Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
“Whoa, babe.” Steele caught hold of her arm as she went to move past him. “What the hell?”
Grady sighed and got out too, crowding in behind her. Steele eased her forward gently so they were all standing outside. She had to work hard not to let her teeth chatter. It was freezing out here, though, and her coat was thin.
With her first paycheck, she’d buy herself a coat. Although it was near the end of winter, so maybe she should wait. Then again, that meant end-of-winter sales.
“Babe?” Steele clicked his fingers in front of her face.
“You know, it’s quite rude to click your fingers in front of someone’s face.”
“Is it?” he asked. For some reason, amusement filled his face. “Where does ignoring someone while they’re talking to you fall in the manners spectrum?”
“Oh, that’s bad. You shouldn’t do that.”
Now he looked like he was fighting a grin. She really didn’t understand him.
“Effie, look at me,” Grady said firmly.
She glanced up at him in surprise.
“Good girl.”
Whoa. A rush of heat went straight through her. Effie had always been a good girl. She’d always done the right thing. But no one had ever told her that she was a good girl in that tone of voice.
And it was her boss. Who was off-limits.
Typical.
“Now, focus on me,” Grady said. “It’s cold and you need to get inside.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. You should get back into your car.”
“Effie, when I told you that I didn’t like you calling yourself a doofus, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad for teasing Steele about going blind.”
“So that’s what happened.” Steele crossed his arms over his chest. “You called yourself a doofus?”
“I was just joking around.”
“And when I said you shouldn’t joke around, I meant with what you say about yourself. Not about what you say about Steele.”
She bit her lower lip.
Steele reached out to pull it free. “Stop.”
Sheesh. Bossy.
“I didn’t hurt your feelings?” she asked.
“I got a dick, Spitfire?”
“Um, I assume so.” Lord, she hoped this wasn’t some big reveal where he told her he was a eunuch. That wouldn’t be pleasant. It would be disappointing.
You should not be thinking about your boss’s dick, Effie.
She bet it was nice, though. And big. Like him.
“I’ve got a dick,” he confirmed. “You make a joke about my eyesight, I’m not going to cry into my cornflakes.”
“You eat cornflakes?”
“Course not. Think we’ve established I’ve got a dick.”
“Well, I’ve only got your word for it.” Shoot. What was wrong with her? It was like her mouth ran away from her around them.
Steele opened his mouth, but Grady got there first. “Let’s get Effie inside before she catches pneumonia.”
Steele cut her a sharp glance, then nodded. His hand was still around her arm, which he used to lead her toward her apartment.
How was he not shivering in the cold? She guessed when you were that big, you generated your own heat. And what had he been doing out here on his own?
She tripped over a crack that she shouldn’t have tripped over since she knew it was there. She would have gone down if Steele hadn’t had a hold of her.
“Whoa, Spitfire. You all right?”
“Just not used to wearing slippers. Where’s Grady?”
“He’s grabbing your stuff.”
Shoot. She should have done that.
“How many apartments in this building?” Steele asked.
“Four.”
“Four? Shit. They must be small. How long has the security light been broken?”
“What security light?”
“Not liking that, Spitfire. Not liking it at all.”
Well, she didn’t either. But since the landlord was an older guy with bad arthritis and she really didn’t want him getting up on a ladder, there wasn’t much she could do.
Except get up there and do it yourself.
Well, that was true. She could do that. If she had a ladder and knew how to put up a security light.
Maybe she could find a video to tell her what to do.
“I’ll arrange a security light,” Steele said.
“What? No! I mean, the landlord said he’s onto it.”
Yeah. That was a total lie.
He cut her a side look, but Grady appeared, carrying a shoe box.
Oh God. The confetti shoes. They’d really bought her the confetti shoes. She couldn’t believe it.
Steele’s phone started ringing as she reached in for her keys.
“I got to take this. Raul will pick you up Monday at eleven-thirty,” he told her.
“Uh, I can get myself to work.”
“You got a car?” Steele countered.
“No.”
“Then Raul will pick you up.” He stepped away, talking into his phone.
“Don’t fight him on that, sweetheart,” Grady told her as she stared after him in shock. “Unlock your door.”
“Uh, I’d invite you in, but the place is in a state.”
“It’s all right.”
She got the feeling he understood exactly why she didn’t want them coming inside. Shame had her shoulders slumping.
“Effie. Look at me.”
She glanced up at him.
“Go inside. Lock the door behind you. Get warm. Rest. Okay?”