Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79969 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79969 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Selfish, maybe.
But true nonetheless.
-
Flashback - 10 months before -
"Ladies," Kai's voice broke into the quiet moment Miller and Jules were enjoying in the sitting room on the second floor.
Miller had been crashing there, being on-call for a job, and figuring it would be easier to stay close in case she was needed.
Jules had been cleaning out and restocking the fridge as she did a few times a week - always keeping the place prepped in case of emergency clients coming in, needing a place to stay.
Miller had come out, convincing Jules to get off her heel-clad feet for a few moments, both of them sitting on the couch talking about her upcoming case.
"How did you know we would be here?" Miller asked, seeing the cardboard carrying tray of coffee. And, well, his hot chocolate. Since that was all he drank.
"Quin said you were crashing," he supplied, handing Miller her coffee. "And Jules always restocks on Tuesday nights," he added, giving Jules that look he always gave her. His usual puppy-dog look, but mixed with longing and devotion. She reached for her coffee, giving him her usual pleased, but somewhat oblivious look right back.
"You wanna sit and shirk responsibilities with us?" Miller suggested, waving a hand toward the chair.
Kai looked over at it, a mix of tempted and resigned to his fate. One that would take him clear across the country to piss off a rather large cocaine smuggler. You know, just another day at the office for him.
"I got a job. But you ladies have fun. And make sure Gunner or Finn walk her out later," he added, talking to Miller about Jules. "She's too stubborn for her own good sometimes," he added, moving off to the door, leaving as quickly as he had appeared, but creating something new in the air around them, a new dynamic, something that Miller felt the need to comment on.
"You can't tell me you haven't thought about it."
"Thought about what?" Jules asked, taking a sniff of her caramel coffee before tasting it. It would be perfect. Because it always was. This was Kai they were talking about here. He always got your order right. That was just how he was.
"About Kai."
"What about him?"
"Oh, come on," Miller said, rolling her eyes. "You had to have thought about giving him a try."
"And why would I do that?"
"You are a young, vibrant woman in an office full of Grade-A dudes, that's why."
"This is work," Jules insisted, as Miller figured she might. All this time, and she had never seen her so much as eye-bang any of the guys. And they were all eye-bangable. Even if you didn't actually want to go there. For work or, well, personality reasons.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Is it no longer work-appropriate to have a functioning vagina? What do you do, unscrew it before you come in every morning? Come on."
"I'm seeing someone."
Ugh.
Yes.
Gary.
Who no one - save for her - liked.
The pretty boy with a good resumè. And a shitty personality.
I guess there was no accounting for taste.
Who was she to judge?
She hadn't had an actual relationship in... well, she wasn't even sure.
"So what? You haven't always been with him. Tell me you haven't considered Kai. Especially with how into you he is."
To that, her body jerked back, but Miller had a feeling it wasn't necessarily surprise. Just shock. That someone else had noticed? Or had the lack of decency to bring it up?
Miller had never been accused of being completely tactful.
Call it being the only girl in an all-boys club. She picked up on their completely tone-deafness to subtlety a long ass time ago.
"He's never said anything to that effect," Jules insisted, back ramrod straight.
"Right. And you are dead, dumb, and blind to boot."
"Miller..."
"Don't 'Miller' me like I am being ridiculous. You're the one who has had that man trailing after you like he's in a goddamn rom-com since the day you started here. And you are going to try to act like you don't know?" Miller asked, head bobbing to the side a bit, pure attitude. "He's cute," she insisted. "Tell me you at least see that."
"He's cute," Jules confirmed, as if such a thing needed confirmation. Saying Kai wasn't cute would be like saying Gunner wasn't hot, regardless of her personal feelings about him.
"And sweet."
"And sweet," Jules agreed.
"And funny, interesting, talented, well-mannered..."
"Yes, all those things too."
"Then what's the problem?"
"There's no problem," Jules said, shaking her head. "I just... work is important to me. I would never mess that up."
"So you can't ring the devil's doorbell to the idea of Kai in your head because it might mess up work? Doll, of all these mens' varied skills, mind-reading is not one," Miller informed her with a smirk.
"The devil's doorbell?" Jules latched onto, lips twitching.
"Mhmm. And you know what they say..."
"No, what do they say?"