want a woman as much as I want Aurora.
FIFTEEN
Aurora
Darcy is the only person in the world who can help me figure out whether or not I should call Deacon Black. It’s late in the UK, but hopefully she’ll pick up. Of course, what she’ll want to talk about is how it’s been in the job so far. After my training, I’m now officially director of rooms and deputy manager. Honestly, I’ve learned a lot from the training and the transition has been relatively easy. It’s all fine.
What’s been dominating my thoughts is a who. Deacon. That’s what I want to talk about.
“Finally,” Darcy says as she answers the call. “I’m in bed, Daphne and William are asleep, and I get to talk to my best friend. I miss you so much.”
She sounds exhausted. I wish I was there to give her a hug. “I miss you too.”
“But do you? Or are you loving New York too much? This is what happened to Ryder. He got sucked in by that city and left me here. Tell me that’s not going to happen to you.” Darcy always jokes about how New York City stole away her brother. She’s a tad dramatic, but she owns it.
When I arrived, I definitely didn’t think I’d stay longer than three months. Part of the reason I said yes to Avril and Poppy was because it was only a temporary position. They knew I’d be leaving. It didn’t feel like much of a risk. Three months away would go by in a flash.
But now?
I’m already nearly a month in, and I feel like I’m just finding my feet in the job. I also think that Avril and Poppy could really be friends. I met Poppy for a drink after work this week. It was really good fun, and it felt like I could actually start to put down some roots here.
“You know it’s only a three-month thing.”
“But they’re going to love you. You’re amazing at your job and they’re not going to want to let you leave.”
Darcy might have a point. The conversation with Avril and Poppy at Tavern on the Green about a hotel in Boston that they want to open was interesting. They’ll definitely need a manager for Hotel on Ninth Street if they have more than one hotel. Of course, I’d have to prove myself. I’ve only been doing the director of rooms and deputy manager role for a few days. They might not think I’m the right person for the job.
And even if they did, I only accepted this job for the summer.
“How are things at home?” I ask. “How’s William’s arm?” Just before I left, Darcy and Logan’s son broke his arm when he fell from a tree.
“It’s fine. He’s loving the attention. Although, he doesn’t like that he can’t climb trees anymore. Honestly, I’m thinking about stopping Daphne’s riding lessons. There’s just so much that can go wrong.”