Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 112850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Normally, I’d have been all over him handling the financial end. Yet today, I found I wanted different things than my career needed from me.
I remained silent.
“Okay. I see you disagree,” Liam said, breaking the silence, giving me the win. “I’m your manager for a reason. Don’t make me have to get on a plane and show up there. We’ve agreed. I handle all negotiations and contracts that you bring in. Don’t make me have to flex my authority.”
Absolutely not going to happen this time. Liam was a shark who enjoyed a nice life at my expense.
“Blah, blah, blah,” I responded, letting him know exactly what I thought about his statement. “I’ll make contact after I know more,” I called out in the direction of the mounted speaker. “Disconnect the call.”
“Slade!” I listened to Liam’s grumbling until the call disconnected. Over the small keyboard on my phone, I thumbed another text to Mace.
“Why’s the bubble drumming but there’s no response from you?” I typed.
Apparently, Mace was talking to someone else, not me. My brows drew together.
“When are you going to be home?” I asked, purposefully using the word home as a place I was with him. A single beep drew my attention through the walls in the house to the front door. Someone had opened the door, and I hoped it was my guy. The phone was discarded on the bed as I started that direction.
=♥=
Mace
One solid positive? Slade never slacked on the air conditioning. The abrupt cold breeze with the hot as hell temperature outside drew me in even better than the man who lived there. Before I shut the front door behind me, I heard the heavy footsteps of Slade’s loafers padding on the floor until he rounded the corner, coming straight into me.
The smile I’d had for a few days slid easily into place. I held my ground and took the chaste kiss. For most of the day, my thoughts had been lost to the conversations I kept having with my parents, questioning everything about my life since Lori spilled her news. More than anything, I wanted to talk about all these new feelings. What was happening to me while soaking in all the love and nurturing Slade was giving me.
The games were ending. I wanted to be here. I liked the changes within me. The magic held again. My entire focus rested on the gorgeous man who convinced me that I was in his heart.
Man, he looked good with a beard. We should call it a night. I’d let it tickle my thighs as he suckled my balls inside his mouth.
“I like the haircut,” Slade said, taking a step backward to let me fully inside the house.
“I like the beard,” I said, dropping my keys in a tray close to the door.
His lips landed on mine again. My eyelids closed and I nipped at his bottom lip.
What would it be like to have this life every day for the rest of my life? Nothing sounded better than that dream.
“Your eyes are still closed. I’d encourage you to the bedroom, but we need to talk.” My eyelids snapped open again. Slade was right there, still very much in my face.
“You’re nice to look at this close up,” I muttered, instead of immediately backing out of the house in fear of the dream I’d just concocted. “This talk, is that why you look so nice?”
“I look nice for my guy,” he cooed and pivoted on his heels. “Come get a drink. I’m testing out a new martini recipe. Wanna try?”
Everything Slade did was done with efficiency. His long stride ate up the distance to the kitchen as he tossed me a wink over his shoulder.
“Is this a kitchen conversation? Do I take my spot?” I asked, following behind, eyeing the barstool at the island that I usually sat in while Slade made our dinner.
“How about the back porch?” Slade suggested and reached for the two pre-made martinis sitting on the counter. He carried his, handing me mine as I approached.
“Must be something big to go through all this?” I said, slowing my stride to take a hearty drink of the perfectly prepared dry-martini. “The actin’ thing doesn’t work out, you should come work at the bar. You have a gift.”
Slade held open the back door off the kitchen, taking a drink from his glass. “I feel like I’m always trying for something special with you.”
Well, I believed that was the truth too. He fought every day to make sure I was happy. “Then I’ll go first. I was at Lori’s house today and she tried to spill the news about you and me.”
I let that bomb settle in as I started for the area on the back porch that was magically cooled even during the hellish heat. “I’m not sure how to respond.”