Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 90448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
“For a few minutes?”
This is probably a horrible idea.
“I’ll stay as long as you’ll let me.” His voice caressed the loneliness deep inside my heart. In that undisclosed place where no one but only intimate lovers were acquainted with.
“Fine. Just for tonight.” I turned over, put my back to him, and switched the song to repeat.
He pulled me closer to his body. His hardness molded onto the curve of my behind.
Warmth pooled between my thighs.
I heard an intake of breath as he smelled my hair and then brushed his nose against the back of my neck. I trembled in his arms, but he made no further move and stayed true to his promise of not coming to my room for sex.
We remained on the bed, draped in each other’s arms and legs, silent, with only the lyrical stream of the song to serve as our conversation.
“I love you, Jasmine.”
And as usual, I offered him no reply, not ready to gift him with that final confession when I’d already presented him with my heart and body.
“And all the time you play among flowers and rise within the sky, He sees what’s in your heart and he never wonders why.”
Chapter 26
Pocket Change
Sunlight seeped into my bedroom.
I woke up to Chase’s kisses on my skin, as delicate as if someone slid a feather against my arm. A sigh escaped his lips as he slipped his hand along the outline of my hips. Sometime during the night, he’d blown out all the candles and switched my music from Sapphire to the Beatles. Their voices lifted in flawless melody.
“I didn’t give you permission to change my music,” I mumbled. “You’ve lost serious cool points.”
He gripped my pajama pants with his hands. “Do I at least get points for not taking your clothes off in the middle of the night?”
“No.” I rubbed my behind against his erection as it pressed hard into me.
He groaned and edged away. “You’re making it tough to get out of bed.”
“Do we even have to go to work? You’re the boss and I can make it worth your while.”
“No, seductress. I’ve messed around enough with you these past days. I’ll bet there’s a pile of contracts on my desk.” He rolled out of bed. “Not to mention the fact that I haven’t worked out in days.”
I twisted around to watch him. His waves were ruffled into a funny mess. He dove his hands into his pants and adjusted his erection so it wasn’t pushing out and stretching the silk.
He’s so sexy.
He raised his arms over his head and stretched. “All that French food and eating out with you is going to fatten me up. I have to figure out how I’m going to squeeze in two workouts today.”
I rubbed my eyes with my hands. “I’ll probably run around your estates this morning and then—”
“No. Come with me to the gym.”
“To box?” I grinned. “I’m a pretty pitiful fighter. My brothers always handled my battles.”
“And now I’ll fight your battles.” He smirked. “You can run at my gym. I think there’s a treadmill in there. If not, I’ll make sure a top-of-the-line treadmill is in there by the time we arrive at the gym.”
“Maybe.”
He paused and tossed me a weird grin. “I love how you think my orders are suggestions.”
“I worry that you think your delusions of grandeur are reality.”
My phone rang before he could throw back a reply. He raised his eyebrows as I answered it.
“Hello?”
“Jasmine, it’s about time you answer your phone,” Mom said. “I haven’t heard from you in two weeks. Anything could have happened. That white girl said—”
“Vivian. Her name is Vivian, Mom.” I rolled my eyes. As long as I’d been friends with Vivian, my mom called her that white girl. Thankfully, she referred to Benny by his actual name so I only had to reprimand her for one person.
“Whatever. That white girl said you went to Paris.”
“I did.” Tension swelled in my shoulders. I got out of bed. “Mom, it’s early.”
“Well, while you were in Paris living the good life, your family was in South End with no electricity. They cut our power off. And it’s cold at night. Tee-Tee couldn’t even do her homework by candlelight. You know Sherman Jr. has asthma and we need the nebulizer to give him his treatments.”
“How much is the electric bill, Mom?”
“Three hundred and fifty dollars and there’s a fifty dollar late fee each week it’s off. They won’t take any checks or credit cards.”
I shut my eyes and chewed the inside of my cheek.
You would think she never knew the electric bill was coming. Every month we go through the same thing.
I swallowed. “How long has it been off?”
“Two weeks.”
Fuck.
“Just as long as I’ve been calling and calling you,” she said. “Every day, not one time did you call me back.”