Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 42576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 213(@200wpm)___ 170(@250wpm)___ 142(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 213(@200wpm)___ 170(@250wpm)___ 142(@300wpm)
Awkwardly, I walk into the bathroom to clean up. I come back with a hot towel and am surprised to see her standing next to the door. She avoids my gaze and walks into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
I toss the towel into the hamper, pull my underwear and shorts back on, and sit on the edge of the bed. I should regret what just happened. Hell, I should probably get the hell out of here, but I don’t want to do either of those things. I want to stay right here and hold her for the rest of the night.
Minutes later, she walks out of the bathroom with her robe wrapped around her. I hate that she’s covered her body. “Hey—” I start and then pause. I’m not even sure what I want to say here.
She wraps her arms around herself and avoids looking at me. “I thought you would be gone.”
It’s like a kick in the gut. “What? You thought I’d get off and then get out?” I stand up, towering over her. “Is that what you think I’m doing here, Bree? You thought I wanted to fuck you so I would show up here, night after night, acting like I’m helping you, and then as soon as I get what I want, I’d leave?”
She opens her mouth to say something and then snaps it closed, shaking her head. Her voice is softer. “No, I know you’re not like that, but I also know that you didn’t really want that to happen.”
I blurt out a laugh. “You thought I didn’t want to fuck you?”
My harsh language has her wincing. She lowers her eyes to the floor. “I know I took advantage of the situation. You were trying to help me, and I—” She gestures to the bed. “Well, you know what happened next.”
I take a step toward her, and we’re so close that I can feel the rise and fall of her chest against mine. “You really think I didn’t want that? You think that happened because you… what…?”
I blow out a breath and then shake my head. “Bree… baby… I’ve wanted you since I walked away from you. I wanted you even when I wanted to hate you. You are a temptation that I can’t resist, and yeah, even though I’m sure there are a hundred reasons why us having sex is a bad idea, I don’t regret it.”
She leans her head back to look up at me. “You don’t?”
I shake my head. Fuck, I have to find a way to move forward, but I don’t know if I can ever fully forgive her. “I don’t regret it. I don’t think I could if I wanted to.”
She puts her hands at my waist, and I suck in a breath. Her voice is soft and vulnerable. “So you’re going to stay the night?”
“Yeah... to make sure the nightmares don’t come back.”
Even as I say it, I know it’s a lie. I’m staying because there’s no way I can walk out of here now. I don’t reach for her like I want to. Instead, I take a step back and walk over to the bed and lie down.
She watches me for a minute, and when I pat the bed, she comes to lie down next to me. I reach for her, pulling her against my chest. “Sleep.”
She nods and sighs as she leans into me. I wait for her to fall asleep before I hold her tighter and think about how I wish things could be different.
CHAPTER 12
BREE
I walk out of Sugar Bakery, cup of coffee in hand. It’s Monday morning, and after spending the last few nights with Logan, I’m wondering what is going to happen today. Just like every other morning, he left before I woke up.
I walk into the office holding my breath but slowly exhale when I see the front area is empty. Logan’s office door is closed, and I’m setting my stuff down on the desk when Alex walks in.
“Morning,” he grunts.
I force a smile to my face. “Morning.”
He disappears down the hall, and I sit down to work.
For the next few hours, I’m glancing at Logan’s door what seems like every few minutes, but he never comes out. In the afternoon, I’m deep into spreadsheets when the front door opens and the mail carrier walks in.
The bell ringing over the door has me looking up. “Hey, Mark. How’s it going today?”
He stops in front of my desk, and instead of handing me the mail, he holds it in front of him. “Good. Did you have a good weekend?”
I nod and try to hold back my blush because all I’ve been thinking about is Logan. “Yeah, it was good.” He continues staring at me. “Uh, how was yours?”
He’s smiling ear to ear now. “So, uh, Bree, I was wondering—”