Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 67973 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67973 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
So, I just pointed to the conveyor belt with my chopsticks. “You better eat while we’re here. I doubt the nightclub will be serving food.”
Henry grabbed a plate of sushi without looking and continued to flirt with Whitney. She responded in kind, and I found myself looking at Morgan, who had a helpless expression on her face.
“I guess you can’t pretend I’m not here now,” I teased.
She sighed, wiping her fingers on her napkin. “I’m sorry. I was rude when you sat down. It just…caught me off guard. Seeing you here, especially after we almost…” Her voice lowered, her shoulder touching mine as she leaned closer so our friends, who were absorbed in their own conversation, wouldn’t hear. “Well, you know.”
“Let’s try and forget about that,” I said too quickly, and regretted the words the moment they left my mouth.
She stilled, her fingers tightening around her chopsticks. “Right. Just like we’re supposed to forget about the night we met,” she replied.
I arched a brow. “I thought you said that night wasn’t worth thinking about?” I shot back.
Her cheeks turned pink as I called her out on pretending she wasn’t affected by our night together. “I did say that,” she admitted, her voice quieter, more sincere. “But apparently that’s easier said than done.”
I held her gaze and was equally truthful. “I shouldn’t think about it either, but I do.” Far too fucking much.
The air between us felt charged. Heavy. Like if either of us said one more honest thing, something would shift in a way that we couldn’t take back.
I cleared my throat and leaned back, trying to find solid ground. “I know this situation isn’t ideal. Me being at GalvaTech, us having to work together. But, what if we call a truce?”
Her brows rose. “A truce?”
“Yeah.” I kept my voice low, for her ears only. “The truth is, I don’t want to forget about our night together because despite the way it ended, you were more than just a random hookup. I’m still attracted to you, clearly, and I think you feel the same.”
“I do,” she said, nodding slowly, cautiously. “What are you proposing, exactly?”
I exhaled a deep breath. “I’d like to think we can at least be friends.”
The word immediately tasted wrong in my mouth. Friends didn’t think about each other the way I thought about her. They didn’t replay sexy conversations and heated moments in their head at two in the morning when they were tossing and turning and trying to sleep. They didn’t notice every small detail about the other, like how her entire expression softened when she was being genuine with me. Or how her cheeks flushed whenever she tried to pretend she wasn’t affected by our chemistry.
A friend definitely didn’t remember how it felt to be deep inside her and the sounds she made when she came.
Morgan bit her lower lip, considering my proposal. “You think being friends is possible?”
Honestly, the last thing I wanted was to be her damn friend. Not when I wanted to get my hands on her, explore every inch of her body, and watch her fall apart under me again.
“I do,” I said, my voice low and rough. “Especially for the sake of working together.” Which was a reminder of why I shouldn’t be entertaining such sinful thoughts about her in the first place. Business and pleasure were a bad mix.
She glanced down at her chopsticks, rolling them between her fingers before glancing back at me. I caught the conflicting emotions in her eyes, indicating she was having the same struggle to keep things between us strictly professional.
“Okay,” she finally said. “Friends it is.”
She held out her hand to seal the deal we’d just made. The last time we’d shaken hands had been in that conference room, when she’d pulled away like I’d burned her. Now she was extending the gesture as a peace offering.
I took her hand, her skin warm and soft in my palm. My fingers closed around hers, and my body betrayed me instantly, desire pooling low. I should have let go immediately. Made it a quick, impassive handshake.
I didn’t. Neither did she. I could feel her pulse fluttering at her wrist beneath my thumb.
“Friends,” I finally said, my tone huskier than I’d intended.
Morgan’s eyes darkened slightly, and I knew she felt it too. The connection we shared drew us together like gravity, no matter how sensible we tried to be about our situation.
Finally, she pulled her hand back and we resumed eating.
“So, how was babysitting last night?” Whitney asked Morgan, nudging her with her elbow to get her attention.
Morgan smiled at her friend. “It was fun. Gracie is so cute, and I can’t wait until Becca has the baby. My little nephew will be here before we know it, and Gracie is so excited she’s already talking about how she’s going to help take care of the baby.”