Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
It makes me wonder what he’d be like during sex. Would he be so controlled and so focused? I bet he would be, and I bet the women he’s been with have benefited from that amount of fixation.
“Oli?”
Clearing my throat, I look up and meet his gaze, feeling my cheeks warm. I know he has no idea what I was just thinking, but the air between us seems to shift into something thick and heavy.
“Sorry.” I take my cell he’s holding out to me.
“Were you going to bed?” he asks.
“I was working up to it. I’m still a little scared.” My nose scrunches. “I feel like such a wimp, admitting that out loud.”
“You wanna sleep with me?” I swear I see his Adam’s apple bob. “I mean… stay with me in my guest room.”
Great. Now, my insides are a mess because visions of me sleeping with him are filling my head.
“I don’t know. I should probably try to get used to being here.” I feel my face scrunch of its own accord.
“You mentioned this morning that your friend is coming to visit in a few days, right?” he prompts, and I nod. I told him over his amazing pancakes that Rebecca is coming for the weekend. “Maybe having her here with you for a few nights will get you comfortable sleeping here. Until then, you can stay with me.”
I narrow my eyes. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Go get your pillow,” he replies without actually answering the question. “I was gonna watch some TV, then go to bed. In the morning, I have to leave early, so I’ll probably be gone before you get up. You’ll just need to lock up before you come back here to get ready for work.”
“So I don’t get pancakes tomorrow?” I fake pout, and his eyes drop to my mouth.
“If you wanna get up with me in the morning, I’ll make you pancakes before I leave.” He says it so seriously that I know he’d do it if I wanted him to.
“I wouldn’t ask you to do that.”
“I’d do it for you.” His eyes move over me. “Go grab your pillow and whatever else you need for tonight.”
“Okay.” I don’t put up a fight; I’d rather stay with him than sleep here. I spin on my heels and head down the hall, hearing Gemma behind me as I enter my bedroom. I put a pair of sweats on over my sleep shorts and a hoodie over my tank. Then I grab my book and my pillow. Shutting off the light, I meet Bax in the living room and follow him out the door that he holds open for me. He locks it with my keys I now see he grabbed off the hook by the door.
When we get outside, I notice—now that the sun has set—that the entire neighborhood is lit up with orange and purple lights in preparation for tomorrow evening. Even Bax’s house has lights lining the sidewalk and a giant blow-up orange jack-o’-lantern in the middle of his lawn.
I hum. “I guess I need to stop at the store tomorrow and pick up a pumpkin and some candy.”
“I’ve got plenty unless you want to leave a bowl on your porch before you come over. Just be warned, it will be gone after the first group of kids walks up and finds it unattended.” He opens his door, letting me enter before him, and I’m instantly enveloped with warmth and the smell of cinnamon.
What guy’s house smells like cinnamon?
Apparently, guys who can cook, decorate, and who don’t hesitate to run half-naked through the night to save a woman.
“You wanna hang with me and watch TV for a bit, or do you want to just go to bed?” he asks, motioning to the couch.
“I’ll hang out, but I might just read if you don’t mind.”
He smiles. “That’s cool. Do you want something to drink?”
“No, thanks. I’m okay.” I settle on the couch with my book and my pillow, and because the couch in his living room facing the TV is smaller than the one outside, he sits closer than he did last night, making my insides squirm.
Turning on the TV, he puts it on some show about people being dropped in the middle of nowhere with only a few supplies and no food. And because it’s interesting, I end up setting my book aside halfway through the first episode and curling up with my pillow on the armrest of the sofa. When the first episode ends and the second one starts, I feel him looking at me.
I turn my head his way. “What?”
“You like this?”
“It’s cool. I mean, I can’t imagine doing something like that, even for a million dollars, but I can see why someone outdoorsy would.”
“Outdoorsy?” He laughs, and I stretch out my leg to kick him, but he wraps his hand around my ankle, stopping me. A zap of electricity travels up from where he’s touching and settles between my thighs, making my breath catch in the back of my throat.