Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 107262 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107262 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Lying in his arms, my pulse still rushes through my veins, the sweat cooling on my skin as we come down from what just happened.
“Are you okay?” Dylan asks me, and I nod, kissing his chest and unable to admit aloud the thought I just had.
We lie like that, both lost in our thoughts. Tonight was big, probably the biggest leap forward we’ve had, and I think we both need some time to sit with that. Or at least I do, because now that I’m not chasing an orgasm, I can feel that something major has shifted.
“I should go home,” I whisper, not wanting to but knowing it’s probably the right thing to do.
“Stay,” he counters.
I try to imagine what that looks like and gasp. “I am not doing the walk of shame tomorrow morning in a cheap red trench coat. My neighbors would never look at me the same way again.”
He shrugs, unconcerned. “I can have clothes sent up for you.”
I push up to stare at him in shock. That thought would never occur to me. Just ‘have clothes sent’? Who does that?
Dylan Sharpe does.
I laugh. “No, I don’t want you to do that,” I confess. “I kind of like the idea of a naughty rendezvous in a skimpy outfit and sneaking out before the sun rises. It’s a bit wild for me, like a scene from a cheesy movie.”
He looks up at me, laughter teasing across his twitching lips. “Don’t ruin it for me. I’ll look better tonight than I will in the morning.”
At that, he does laugh. “Okay, if you want to go, I understand. I think I might actually get some sleep tonight, which I didn’t think I’d be able to do.”
“Why?” I ask.
A shadow passes through his eyes and he shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter because you’ve worn me out.” He looks at me in wonder, like he’s not quite sure how I did that. “Let me show you to the bathroom so you can clean up.”
The bed groans as he helps me from the bed, leading me to a private bathroom that’s as luxurious as I expected it to be, with a huge shower the size of my bedroom, a long double vanity I give a side eye to, wondering which sink he uses, and a tub I could nearly swim in. He gives me privacy, and I clean up quickly.
Back in the bedroom, he holds out a long-sleeve T-shirt. “Does it ruin it if you wear my shirt under the trench coat? It’s chilly outside.”
I smirk, letting him pull the shirt over my head and settle it down my thighs. Every time his skin brushes mine, something races through me. He’s gotten dressed too, in a similar T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. I look between us, taking a mental snapshot of the moment.
My heart does that thing again, and I wish it wouldn’t.
He leads me back downstairs, out the front door, and to the elevator. As we descend, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small tag that looks a lot like an AirTag. “Here. For your keychain.”
“What is it?” I ask, and he points to the sensor panel on the elevator. “Really?”
“It won’t open my front door, so you can’t sneak in to surprise me in the shower,” he jokes, tilting his head as if considering the merits of that idea, and I laugh softly. It’s not a front door key, but it’s a big deal, especially to a man like him who has to protect himself from virtually everyone and everything.
We get to the lobby, where I find a taxi waiting for me.
“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Mr. Sharpe,” I say in my most professional voice, teasing him with a tilt of my head.
“Anytime, Miss Hill. I’ll see you Monday, then?” he says. He doesn’t feign appropriateness. His voice promises he’s going to see all of me on Monday, and I climb into the taxi, not knowing how I fell for him but afraid of what happens if it’s entirely one-sided.
CHAPTER 20
RAVEN
Stretching my arms over my head, I feel my back crackle in three places as both shoulder blades and my left elbow let go of tension I’ve been holding inside for three hours. It’s been a week since Mom’s visit, and if she could see me now, she really wouldn’t understand why I love what I do. But I absolutely do love it.
The markets were hectic this morning, with the news that a European billionaire got caught with a couple of bedmates, neither of which was her husband, causing a ripple effect on everything her company has a foothold in.
It’s amazing how ridiculous traders can be, as the arrangement has clearly been going on for at least a couple of weeks, if not months or years. And this particular billionaire isn’t even involved in the day-to-day operations of her family’s corporation, an entity that’s been steadily profitable for the past sixty years.