Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 57909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
“Hawk go with you?”
I nodded.
“Where is he now?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “At home, I guess.” I took another slice of pizza and hoped he couldn’t see the montage of sexual images playing over in my mind. It was then Slate’s eyes fell on the sparkly jewel on my hand.
“He give you that?”
Again, I nodded. “It was to be convincing, and it worked. It once belonged to his grandmother.”
“I’m surprised he gave it to you.”
“He didn’t give it to me,” I rectified before he jumped to a whole load of invasive assumptions. “I just forgot to give it back.”
“So...” he started, eyes lighting up and catching me off guard. “How was it?”
My heart pounded. “How was what?”
“Did you enjoy yourself?”
My palms started to sweat. How did he know? Was it written on my face? Did he notice the dress when I came home? Do I still smell of sex?
Slate clicked his fingers in front of me. “Earth to Britta. How was the wedding?”
Relieved, I exhaled loudly. “It was... interesting.”
“Details...”
“Rebekah wants to meet up.”
Slate’s eyes widened. “What could she possibly want to discuss?”
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t do it,” he warned. “It could be an ambush.”
“I don’t know,” I continued. “I kind of feel sorry for her.”
When Slate arched his brows in question, I told him how I caught Roman and the redhead going at it in the barrel shed.
“No. Fucking. Way!”
“Yes, way.”
It was the strangest thing. Rebekah had happily gone behind my back and slept with my fiancé, caring nothing for my feelings. And now that the same thing was happening to her, I should feel some sort of comeuppance. But I didn’t. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling being cheated on, and I wouldn’t even wish it on someone who’d hurt me so badly.
“Avoid at all costs. You’ve already been involved in all that shit before. You don’t need to walk straight back into it.”
“I won’t, but I do have a question.”
“Shoot,” he said, unpausing the movie.
“Who is this redhead suddenly appearing everywhere I—”
Beside me, my cell trills to life, startling me mid-sentence. Hawk’s name flashed on the screen.
“Probably calling to get his ring back,” Slate said indifferently, returning his focus to the movie.
I let it ring out, but shortly after the first ring ends, it started for the second time.
“Are you gonna answer that, or should I? ‘Cause you’re interrupting my movie.”
Slate reached for the phone, but I pounced on it before he had a chance.
“I got it,” I said more urgently than I should have. Standing, I walked into the kitchen and pressed accept. “Good morning,” I said, putting on my office voice and not the office voice from last night.
“Indeed, it is, Britta.” His gravelly tone created an ache between my legs. “Britta,” he continued, “I’m two seconds from coming over so I can spank your ass.”
“Why?” I asked, wishing Slate would leave and Hawk could follow through on his promise.
“You have something of mine.”
I looked down at my ring finger. “I’ll bring it to work tomorrow.”
“Today, Britta,” he enforced.
“Okay. I need sleep first.”
“I have a bed.”
“No,” I said, turning away from the sofa and whispering, “I need my own.”
“If you say so...”
“Britta,” Slate’s voice startled me. I turned to face him, his keys dangling from his fingers. “I’m heading out to get some beer, want some?”
“Is that Slate?” Hawk asked.
“Yes,” I responded, and Slate interpreted it as his answer.
“Don’t be long, Britta,” Hawk warned. “I’m not waiting for long.
Chapter 12
Hawk
Britta never made it to my place, and now I’m outside her apartment.
I didn’t care for the ring, in the sense of getting it back. I knew Britta would look after it. What I did need, however, were the keys to my office. In her haste of leaving my apartment last night, she packed my set of building keys. And now I was here to retrieve them.
As I went to knock, the door was pulled open. Slate was on the other side shrugging on his jacket and hopefully preparing to leave.
“Hey, man,” he greeted with a smile. “Britta just passed out on the couch.”
I look past him to see her snuggled up in front of the TV. “You here for your ring.”
“More so for my keys,” I half lied. He didn’t need to know the other reason why I was here.
“Cool. I’ll leave you to lock up? I gotta go see...” he hesitated before continuing, and it struck me as odd. “Yep, you can lock up for me. Catch you later, bro.”
I stared at him as he walked down the hall. It seemed we both had secrets to keep.
“Later,” I said almost to myself before I turned my attention back to Britta. She didn’t stir when I walked in, and I couldn’t help but feel somewhat of a creeper. Spotting my keys on the bench, I pocketed them and then walked to where she was sleeping. She had a slight snore, and it was cute as fuck.