Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 31579 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 158(@200wpm)___ 126(@250wpm)___ 105(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31579 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 158(@200wpm)___ 126(@250wpm)___ 105(@300wpm)
"But it's not right," she argues, crossing her arms. "I should be the one to sleep on the couch."
I step closer to her, towering over her small frame. She swallows hard, her cheeks pink as she stares up at me, eyes wide. She smells like peaches, and I want to press my face against her neck and breathe her in.
"I won't take no for an answer." My voice is lower than I expected it to be, and she visibly shivers.
I turn away before I do something stupid, like pull her into my arms. I grab my duffel bag and shove it on the bed beside her suitcase, unzipping it quickly. "Go ahead and shower, El. I'll just get my stuff ready."
"Um, okay." She moves quickly, grabbing her toiletry bag and towel before escaping into the bathroom.
The second the door closes, I slump onto the bed. What am I doing? Why did I volunteer for this torture? It was bad enough before, being around her and trying not to make an ass of myself. But now we're in a room together, and I know I'm going to hear the shower running and think about her naked in there.
I run a hand over my face, groaning quietly. I need to get a grip. I can't risk our working relationship by being inappropriate. She deserves better than that.
I take out my phone and try to distract myself with work, but I can't focus. With nothing else to do, I close my eyes and lie back on the comforter, trying to meditate and block out the sound of her showering and ignoring the voice in my head screaming at me to stroke my cock and at least take the edge off this need. With my luck, she'll come out as soon as I start, and I'll be even more frustrated than before.
Ellie, Ellie, Ellie. What the hell am I going to do with you?
3
ELLIE
After an awkward two hours of moving around Drake in the hotel room, I finally feel fully human again. A shower and a fresh set of clothes restart my brain and let me consider the situation fully without all the emotions coursing through me earlier.
Okay. So, we're sharing a suite. A honeymoon suite. Not ideal but not the end of the world either. Like I told Drake before, we'll be so busy I'm sure we'll see very little of each other. Usually, Drake would have me attached to his side at all times, but he's got multiple events on the schedule where he will be all on his own, flaunting his charisma and charm to the masses.
I, on the other hand, will be working to keep him on track and keeping all the plates spinning behind the scenes. Sort of like what I do on a day-to-day basis, just at a much larger scale.
I can hear Drake finishing up in the bathroom and take a moment to sink onto the chaise across from the floor-to-ceiling windows. The sun is nearly set, and despite the general fatigue of the day, I can't deny that the view is beautiful. Salt Lake City is surrounded by the sort of natural majesty that has Drake going on and on for hours, but I rarely have the time to soak it in myself.
From the top of the hotel tower, I can see the city lights and, beyond them, the Wasatch Mountains that seem to stretch forever. I'm lost in the view and almost jump out of my skin when Drake comes up to the window beside me. I've been avoiding looking directly at him since we got into the suite, and now that I do, I feel my heart stop.
He's showered and changed into a dark navy suit. His hair is damp, and the smell of his soap is warm and woodsy. I'm usually able to ignore just how good-looking he is during work hours, but right now, the sight of him is impossible to ignore.
He meets my eyes with a slight smirk, and I blush, knowing he's caught me staring. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" he says, and I'm relieved that he doesn't tease me about my little moment of reverie.
"It really is," I answer, looking back at the view.
"You've never had much of a chance to enjoy nature, have you?"
I laugh at that. "No, not really, which I guess is ironic considering who you are. I've had my hands full trying to keep up.”
His smile widens into a grin. "It's your job to keep up with me."
I roll my eyes. "Yeah, well, it would be nice if you made it easy for me every once in a while. Like maybe you could actually read your schedule for once?"
"My dear Ellie, that is exactly why I have an assistant. Now, believe it or not" —he sits on the chaise beside me— "I do remember that you said we have a mixer tonight, which is why you had this suit sat out for me, I assume. Are you ready to go?"