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)
“I resent the accusation. I wasn’t trying to get close to you because of your inheritance. I was simply concerned for you since we were in a relationship, and I cared about you a lot once upon a time.”
“Okay, there’s no need for any of that. Did you steal the money, Cathal?”
“No!”
“Fine, then you can leave.”
“Oh, I’m leaving all right. Leaving to make an official complaint about you to Fabers.”
His statement made me feel ill, but I had too much pride to beg him not to make the complaint. Cathal stormed out of my office right at the same time Alf appeared. His brows drew together as he watched my ex stomp away.
“What’s wrong with him?”
I rubbed at my neck, completely stressed. “Nothing. Did you review the footage?”
Alf frowned. “I did.”
“And?”
“And the person who’s been stealing the money is … Bernie.”
I stared at him, not comprehending for several long moments before I said, “Bernie? As in our resident Bernie?”
Alf nodded soberly, and I sank back down into my seat. Then I dropped my face into my hands. Oh man, this was such a disastrous mess. I’d accused Cathal of being the thief when all along it was the tiny, eighty-six-year-old woman who I’d just helped shower yesterday. How on earth was Bernie the thief?
“How would you like to proceed, Ada?” Alf asked, drawing me from my thoughts.
I pressed my lips together and took a deep breath, picking up a pen and nervously clicking it. “Where is she right now?”
“In her room, I believe.”
“Okay, then, let’s go and talk to her.”
***
That evening, I stripped out of my clothes and fell into bed, smashing my face into the pillow and crying my eyes out. It had been such a shitty, stressful day to close out a shitty, stressful week, and I was so done with everything. I just wanted to sleep until Monday and forget about it all.
My gaze fell on the drawer near my bed, the one Jonathan had dumped all those condoms in. He’d been right to suspect we’d need them again because right then I struggled not to send him a text asking him to come over. I wished to have his body next to mine, taking up space in this big, cold, empty bed. His arms wrapped around me, holding me tight to him, as he kissed his way down my body, reassuring me it would all be okay …
I fell into a very pleasant dream, one where Jonathan did all the things I wanted him to do to me but felt the need to deny myself for fear of complications.
Ada, dream Jonathan purred, you were made for me.
Ada, come closer.
Ada, give me your lips.
Ada …
Ada …
Ada! Suddenly, dream Jonathan’s sexy voice caressing my name grew urgent, and I wasn’t sure how long I’d been asleep when I woke with a start.
“Ada!”
It was only as I blinked my eyes open that I saw him bursting into my bedroom, a look of utter panic on his face.
20.
Ada
Jonathan pulled me close, hands cupping my cheeks as though to reassure himself I was okay.
“I came to check on you, but you didn’t answer the door. Then I tried calling your phone, and you didn’t answer that either. I started to panic that something had happened, so I grabbed the spare key from my apartment and—”
His words fell off when I placed my palm across his heart, feeling it hammering away. My own heart raced to see how concerned he was. “Hey, I’m okay,” I whispered.
Jonathan silently took me in, his gaze heating when he realised I wore only a loose sleep shirt, knickers and little else. I watched his throat bob as he swallowed, and then something wild came over me. All my yearning and horny dreams had worked me to a fever pitch. My body and heart took over as I plastered my lips to his.
Something about his concern had everything else fading into the background. Whatever the possible fallout from being with Jonathan might be, I owed it to myself to explore what it could be like with him. I’d never had a man treat me so well or worry over me like he did, and to just resist the pull between us would be a tragedy. I had to take a chance, which was why I was kissing him like my life depended on it. My hands sank into his hair while his strong arms banded around me, tugging me flush to his body. He still wore his suit, and the expensive material scraped across my bare thighs.
Breathlessly, he broke the kiss to take me in. “What happened?” He appeared to notice my blotchy face. “Have you been crying?”
“It was a really bad day at work.”
“Tell me.”
“Not now. Please just … fuck me. I need you to fuck me, Jonathan.”