Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 88580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Totally saved it.
His smile doesn’t budge. “Right, and so you were expecting me to… dress you down?”
The way he says dress you down is so obscene I could cry.
“Yes,” I say in a very small voice.
“That comes later.” His grin is huge now as he gestures with his bread. “Eat while it’s still hot. We’ll discuss what you can do for me in a little while.”
I could keel over right now, and that would be preferable to this.
There’s no way I’m finishing my bowl. My stomach’s an embarrassed, nervous wreck, though I manage to take a few bites. The stuff really is good—shakshuka, or whatever he called it. Adler seems extremely amused as he finishes everything in front of him, eating methodically and robotically, and only then does he pour two glasses of wine.
I accept one, unable to turn it down. I could use the alcohol right about now.
“Thank you,” I say as he takes my plate away, not commenting on the amount leftover. “That was good.”
“Happy to do it. I don’t get many opportunities to cook. My mother used to make that when we were younger, and it’s something of a comfort food for me now.” He says all this without looking at me as he puts the dish in the sink, straightening up a little bit as he goes.
I have a feeling that’s the most he’s talked about himself to an employee ever in the history of the Sunrise.
“Your mom’s really nice,” I say, feeling better on more comfortable footing. “Everyone at the hotel loves her.”
“And she loves the Sunrise,” he says though he sounds almost sarcastic about it. “A little bit too much.”
“Oh, uh, I didn’t know that. I mean, I knew she loved the place, but—” I shut my mouth, not even sure what I’m trying to say, and drown my uncomfortable awkwardness with a big gulp of wine.
Come on, Casey, get it together!
He studies me for a moment, his smile fading away as the meal disappears into the refrigerator. Once the remnants are packed up, he grabs his wine glass and gestures for me to follow.
I struggle down from the chair. When he notices how tentative I’m moving, he comes close and offers me his hand. I hesitate, but accept the help. “Thanks,” I mumble. “Tall chairs aren’t easy for me.”
Another thing I learned early: don’t try to do too much.
Test my own boundaries, and I’ll end up flat on my face.
So when a handsome man gives me a hand, I don’t say no.
I have pride, and I’m stubborn as hell, but I’m not stupid.
He says nothing, only keeps me steady. For a beat, I stand beside him, still holding onto his arm. I feel muscle under his dress shirt and stare into his deep blue eyes, feeling like I’m tumbling into them. He smells like dinner, but also like spice and whiskey and a faint musk. There’s a shadow on his cheeks and chin, and his full lips are pressed together.
I’m struck all over again at how handsome this man is.
He’s big, athletic, a specimen of a human being—and yet he’s always in this hotel.
It’s a shame that a creature like him keeps himself locked away from the world, like he’s some rare animal that should be paraded around.
“This way,” he says, leading me back into the main hall.
I shuffle after him. He slows his pace when he notices me falling behind. We end up back in the foyer, and I glance toward the stairs. “Is there, uh, another floor? You know, for the bedroom?”
His eyebrows raise as he stops. “Yes, there is, and yes, the bedroom is up there.”
“Steps are hard for me.”
Why the hell did I just say that?!
I must be the dumbest girl alive. It just tumbled out of my lips, unbidden, my moronic thoughts vomiting between my lips.
God, I am the absolute worst sometimes.
His lips tug into another smile. “I think you might be mistaken about something, Casey.”
“No, I’m sorry, I’m just nervous and I’m babbling,” I say quickly, raising my hands. Scratch what I said earlier— I am the dumbest person in the whole freaking world.
If I’d just stop thinking about sex for one stupid second, maybe I might get out of this with my dignity intact—though it’s probably too late for that already.
His smile grows. “Why would you be nervous?”
“My boss invited me to his apartment at ten o’clock at night to discuss the fate of my older brother,” I say, tilting my chin up. “Can you blame me? It’s an unusual situation.”
“I get off work at nine thirty. I needed a half hour to cook.”
“You didn’t tell me that.”
“I didn’t know I had to spell everything out for you.” He leans closer, his smile fading. “Like, for example, how I don’t plan on fucking you tonight.”
My jaw falls open. My eyes go wide.