Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 73043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
“Wasn’t really a compliment. Just an assumption.”
“Well, my boys know I don’t date, so they’re trying to get me out there.”
“Why not?”
His eyes studied me, turning serious like they did at the office. “You just shoot right from the hip, don’t you?”
“Don’t answer if you don’t want to. But I have every right to ask a question. It’s called a conversation, MapQuest.”
“Okay, who even uses MapQuest anymore?”
“Old people. Now, are you going to answer me?”
He took a drink. “I’m just not into it. You have to sit there and talk…and we never have anything in common. They talk, and I sit there and pretend to listen so they don’t think I’m a total jackass. It’s just a waste of time. I get bored.”
“It sounds like you aren’t dating the right women.”
He shrugged and took a drink. “Maybe. But I’m not looking for anything serious, so it really doesn’t matter.”
“Then why are your friends forcing you to do this? Seems a bit dickish.”
He looked down into his glass for a moment before he took a drink. “No idea.”
“So, do you even know what this chick looks like?”
“Nope.” He reached next to him and grabbed the red rose. “She’s either late or she already saw me and left.”
An uncontrollable laugh escaped my lips, and I had to calm it down with a drink. “Yeah, that didn’t happen.”
His amused look returned, this time a bit smug.
“Maybe she saw you talking to me and ducked out.”
“That’d be nice. Let’s keep talking.” He took another drink, handling his hard liquor like it was no big deal.
“Wouldn’t you rather talk to someone you might screw on the couch instead of someone you find displeasing?”
“I don’t find you displeasing.”
I released a chuckle. “Yeah, okay.”
“Alright. I don’t find you displeasing…anymore.”
“See? I’m adorable when you get on my good side.”
He shook his head. “Adorable is for puppies. You’re a fucking hurricane, Dr. Hamilton.”
I grinned before I took a drink. “Good. That’s the best compliment I’ve gotten in a while.”
He smiled slightly before he looked into his glass, seeing the liquid that barely covered the bottom of the glass. “Your girls aren’t wondering when you’ll come back?”
“Nah. They’ll assume I’m about to land some D.”
He rested one arm on the surface of the bar, his fingers wrapped around his glass. His body was pivoted toward me, his powerful chest stretching his shirt in all the right ways. He looked like the perfect D for the night, but he was off-limits in my mind. Not just because he was my boss, but because we already had a shaky history. “You land a lot of D?”
“Come on, look at me…”
He smiled. “That’s hot.”
“Damn right. You’re only young once.”
“Enjoy it as long as you can.” He motioned to the bartender for a refill.
“You’re young too.”
“Yes. But I don’t share the same excitement for it.”
“Really?”
His eyes narrowed on me before he pulled the glass closer. “Why is that surprising?”
“Um, isn’t that what every guy lives for?”
“I prefer to be in a relationship, honestly. When I was in my early twenties, it was a little different, but that scene gets old quickly. Same pickup lines. Same flirtatious conversations. Same superficial bullshit. In order to experience the complexities of a person, the really interesting stuff, you need to know them better. When the mind is as involved in the connection as the body, the physical aspects are a lot more satisfying.”
I had to stare at him for a few seconds because I was stunned by what he’d said. “Okay, you gotta help me out here. You just said you don’t date and you aren’t looking for anything serious.”
“That’s true.”
“So, your only option is a one-night stand.”
“Which are fine.”
“But you don’t actually like them.”
He took a drink. “I’m a man. I gotta get something, right? I’ll lose my mind if I don’t.”
“Then why don’t you just date? You’ve got a woman on the way right now.”
“It’s complicated.” He looked into his glass and swirled it.
“Well, I’m pretty smart, so I’ll probably follow.”
“In order to be in a good relationship, you have to connect. I never connect with anyone.”
“But if you’ve been in a relationship before, then you’ve obviously connected with someone.”
“Just once.”
“And I guess that ended?”
“No, we’re still together.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Enough about me.” He raised his glass and pointed at me. “Why are you a hit-it-and-quit-it kind of woman?”
“Because there are so many dicks and so little time.”
He gave a slight smile. “I’m serious.”
I shrugged before I pulled my drink closer. “I’m not trying to rush it. If I find the right guy, I’ll know, and we’ll do the whole relationship thing. But I’m not in a hurry to find him. I’m not in a hurry to settle down. I’m not thinking about my baby clock. I’m just living my life to the fullest.”
“And you’ve never found a guy to get you to slow down?”