Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 113142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
She giggled, and I leaned forward, holding out the piece. “C’mon, Ally. Be a rebel. Take a bite—no utensils.”
I quirked my eyebrow in a silent challenge. My laughter couldn’t be contained when she took the slice from my hand and awkwardly bit into it, sauce and cheese spilling over onto her chin. She handed me back the slice, chewing and wiping her face with the napkin as she tried not to laugh with her mouth full.
“Tastes better, yeah?”
She rolled her eyes as she picked up her glass.
I winked.
“Suck it back, my girl. A big, long, hard swallow. It’s good practice.”
Her eyes grew round, with her lips wrapped around the straw, her cheeks growing redder every second.
I burst out laughing. She was so easy to tease. Her eyes were very expressive, and I could read every emotion she was feeling in them. I was determined to start taking her picture this afternoon. I wanted to capture every expression I could.
She glared and swallowed the liquid, setting her glass down with a thump. I struggled to stop laughing, grabbing for her hand again. “I’m sorry. I’ll behave.”
“Can you?”
I slid out of the booth and slipped in beside her. Before she could ask what I was doing, I kissed her. I plunged my hands into her hair, fisting it tight as I claimed her mouth. She whimpered, clutching my shirt in her hands as I kissed her until we were breathless.
Leaning my forehead to hers, I tried to catch my breath. “You do this to me. You make me want to tease you. Get you to laugh. Laugh with you.” I confessed. “Sean tells me all the time I’m too serious and I don’t laugh enough, yet with you, I find myself doing it all the time.”
“Oh,” she breathed out.
Slipping my fingers under her chin and caressing the silky skin, I kissed her lips. “You make me feel things I can’t explain. You make me want to buy sheets so I know you’re comfortable. Want things I’ve never wanted before.”
“You hardly know me,” she whispered. “How could I affect you like that? How do you know you want all those things with me?”
I shook my head. “I only met you a couple of days ago, Ally, but I’ve been waiting for you all my life. Waiting for you to find me.”
“Adam.”
She stared at me, her eyes glistening under the lights.
“Am I scaring you?”
“No,” she replied, her lips quivering, eyes watery. “That’s the part that does scare me. I feel–I feel the same way.”
“Good.”
I slid back over to my side of the table. I knew if I stayed beside her, I would just keep kissing her, and I wanted her to eat her lunch. All of it.
I ordered coffee and sipped at it while she resumed eating. Although she was still slow, she did at least pick up the pizza with her fingers. It was progress.
“So, you go back to work Monday night?”
“Yes.”
“Your schedule is set?”
“For now. This is the first time I’ve had entire weekends off. Next change, I’ll have Sunday to Tuesday off.”
“Do you have plans?”
She frowned. “No, I was hoping to see Emma, but she canceled her trip. That happens a lot these days.”
“Emma?”
“She’s my best friend. She got married a few months ago, and they moved to Ottawa. She designs clothing and owns a boutique here and one there, so she goes back and forth. I see her when she’s in town, and I visit when I can.”
“You miss her.”
“She was the first friend I made when I went to school. She lived in the same building, and I met her when I was doing laundry. We started talking and have been friends ever since.” She smiled wistfully. “I adore her husband, Alan, and they’re great together, but yes, I miss her. She’s so busy now. And Elena is away, so I can’t see her either.”
“You see her a lot?”
“I try to. I can just be me when I’m with her. We have sleepovers, which are always fun.”
“Should I ask what those entail? I assume there’re no pillow fights happening.”
Ally snorted and covered her mouth. I chuckled at the very unladylike sound.
“That’s just a male fantasy, Adam. We don’t really do that sort of thing.”
I shook my head. “Don’t destroy the illusions. We men, as a whole, cling to them.”
“Elena and I make martinis and finger food. We play cards or Scrabble, and she fills me in on all the gossip. I love spending time with her.”
“Why don’t you live with her?”
“The place she lives in is age-restricted. It’s very elegant, very expensive. She has a circle of friends and her life. I can stay the night on occasion, but I can’t live there.”
I nodded. I knew the type of place she was talking about.
“What about other friends?”
“I’m friendly with a few of the nurses at the hospital.” She shrugged. “Working nights, it’s hard to maintain a lot of friendships. I’m asleep while they’re awake, and vice versa. But we do sporadic get-togethers.”