Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82453 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82453 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Pampering myself feels good.
“I can tell you’re tired, but you seem happy.” He leans back in his chair. “You’re more relaxed, too. Something is different since I saw you on Saturday night.”
I’m not about to tell him that I had the best orgasm of my life nine hours ago, so I skip past that and refocus on him. “Why don’t you invite Cam to dinner tonight, too?”
His smile brightens his entire face. “He’s the one on a deadline now, so he’s working late. I’ll take the leftovers for him.”
I nod. “Finish your breakfast. I’m going to get to work.”
He shoves another bite of the scrambled egg mixture into his mouth before he pats his lips with a paper napkin. “No way. If left to your own devices, you could come up with Matiz’s next big scent, and I want in on that.”
“I’ll always give you the credit you deserve, Tel.”
Smoothing a hand over his plain blue tie, he nods. “I know you will, Carrie. You’ve always been good to me.”
I can say the same for him, so I do, “I think that works both ways.”
“We’re a good team.” He strides across the lab toward where he hung his satchel. “I’ll brush my teeth, grab a lab coat, and be at your side in two minutes flat.”
That will give me just enough time to sort through my emails.
I rest my hip against one of the long counters in the lab and scroll through the unread messages filling up my inbox.
Most are from fast food places offering coupons on what could very well be lunch for Tel and me one day this week.
Just as I’m about to pop open one from a Thai restaurant a few blocks away, a text message appears on my screen.
My hands tremble slightly when I see who it’s from.
Rook: Good morning, Carrie.
I’m sure a relationship expert somewhere would tell me to wait at least an hour or two to respond, but I’m a woman on a mission to lose her virginity this week, so I type out my reply and hit send.
Carrie: Good morning to you.
I glance up to see Telford disappear into the washroom. He shuts the door quietly.
Rook: How did you sleep?
That’s easy to answer, so I do.
Carrie: Good. What about you?
The sound of water running filters into the lab from under the bathroom door. I glance at the shelf above the counter I’m next to. I need to retrieve at least half a dozen test tubes before we can get to work today. Just as I’m about to place my phone down again, it chimes.
Rook: I slept very well. I’m headed into a meeting shortly, but I wanted to see if we could firm up plans for Friday night. I was thinking dinner and then time at the Beaumont Hotel.
It feels like my body is on fire as I type out my reply. I don’t have to think about it. I want this, and Friday gives me more than enough time to prepare for what I anticipate will be the best night of my life.
Carrie: Friday is perfect for me.
His response is almost instant.
Rook: Good. I’ll text you this week so we can discuss a time for dinner.
My fingers fly over the screen of my phone, typing out I can’t wait. I take a deep breath and stare at it before deleting every letter.
I close my eyes, and will my heartbeat to slow but it’s futile. I’m too excited, too nervous, and too everything else.
I’m going to have sex with Rook Thorsen at the end of this week.
The bathroom door creaks open, signaling Telford’s imminent return, so I type out a reply that doesn’t reflect what I feel inside.
Carrie: Okay.
I silence my phone, shove it into the front pocket of my pants, and turn to greet my best friend and lab partner. “Are you ready to get down to business?”
“You know I am,” Telford says as he hangs his bag back on one of the hooks on the coatrack. “Let’s make a little magic.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Rook
“I’m going to quiet quit school,” Kirby announces.
Milo shoots her a smile. “Good on you, kid.”
I shake my head. “How exactly do you think you’re going to quiet quit kindergarten?”
My daughter tilts her head back to study me behind the bright red plastic glasses she found in her dress up trunk. “I’m going to stop going, Daddy.”
“That’s not happening.” I chuckle.
Milo takes a bite of the ham and cheese sandwich he ordered. This early dinner was his idea. He asked Kirby if she was in when he picked her up from school today. She never refuses her uncle, so they headed back to our apartment, and apparently, went through her dress-up trunk before showing up at Crispy Biscuit hand in hand.
That explains the purple and green oversized bow tie clipped to the neckline of my brother’s T-shirt.