Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 88656 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88656 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Kage chuckled from behind me. “I’ll just grab a few things out of your drawers. You don’t need much. Two changes of clothes, I guess. I’ve got deodorant and stuff.”
“Yeah, you definitely better not forget the deodorant.”
He let out a grunt and moved up close behind me. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to tell me I smell bad.”
“Of course not.” I turned around and found myself standing face-to-face with him. “I just meant that you’ll probably be sparring or working out or something at the gym. And hell, I need deodorant, too. I don’t want to smell. Do you want me to smell?”
“I don’t care. Do you think I smell bad, though? You’ve got me paranoid.”
“You smell fine.” I had to look away. Not because I was lying, but because I was telling the truth, and I didn’t want him to see how true that truth was.
“Would you check me just to make sure?”
“I guess, if you want.” I leaned in close, my face hovering about an inch from his chest. At least he had a shirt on. I don’t think I could have taken it if he hadn’t. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and got a nose full of Michael Kage pheromones. Those pesky little things that were increasingly causing bad things to happen to my body and mind.
Just when I got my nose right next to his armpit, he raised his arm, grabbed the back of my head, and shoved my face into his armpit.
“Jesus Christ, Kage!”
The guy laughed harder than I’d ever seen him laugh— by far. I liked seeing him that delighted, even if it was at the expense of my pride. However, that didn’t mean I was going to let him get away with it.
“Wow, I didn’t think you actually had a sense of humor. Glad to see I was proven wrong.”
His laughter slowed, and he rolled his eyes at me. “Keep it up and you just might lose your surprise.”
“Surprise?” I couldn’t help the goofy grin from taking over my face.
“Just go downstairs and get in the car. If we leave now, we may be able to get there early enough to check in somewhere.”
“Do you really think it’s necessary to get a hotel room? It’s only a few hours’ drive.”
“I don’t want to feel rushed,” Kage said. “What fun is a road trip if you’re in a hurry to get back home?”
I had to agree when I saw Kage’s car. He had a killer black Corvette convertible with black and red interior, and I spent the first hour of our three hour drive admiring every inch of it. It was a beautiful day for riding with the top down, and we took full advantage of it. After a while, I took my shirt off.
“Make yourself comfortable,” Kage yelled over the sound of the wind.
“Why thank you, I will.” I reclined my seat back so that I could get sun on the entire front of my torso. I even rolled the band of my shorts down and pulled the legs up to expose as much skin as possible. Then I just laid back and closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of the heat and the movement of the air over my skin.
“You don’t play fair,” Kage yelled.
“Tell you what,” I yelled back without opening my eyes. “Let me drive back tomorrow, and you can get a turn.”
He laughed. “We’ll see. I don’t let just anybody drive my baby.”
“Who has gotten to drive it?” I peeked at him out of one eye, noting that he’d stripped his own shirt off. He looked summery and free and unnaturally handsome, with his gleaming skin and his chocolate-and-caramel hair blowing in the wind. He was too perfect.
“No one but me has ever driven this car. Yet.”
I closed my eye again and grinned. “You should let me be the first.”
He didn’t say anything more on the subject. In fact, the rest of the ride was so comfortable and quiet that I fell asleep. After a while, he reached over and shook me awake.
“You’re getting a little pink, man. Your skin is fairer than mine, so I think you should put your shirt on. And you’re gonna have a white mark in the hollow of your throat where your necklace is.”
I sat up and pulled my t-shirt over my head, feeling disoriented. “Where are we?”
“About twenty-five miles away. We’re supposed to be at the gym at one, so we’ll go there first and do our thing, then check into a hotel later this afternoon.”
“Whatever. Sounds like a plan to me.” I checked my appearance in the mirror.
Kage laughed. “We are so fucking unprofessional.”
My heart sank, and I think my entire job flashed before my eyes. “You think I’m unprofessional?”
“No. I said we are unprofessional. I happen to like it that way, don’t you?”