Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 123212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
“Oh,” I laugh. “Good. For a second there, I thought maybe you thought that was fucking normal.”
“No,” he tells me. “I know it’s not, but when you first got here, you threw me. You came barging in with that boss bitch attitude and perfect little body and I didn’t know how to cope with it so I did stupid fucking things. I wanted to push you away. I wanted you to hate me and then hopefully, I would have done the same, but you kept coming back for more. The torture got you hot, and fucking damn it, Ocean. I loved seeing you like that.”
My brows furrow as I watch him. “You got off on torturing me?”
“No,” he laughs. “I got off watching the fire burn in your eyes every time I came near you. You craved it.”
“You drove me in-fucking-sane.”
He grins wide. “I still do, only now that fire burns so much brighter.”
My hand hits across his chest and I push him back a step. “Shut up and get me my jeans before someone walks in here to find me spread-eagled across your desk.”
He obliges and as he bends to scoop up my jeans, I jump down from his desk. “I thought you were going to be gone all day,” he says fixing his pants before handing over my jeans.
I let out a groan. “You just had to go and remind me about that, didn’t you?”
His brows furrow as he watches me. “What happened?”
“Nothing,” I groan, deciding not to get into it and ruin the rest of my day. “It’s just Nic being his usual asshole self but he’ll come running back with an apology so don’t be surprised when he breaks through your big fucking gates and shows up outside the pool house.”
“That bad, huh?” he questions. “You know, it wouldn’t be the worst thing if you just gave it space. Every time you see him lately it ends in some kind of fight.” I let out a heavy breath knowing he’s right and he steps into me, gently taking my waist, a harsh contrast to the way Nic had clutched onto it this morning. “I want you to be happy, Jade,” he murmurs. “And right now, Nic ain’t doing that for you.”
I meet his eyes, not wanting to admit just how right he is because admitting it would mean that I have to let go of him and I'm not ready to do that, not even close. “Is this a jealous boyfriend thing where you don’t want me hanging out with my ex, or are you really just looking out for my best interest.”
“Boyfriend, huh?”
My eyes bug out of my head. “Oh, fuck. That just slipped out,” I tell him. “I mean, maybe you’re not. I guess I don’t exactly know. I just assumed …”
Colton laughs and pulls me in tighter before dropping his lips to mine and kissing me deeply. “I thought you’d never figure it out.”
Well, damn. I went and got myself a billionaire boyfriend. How the hell did I manage that?
Butterflies swarm through my stomach and I peel myself away before I go and do something stupid like tell him just how badly I need him in my life. I look back to his desk and start straightening the papers that we messed up while screwing when my eyes scan over a bundle of resumes off to the left of his desk. “Wait,” I say, feeling the butterflies in my stomach die and turn to lead. “Did we just fuck beside a bunch of resumes of people who want to take Maryne’s job?”
Colton lets out a deep sigh. “Yeah,” he says, looking down at the stack. “I’ve been avoiding going through them. It just feels too final.”
I nod, unable to tear my eyes off of them before my plan falls into place. I reach across and take the resumes before striding across his office and dumping them into the fancy as fuck fireplace. “You don’t need these,” I tell him. “Put Mom in her position. She’s been doing it ever since Maryne … you know. If you hire someone else, you’re going to have to train them. Mom can do it. She practically did everything with Maryne anyway so she already knows what to do. I’ll take over some of the things mom was doing before so everything gets done, but you might need to hire another housekeeper to fill in while I’m at school.”
Colton presses his lips together, thinking it over. “I really don’t want to replace Maryne,” he says thoughtfully. “Do you really think your mom would be down for this? Have you even mentioned it to her?”
“No,” I say, “But trust me, planning elaborate parties and making schedules is much more appealing to her than cleaning thirty toilets every day.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, I’m fucking sure.”