Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Fuck it. If the boys were going to be here day in and day out for construction anyway, they were going to have to see me at my worst. This was the first of many times they’d be around early in the morning.
The hardwood was cold under my feet as I padded toward the front door. When I swung the door open, I attempted to angle myself so that my crotch looked a little less like a monument.
“Oh God,” I said, seeing Shawn waiting at the door with a bag of food, a pink doughnut box, and two hot coffees from River Brews on top of it. He was in a tight white T-shirt, snug jeans, and work boots. “This just isn’t fair.”
“What?” he said, his eyes all big and pretty and so much more alert than my own, I was sure.
“No one should look as good as you at eight in the morning.”
He rolled his eyes, but I watched as his cheeks got a little pink. I was starting to enjoy the idea that I had the power to make him blush just by telling him some very real compliments.
It had been a few days since I’d last seen him that night at the bar, when he’d brought Charlie in. Shawn had actually made an effort that night, trying to flirt with other guys, and I’d watched him from behind the bar. I’d also helped him set up some dating apps over the last few nights over texts, and I’d gotten used to falling asleep after exchanging messages with him. Last night we hadn’t messaged, though, and I’d missed it more than I thought I would.
But seeing him in person was better. Way better. No matter how guilty I felt about wanting to fuck him, I was never going to feel bad about getting to look at his body.
“Got an egg and cheese, a sausage egg and cheese, and a breakfast burrito,” he said. “Didn’t know your preference.”
“My preference is for all three, and any type of doughnut, thank you very much,” I said. “Come in, you ridiculous morning person.”
He came in and we spread the feast out over my dad’s old stickered dining room table, sitting down and digging in.
Shawn glanced up at me. “Late night last night?” he asked. I could tell he was trying to keep some distance from me, and definitely trying not to flirt, even by his standards.
“Very,” I said.
“You probably get more action in one night than I have in the last two years.”
I finished a bite of the breakfast burrito and shook my head. “Only action last night involved finishing the last book in the Sorrows and Hunger series.”
Shawn lifted an eyebrow. “You were up late reading?”
“You act so surprised,” I said. “Have you read those books? They had me up until four in the morning. I knew one of the plot twists was coming, but there were about three others I didn’t expect at all. I’ll lend you my paperbacks.”
“I’ve got to warn you, I’m a slow reader,” Shawn said. “People think I’m bad at it, but really I just like to savor it rather than binge.”
“Well, you’ve got all the time in the world,” I told him after taking a sip of hot coffee. “God, this is good.”
“Always is,” Shawn said. “River Brews is my go-to. Though I guess you’re probably more of a beer guy than a coffee guy.”
I cocked my head at him. “I do have other hobbies besides running bars and hooking up with people, you know. I feel like you see me as such a playboy.”
He shrugged one shoulder, finishing a bite of his egg and cheese. “No. I just see you as someone who knows what he likes.”
“Can’t argue with that one.”
His eyes met mine. “Even back in school. I just felt like you were the guy who figured himself out way before everyone else did.”
“I hate thinking about that time in my life,” I said. “Whoever that guy was, I’m not him.”
Shawn furrowed his brow, clearly surprised. “What? You were awesome back then. Popular as hell, too.”
I glanced out the window, watching the gentle breeze rustle the fir trees outside. “I did a hell of a job making it seem that way. On the inside, I felt like a tornado was ripping through me back then.”
“No shit?” he asked.
The truth was that the idea of high school made my stomach tighten, even now. Shawn was right that I’d always been seen as “cool” on the outside—I knew how to dress well before most other guys did, I took care of my body, and I’d never been shy. But nobody ever saw what my life was like behind closed doors.
What my life had been like when I was alone, and how lonely it could really get, sometimes.