Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 135847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
I did this because I rarely had time to do it and I wasn’t a slob. I liked my place clean and tidy. But I usually had to break it up, dust one day, mop the floor three days later. It was almost like a treat to have it all done at once.
But also, Hale was spending time with me there. He’d seen it a mess. And I wanted him to know I’d made an effort.
In this time, I also got three more texts from the girls. They were all fashion ratings TikToks from the gala that I was mentioned in.
Although this blew my mind, and was a little terrifying, I got two eight out of tens, and one nine.
Not a bad showing.
By the time I had the third load of laundry upstairs, which meant clean towels, I had to jump in the shower while thinking about what to wear.
During the shower, I got rid of the studio makeup. After, I put on something much lighter and more subdued, and decided on a pair of mid-wash jeans, a light blue cardigan unbuttoned low enough to give you ideas, but not too low to be tacky. I folded and wrapped a fabulous Prada scarf around my neck. I spritzed with Jimmy Choo “I Want” perfume, put my Bony Levy pavé diamond “E” stud in one ear, the Bony Levy ball stud with chain and cuff in the other, slid on some midi-rings and then I was done.
I’d lit some candles that smelled good, just enough lamps to give the place a romantic atmosphere (even though it wasn’t dark yet, it would be and I didn’t want to be wandering around, switching on lights) and was pouring myself a much-needed glass of chilled white when the intercom went.
I moved to the new screen by my door and saw Hale flashing a peace sign at the camera.
I grinned to myself and buzzed him in.
I was standing in the open doorway when he got off the elevator carrying a plant.
I wanted to rush him.
I stood my ground.
He stopped in front of me.
“I asked the guy at the plant store, and apparently, it’s impossible to kill this,” he said by way of greeting.
“Are plants the new flowers?”
“Flowers die. You’ll have a memory of this date forever if you take care of this plant.”
It was a little frightening how much that worked for me.
Without another word, I took the plant and walked into the living room.
I set it on top of a stack of books I had on a table under the window and turned to see he’d entered and shut the door.
And then I jumped him.
Kissing me, he backed us to the couch, and sat while pulling me to straddle his lap.
We went at it a long time, it was equally as sublime as having him pin me against the wall (it was the lap straddle), but he stopped it by wrapping his hand under my jaw and pushing me away an inch.
This was a move that made my vaginal walls clench, because it was unusual, it was dominant and commanding, but it was also still gentle. A heady combination that made me even more upset he stopped us kissing.
“You smell good,” he said in a throaty voice.
“So do you,” I replied in a husky one.
“You look good,” he told me.
“So do you.”
“What have you eaten today?”
“A bagel.”
He shook his head and gave me a troubled smile. “I need to hire you a personal chef.”
“I’m still recovering from facial recognition to get into my building. Give a girl a chance to catch her breath.”
On that, he squeezed my ass, since both his hands were there (nugget of news: this did not help a girl catch her breath), and he said, “Your couch isn’t big enough for a Labrador to take a nap. I’m not having our first time include me performing feats of contortion.” I laughed at that, and he spoke through it, “I need to feed you.”
Sadly, since I was starving, and wanted wine, I had to agree. “Yeah.”
“Got any takeout menus?”
I had a drawer of them.
I didn’t move.
I cupped his jaw in both hands and warned, “This may freak you. It’s not meant to freak you. I just need you to know I missed you. It was one date, but it was the best date I ever had. I really wanted more, and it was a little scary how much it hurt when I thought you’d walked out of my life, and I’d never see you again. No pressure, and this isn’t meant to sound stalkery and weird. I’m just being real.”
He sat immobile, staring up at me for so long, I started to panic, because I realized that wasn’t too much. It was way too much.
I’d learn it wasn’t when I landed on my back on the couch, his chest landed on mine as he twisted over me, and he took my mouth again.