Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 95471 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95471 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
“Yeah, I got it.”
I knew he would. “Wonderful. If you don’t have time to do this for me yourself, I understand. Obviously, I trust your judgment, whoever you want to send instead. But it needs to be someone he’ll take seriously even though he lives out of town and might not know who’s who in Chicago.”
“I’ve got some time this morning, I’ll take care of it myself.”
That’s what I was hoping he’d say. “Thanks, man. I really appreciate it. Consider it my Christmas bonus,” I joke.
“You already got your envelope, you’ll have to owe me one. Hey, you’re not single this year, either,” he realizes. “I’m gonna steal your basket and eat all your Christmas cookies.”
I laugh. “Probably better that way. If Autumn ever sees what Mrs. Morelli looks like, she’s not gonna want me eating her cookies.”
Adrian chuckles. “That’s the truth.” He sighs loudly. “All right, text the address to my burner and I’ll let you know when it’s taken care of.”
I feel much better after that. I wish I could call Autumn and make sure she’s still waiting for me at the motel, but I didn’t trust her enough to leave her there with her cell phone, completely unattended.
I know I’ll have to trust her eventually, just… not today.
Chapter Ten
Autumn
I’m just getting out of the shower when I hear Jasper call out my name from the main area of the motel room.
“In here,” I call back, cracking the bathroom door open and peeking my head out.
Relief flits across his handsome features when he sees me. “Oh, good. I brought coffee.”
I crack a smile. “I wish you’d have left my phone and your number so I could have texted you. I don’t like coffee.”
“Oh. Well, more for me then,” he says before taking a sip from one cup. “We’ll stop and get you something else when we leave.”
“I’m glad you’re back. Could you do me a favor real quick? Grab the big gray bag out of your backseat and bring it inside. I know you said yesterday the clothes I was wearing were all the clothes I had, but I was thinking about it this morning. I bought a pretty burgundy sweater dress and a pale pink, super-soft sweater for Brady’s younger sister. We’re the same size, so I can wear those.”
Jasper nods and heads back outside to fetch my shopping bag.
Since I don’t have any other underwear, though, I have to change into one of the sexy pairs he bought me at the adult store. I select the black ones and save the red ones for when I wear the dress.
Don’t know what I’ll do for clothing for the rest of the time, but at least once we get to his mom’s place, I should have access to a washer and dryer.
I fold up the white cowl neck sweater I wore yesterday and tug on the snug pair of jeans. At least I was wearing my favorite pair yesterday—that was lucky.
The pink sweater I bought for Tara is so soft to the touch, I can’t help sighing with pleasure as I pull it on.
It wasn’t even on my shopping list. I had already bought her the dress and I planned to be finished, but when I walked past this sweater, I couldn’t resist touching it. Once I touched it, I had to buy it. Since I wasn’t on Brady’s list to buy for—I’m sure he already had my gift picked out and put beneath his parents’ tree—I couldn’t buy it for myself, so I bought it for his sister instead.
Now it’s mine. If nothing else good comes out of this holiday detour, at least there’s that.
I’m petting my own shirt when I emerge from the bathroom. To Jasper’s credit, even though he glances up and sees me doing it, he doesn’t act like it’s weird.
“Pet me,” I tell him.
Now he looks up and cocks an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
I walk closer and grab his hand, rubbing it against the soft fabric of my sweater. “Doesn’t this feel amazing?”
Since I’ve issued an invitation, he stops what he’s doing and turns to lock an arm around my waist. I gasp as he tugs me against him, making my shirt ride up until a swatch of my stomach is exposed. Without looking away from my eyes, he slides his hands up under my shirt, grazing the soft skin around my waist and back with just his fingertips.
“It sure does.”
A shiver of pleasure passes over me. I bite down on my bottom lip, gazing up at him.
He really is handsome. I don’t think of him as mine, but I suppose if we want to convincingly portray a loving couple to his family, we will have to act like one.
That’s not such a bad gig. Swept up momentarily in my natural attraction to him (and emboldened by the fact that we’re a pretend couple), I decide to try it out, see how it feels.