Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 105756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
“Something you should know about me, Ada,” he murmured, and my breath caught at his husky tone. “I’m pretty decisive in knowing what I want.”
“Oh?”
“And when I decide what I want, I can become singularly focused until I get it.”
His heated words had goosebumps dancing along my skin. Again, I had no clue what to say. I mean, what did a woman say when a man made such a statement? My heart was racing, blood rushing to my ears. How had that happened? He’d gone from barely tolerating my existence to feeling sorry for me and offering me a place to live to cornering me in hallways and speaking like he’d rather have eaten me for breakfast instead of the bacon and egg sandwich that laid half-finished on his plate.
“Right, um,” I began, flustered as I moved for the door. “That’s good to know. Have a nice day.”
With that, I fled, almost making it to the ground floor of the building before I took another full breath.
An hour later, I was still untangling my feelings as I sat on a park bench next to my sister, watching my three nieces play on a nearby slide and jungle gym. I’d just spent the last thirty minutes filling Frances in on all the details about Jonathan. The only part I’d left out was how I’d lied to her about finding an apartment.
“Well, one thing’s for certain,” Frances said, her eyes never leaving her kids as they played several yards away. “The man wants to have sex with you.”
“I honestly couldn’t tell if I was imagining it at first,” I began. “But last night and this morning, it was like he couldn’t take his eyes off me. When he came out with no shirt on, it felt intentional. He wanted me to see how good he looked shirtless. Only a few weeks ago, I was an inconvenience in his life and now this. I don’t understand the change.”
Frances scoffed. “Maybe nothing changed. Maybe the only reason he treated you how he did in the beginning was because you’re gorgeous, and the only thing inconvenient was his attraction to you. I mean, the second time you met, he saw you completely starkers, Ada. I suspect he’s had that image imprinted in his head all this time, and last night, his self-control finally snapped.”
I blinked at her in surprise. I’d honestly been trying to put that embarrassing encounter to the back of my mind. I hadn’t felt desire from Jonathan at the time. Only annoyance that I was living in his mother’s house and he hadn’t known about it. He certainly hadn’t expected to walk in on me in the bathroom.
“What do you think I should do?”
“Are you attracted to him?”
I groaned. “I wish I wasn’t, but yes, I am.”
Frances chewed her lip. “If the situation were different, I’d say go for it. Give him what he wants and get yours while you’re at it.” She waggled her eyebrows. “But he’s your landlord now, and obviously, you don’t want to complicate matters.”
“So, you think I should tell him I’m not interested?”
“It’s the safest bet.”
I blew out a heavy sigh, disappointment ballooning in my chest.
“I’m sorry. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but I care about you, Ada. You’ve landed on your feet with the apartment, especially in this economy. You don’t want to mess things up, and sex is always messy. Literally and figuratively.”
“No, you’re right. I can’t afford to screw things up.”
“On the bright side, you could start searching for a new apartment, and if you manage to secure one, then you can shag his brains out before you leave.”
I laughed, but the tension within me remained. It was a nice dream, but I couldn’t just have sex with Jonathan to fulfil a need and then leave him. I wasn’t wired that way. When I slept with a man, it was because I already had feelings for him, and I quickly became attached. One-night stands would never be something I could do.
Later that day after I ate dinner, I remembered it was Saturday, which meant I needed to go clean Jonathan’s apartment. It was part of the deal. I desperately didn’t want to run into him, but he’d been out every Saturday since I’d moved in, so there was no reason for tonight to be any different.
At least that was what I thought until I let myself into his apartment and found him lounging in front of the TV, a bottle of red wine open in front of him. A movie played at a low volume, some World War I flick I hadn’t seen yet.
“Oh, I thought you’d be out. You’re normally out,” I said, frazzled.
Jonathan cast me a sidelong glance, though I couldn’t read his expression. “Felt like staying in after last night. To be honest, I’ve spent most of the day recovering.”