Series: The Laws of Opposite Attract Series by Vi Keeland
Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
“I finished up in the living room,” he said. “Figured I’d see if Alex needed any help.”
“She doesn’t.”
“Oh… Okay.”
“But I could use someone to clean out the gutters, if you’re free.” Nothing like cleaning muck and bird shit with your hands instead of hanging out in a tight little bathroom with Alex.
Chad’s face fell. “Sure.”
“Thanks.”
Alex scolded me once I shut the door again. “You aren’t very nice to him.”
“Maybe he should spend more time focused on what he came here to do instead of the woman he wants to do…”
She rolled her eyes. “Chad’s a nice guy. He’s not interested in me in that way.”
“Uh-huh.”
“He’s not.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “Care to put your money where your mouth is?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll bet you that Chad asks you out before this project is over.”
“What are we betting?”
I grinned. “Oral sex.”
Alex’s eyes widened. “That’s crazy.”
I lifted a brow. “Doesn’t matter what you bet if you’re sure you have a winning hand, right?”
“Fine. But he’s not going to ask me out, so you won’t be getting a blowjob.”
“You’re right. I won’t be. Because when I said oral sex was the prize, I meant giving it.” I whispered in her ear. “You have no idea how badly I want to taste you, sweetheart.”
***
“Hey, Charlie?”
He stopped setting up his makeshift house at the far end of the parking lot and turned around. “What’s up, Brayden?”
I extended a hotel room keycard. “Room two-eighteen.”
His bushy brows dipped. “You need help carrying stuff?”
“Nope. It’s your room. I prepaid it for a week.”
“Why would you do that?”
“You have a job interview next week. Figured you could use some good sleep, and you need to be able to shave and stuff before your appointment.”
“That’s very nice of you. But I can’t accept it. It’s a few hundred dollars a night for a room here.”
“You told me why you give to Ryan’s House. But I didn’t get to tell you my story. My buddy Ryan had leukemia. He had a lot of time on his hands during treatments and hospitalizations. We were both engineering students. I kept him company, and during that time we developed a technology that sold for a lot of money after he died. His half of the profit goes to build houses to help cancer patients. So I’m not giving my money to a charity. I’m giving his away to honor him.” I extended the key in my hand again. “You’re honoring your wife by donating your time. Let me honor my buddy this way. Please.”
Charlie’s eyes welled up. He nodded and accepted the keycard. “Thanks, man.”
“I also made you an appointment at a suit store a few blocks from the project house. Tomorrow at ten AM. Whatever you pick out is prepaid, and the tailor said he can get the alterations done in twenty-four hours. I’ll go with you.”
“I don’t know what to say, how to thank you.”
“No thanks necessary. Just tell your Arlene to keep an eye on my Ryan.”
He smiled. “You got it.”
I helped Charlie pack his stuff, and we walked into the hotel together. Alex was at the desk, so I told Charlie to have a good night and went over to see what she was up to.
“You’re not checking out, are you?”
She shook her head. “No, my key isn’t working. My wallet has a magnetic closure, and it keeps deactivating the swipe card. I need to remember to keep it in my pocket.”
I nodded.
She lifted her chin to Charlie, now waiting for the elevator. “He seems like a really nice guy. I talked to him a bit today. I guess he’s staying here, too?”
“Yep.”
“Good. I was a little worried he might be sleeping in his car or something.”
“Nope. All good.”
The woman behind the desk gave Alex a new keycard, and we walked to the elevator together. I pressed the button, and the doors slid open. “You up for some dinner?”
The look on Alex’s face told me the answer before she spoke. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Last night was…a mistake. I had too much to drink and…” She shook her head. “It just shouldn’t have happened.”
My heart sank. I wasn’t sure if it was the lack of sleep or being rejected one time too many, but I didn’t have the heart to argue with her. I forced a smile. “Okay.”
“I’m sorry.”
I raised a hand. “It’s fine. Nothing to be sorry about.”
An hour later, I was still feeling glum when room service knocked on my door. I’d ordered a bunch of shit I normally wouldn’t allow myself to eat—macaroni and cheese, a BLT, and a side order of tater tots from the kids’ menu. Just as I sat down to munch away my sadness, my phone buzzed. Alex’s name flashed on the screen. I was tempted not to pick it up, but I couldn’t help myself.