Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92547 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92547 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
After I finished the laundry, I took a long shower to wash away the stress of the day. As was often the case lately, I refrained from jerking off because I knew I’d picture Chloe. And that would only make this predicament worse. Needless to say, it had been a long-ass time since I’d gotten relief. And now that my relationship was in the toilet, who the hell knew when I’d get laid again.
Before bed, I headed to the kitchen for a glass of water. As I turned on the sink, I heard Chloe’s voice behind me.
“Hey,” she said, almost a whisper.
I turned. “Hi.”
“So, I’ve been going back and forth about the house that opened up, and I was thinking maybe I should take it, you know since—”
“Don’t.” The word practically flew out of me.
Her eyes went wide. “Don’t?”
“Don’t. It’s a waste of money when you can just stay here. But that’s not the reason.” I took a deep breath in. “Effie likes having you around.” I paused. “I like having you around. I wanted to say it earlier, but I kept debating whether I should.”
Wow. That admission had come out like a runaway train. I guess I didn’t have as much control over myself as I’d thought.
“Well…” She smiled in surprise. “I like being here, too. And while I knew how Effie felt, I think my biggest reason for leaning toward leaving was because you didn’t try to convince me to stay. But now that you did…I feel better about turning down the other place.”
“And I think you should move into my bedroom.”
Her jaw nearly hit the floor. That hadn’t come out right.
I shook my head. “Fuck. I didn’t mean with me. I meant I think we should trade rooms. Mine is bigger and has a desk in the corner. You could use that for work. We can switch everything over tomorrow.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. I don’t need all that space because I don’t work as much from home. You do. It makes sense. You shouldn’t have to work at the kitchen table—unless you prefer it.”
“Well, that’s even more of a reason not to leave.” She looked down, then up at me. “But truthfully, I didn’t need an extra reason to want to stay.”
Fighting the euphoria that came over me, I cleared my throat. “Good then.”
For a brief moment, my world felt somewhat aligned with my desires. That is, until there was a knock on the door.
“Are you expecting someone?” She looked toward the front of the house.
“No.” I shook my head. “Definitely not at this hour.”
I went to the window and looked out. “It’s some dude I don’t recognize. He can stay outside.”
She rushed over to the door and peeked through. “Oh no,” she muttered. “Shit.”
“What?” My fists tightened.
“He’s here for me.”
“Who is he?”
She swallowed. “My boyfriend.”
Chapter 13
* * *
CHLOE
Heart pounding, I opened the door. “What are you doing here, Scott?”
His smile faded. “Is that how you tell me you’re happy to see me?”
“You should’ve called.”
“You gave me this address before you left. I thought I’d surprise you.” His eyes darkened as he looked over at Evan. “Who the hell is he?”
“It’s not what you think,” I explained.
“What is it then?” Scott seethed.
Evan stood with his arms crossed, a look on his face that said he was ready to kill.
“Let’s go outside,” I urged, taking a step out the door. “His daughter is sleeping.”
Thankfully, Scott didn’t argue about taking our talk outdoors. I could only imagine what Evan must’ve been thinking, especially right after we’d settled the living situation. This was such a clusterfuck.
Scott paced in the driveway. “Who the hell is that guy?”
“That’s Evan. He owns the house. There was a mix-up, and it turned out he’d taken the house off the market for rentals before I got here. But there wasn’t any other place available in town, so he let me stay. I have my own room.”
“You’ve been living with a strange man all this time?”
I shook my head. “He’s not a stranger. Evan is…an old family friend. He actually lived with my family for several years when I was growing up. I know him well. He’s practically family. He’s a good person and a single father now. As you heard me say, his daughter is sleeping inside, which is why you and I are out here.”
Scott squinted. “Why didn’t you mention any of this to me when I called you?”
That was a damn good question, and I had no real excuse. I just hadn’t wanted to add stress to an already stressful time. “I guess I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea, like you seem to have now.”
“Well, fuck, Chloe.” He held up his hands. “I didn’t book a place to stay because I assumed you were living alone, as you were supposed to be. What the hell am I going to do now?”