Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
“I ran into your sister and Amara,” he says.
I pull open the door. “Like I said, plans—” I freeze when I see that Spencer is standing on my front porch. “What are you doing here?” I ask, still holding and talking into the phone.
He pulls his from his ear, taps the screen, and shoves it into his jeans pocket with one hand while the other holds up a bag from my favorite Chinese restaurant. The smell has my mouth watering, or maybe it’s him. Either way, I’m starving for both, but one isn’t on my meal plan.
“I brought dinner.” He nods toward the bag in his hand.
“I already ate.”
“Charlie, dessert is not dinner.” He steps into the house, his tight muscled body pressing against my braless breasts as he enters.
Shit. I need to put on a bra.
“How did you know where I lived?” I ask him.
“Charleston is a small town, and your sister was all too accommodating when I told her I asked you out to dinner, but you declined because you were supposed to be having dinner with her.”
“Amara called. They invited me, but I stayed home.” His eyes turn toward my laptop, and I rush to close it, my bare tits swinging loose behind my tank top like two pendulums.
When I glance up at Spencer to see if he noticed, his heated gaze is staring at my chest. “I should— I need to run to my room real fast.” My face is burning with embarrassment.
Before I can make a move, Spencer is in front of me, sliding an arm around my waist. “Stay. This is your home, Charlie. I’ll behave.”
“Do you know how to behave?” I ask.
He smirks. “I’ll try to behave.” He leans down and kisses my cheek. “Now sit, and I’ll make us a plate. What have you got to drink?” he asks as he releases me and turns toward my kitchen. My house is an open concept, so you can see the kitchen, living room, and dining room from all angles.
Spencer starts opening cabinets until he finds plates and begins dishing up large helpings. My feet move on their own accord as I make my way to the kitchen and grab two beers out of the fridge. “This okay?” I ask, holding one of the bottles up for him to see.
“Girl after my own heart.” He grins and nods.
I watch him in his white fitted T-shirt and faded jeans. His tattoos are on display, and they’re sexy. He’s sexy. I’ve been lying to myself all week. I can’t resist him. I don’t want to resist him.
“I can’t eat all that,” I tell him when he grabs both plates from the counter.
He shrugs. “You can try. Where are we eating? Dining room table or couch?”
“Couch.”
He smiles and nods. “Looks like you had a nice little setup going.”
“I was settled in for the night, just answering some emails and surfing the internet.”
“Find anything interesting?”
Oh, you know, just a few jobs that I’ve applied for because I’m stubborn and don’t want you to be my boss. That’s not the only reason. Spencer and I have the same degree. I’d like to advance my career. It’s something I knew I always wanted to do, and the buyout has given me the push I need to start my search.
“Nope.” It's just a small white lie.
“You should have called me.”
“Why would I do that?” I ask before taking a bite of my chicken.
“Your plans changed. You had other offers.” He gives me a pointed look.
“I was perfectly content sitting my ass on this couch. I had my ice cream, and after a little web surfing, I planned to read a book.”
“An entire book?”
“Yep.”
“What are you reading?”
“You wouldn’t like it.” I can’t imagine him reading about a sexy Viking.
“What? Do you think I don’t read? I graduated from Clemson, too, and as I recall, our grades were pretty damn close.”
“Are we going back to that?”
“We’re not. I was just making a point. I read for pleasure too.”
“Not this kind of pleasure,” I mutter.
“What was that?”
I shake my head. I’m not telling him. Nope. No way. We are not having this conversation.
“Come on, Charlie girl. What did you say?”
I roll my eyes, and I know he’s not going to let this go. “Not that kind of pleasure, but it is just a little something else too.”
“Explain that.”
“Romance, Spencer. I read romance.”
“And they give you pleasure?”
“They do.”
He points his index finger at me. “What’s causing that pink hue to cover your cheeks?”
“Nothing.”
“Let me read one of them.”
“What?”
“I want to read one of your books. Which is your favorite? I’ll read it. I’ll let you know if it turns me on like it does you.”
“We are not doing that.”
“We are.” He spies my Kindle on the table and snags it before I have a chance to stop him. He turns it on easily, and my mind flashes to the scene I was in the middle of when I stopped reading last night.