Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 85888 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 429(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 286(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85888 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 429(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 286(@300wpm)
“I mean, when you think about it, it would be stupid for you to move back to the condo. If you were here you’d be much closer. And it’s only for a little while longer.”
“You want me to stay with you for another week?”
“Yes.”
“That wouldn’t be a hassle?” He cocked his head. “You’re not asking to be polite or anything, are you? I don’t want to be in your way. You’ve been more than kind enough letting me be here for the last week already. And I’m doing okay now with all of the sore neck and meds and everything.”
“No hassle. You’d be very welcome.”
“Okay.” He smiled, but it was restrained. “All right. Thanks, Susie.”
I’d solved the problem of me and this man for another week. The truth was, it was still early days for Lars and me. For whatever we were doing together. He didn’t feel like a bad choice, though. In fact, having him close felt incredibly good. Which was scary in its own way. One day soon I was going to need to pull up my big-girl panties and make some serious decisions regarding the man. But not just yet. I had rushed in with Aaron and I was determined not to make that mistake again.
“Sure, Lars. Not a problem.”
Fifteen
Week two of living with Lars had a distinctly different vibe. With his injuries on the mend, he was less cranky and more motivated. And while he still took up the bulk of the bed, he now did so in the big spoon position. For the last couple of days, I’d woken with my back pressed to his chest and his arm thrown over my hips. He was a cuddler, apparently. The new positioning did not disturb my sleep in the least. Though his morning wood had a tendency to rouse me before my alarm. The man was fortunate I was fond of his private parts.
Monday and Tuesday he spent doing light work around Lillian’s house. Measuring and planning, ordering and cleaning. He’d push my first cup of caffeine into my hands then disappear for the day. Tore joined him for his lunch breaks at the property. He also came back in the evening to do any of the heavier or more difficult work. Lars and I fell into a routine of eating dinner together, sometimes in front of the TV and sometimes at the table. Living with him felt easy. Just having him there being a daily part of my life. But it also felt horribly temporary. I thought keeping things casual was what I wanted, but I was wrong. I needed to ask him to stay. The fear of him shrugging me off, though...what if he thought it was too soon? As his mom had pointed out, the man had never actually lived with a girlfriend before.
Once the sun set and the heat had dissipated, we would go for a walk. While he wasn’t up for jogging, Lars could stroll just fine. Heading away from Salmon Bay, we’d lap the playground and pass by a local pizza place. Despite not holding hands, it seemed a distinctly couple-type thing to do. Way more than a friends-with-benefits or amorous-roommates or whatever-we-were-these-days type of activity. Though that might have been because of my chosen topic of conversation on this particular occasion.
“You want to know what I’m looking for in a relationship?” asked Lars in a surprised voice. “Ah, man...honestly, I don’t know. Companionship, compatibility, things like that.”
“Okay. What’s your idea of a perfect date? And don’t say April 25th.”
He gave me a blank look.
“You’ve never seen Miss Congeniality?”
“No,” he said. “And I usually take dates out to dinner.”
“Your loss and that’s a highly unimaginative answer. Moving right along. What’s one thing about yourself that no one else knows?”
“I don’t know. Probably that I let you harass me.”
“You’re not taking this seriously,” I said. “The article I read said these questions are supposed to provide us with valuable insights into each other. To help share hidden facets of our personality. All the better to build our union of souls upon solid unshakeable ground.”
“Our union of souls?” His tone was more derision than wonder. “Did you seriously just say that?”
“It’s like you don’t care about working on our friendship-slash-burgeoning relationship at all.”
“Is that what we’re doing, huh?”
“It’s as good a description as any.” I smiled serenely and let my gaze wander. It was a big ask not to ogle him when he was wearing cut-off sweatpants. My respect for soft cotton was at an all-time high. Healing from the accident had slowed our sex life right down and my hormones were not pleased. Given how sore his muscles had been the day after the one time we’d done it, I refused to open my legs to the man for his own safety. And he hadn’t pushed, making me think the pain was far worse than he admitted. My knees, however, were getting awfully weak of will and my thick thighs were all but crying out for his touch. Waking up pressed against him was a special sort of torment. Lars was walking around with my libido in his back pocket and I’m not even sure he was aware of the fact.