Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 105850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
HEIDI: Damn.
HEIDI: Seriously. Who are you and what did you do with my Chloe?
ME: I’m embracing the slutty chaos. It’s not like I can run away from what we did, so I might as well roll with it while I can.
And that was the truth.
Like I’d said to Theo, it wasn’t as though we could change what we’d done. We’d consciously made the decision to sleep together. He’d asked me more than once for my consent—and it wasn’t an ambiguous consent, either.
It was me clearly saying yes. Every time.
I knew what I was doing.
He knew what he was doing.
But we really did need to clarify what was going to happen when we returned to London.
Was it too soon to have that conversation, though? Was Theo even thinking that this was something that would extend past that time?
After all, he was against office relationships, but as things stood, we’d only be working together for a month after our return.
Jesus.
What was I thinking?
I’d lost my mind.
No. There was no way this could continue on our return to London. I had to temper my expectations—and my feelings. I had to stop this warmth in my heart from growing. I had to make sure I didn’t lose myself in the frivolity of my emotions.
Because that’s all they were.
Frivolous things, and such things never did anyone any good.
I stared at my phone for a moment before picking it up and dialling Harvey’s office.
“Good afternoon, you’ve reached the office of Harvey Park. This is Shanna speaking, how may I help you?” Shanna’s smooth customer service voice crooned down the line at me.
“Hey, Shanna, it’s Chloe.”
“Chloe! How are you?” Her tone instantly brightened.
“I’m great, thank you. You?”
“Fab, thanks. Would you like to speak to Mr Park?”
“If he’s available, then yes, please.”
“He is. Give me two seconds to connect you.”
The line momentarily died before a little beep sounded in my ear. “What do you want?” Harvey demanded.
“Hello, beloved cousin. It’s nice to speak to you, too,” I said dryly, drawing out my words.
“Beloved cousin? Are you ill? Do you need a doctor?”
“This is why I’m never nice to you. You were calling yourself my beloved cousin not long ago. I was only picking up where you left off.”
Harvey laughed. “Now I know you want something. What’s up?”
“It’s about Aunt Fizz’s birthday party. I need to make sure with Theo, but I should be able to come.”
He coughed. “Theo? Since when did you call him Theo?”
Shit.
Double shit.
No.
Triple shit.
“Well, we’re cohabitating right now,” I said quickly. “It’s awkward to call him sir or Mr Black when we aren’t working, don’t you think?”
“Oh. Of course. I didn’t think of that.”
Thank God he was denser than brick. “Well, the party?”
“Oh, yeah, sure. Mum has been bugging me about it, so I was actually going to call you. Are you going to drive down?”
“No, I’ll probably drive to the nearest airport and fly down,” I replied. “Don’t say anything to Aunt Fizz for now. I’ll call her when I know for sure.”
“All right. How are things going, anyway? Are you two getting along?”
Memories of the past twenty-four hours flashed through my mind.
Theo fingering me in the kitchen.
Theo licking my clit in his bedroom.
Theo leaving a hickey on my boob while I rode his cock.
Yup.
‘Getting along’ was one way of putting it.
“Yes,” I replied, my cheeks burning hot.
“He’s not as bad as you thought, huh?”
Something like that. “By the way, what are you doing in the office on a Saturday afternoon?”
“Cleaning up an intern’s mess. Why are you calling the office and not my phone?”
“Habit.” I smiled. “I have to go. I’ll text you later when I know for sure about the weekend.”
“All right.” Papers shuffled at his end. “Hey, Chlo?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re really getting on fine, aren’t you? I know how you felt about him before you left. You’re not just coming home to escape him, are you?”
My smile widened, and I dipped my chin.
Oh, Harvey.
He knew me so well.
“No. I promised I’d try to come back for the party, and that’s what I’m trying to do. Everything’s fine, I swear.”
“Mm. Okay.” He didn’t sound entirely convinced. “I’ll talk to you later, then.”
“Yep. Bye, Harvs.” I hung up and put down my phone, then buried my face in my hands.
Escaping?
Yes.
That was exactly what I needed to do.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX – CHLOE
Farmers-in-Crime
“Is that… Stardew Valley?” I peered across at Theo’s laptop screen as a familiar launch page caught my eye. “Did you actually buy it?”
“Mm. Honestly, it’s like my computer knew I’d watched you play and kept suggesting me videos on it.”
I side-eyed him. “Videos?”
“On YouTube. Instead of listening to music like I usually do, I’ve been watching people play this bloody game, and now I have to play, too.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “I can’t believe I’m spending my Saturday night sitting next to my boss playing Stardew.”