Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 82201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Before I could overthink further, the buzzer went off on my intercom, and a ridiculous grin took over. I hurried out into the entryway and pressed the button.
“Sorry for the late call, Mr. Riley, but I have a Nathan Mills here to see you…?”
“No problem, Roger. Send him up,” I replied. “You can put him on my list and give him the guest code, by the way.”
The fuck did I just say?
“Will do, sir. Have a good night.”
Now I was handing out my guest code left and right to guys I’d just met.
There was something wrong with me.
Fuck it. He was here. He was on his way up. He’d taken the hint, I hoped. He had to know I was interested.
I ducked into my bathroom and applied more deodorant. I ran a hand through my hair too, and I nodded to myself. Abs on display. My lucky sweatpants on. I wore them every time I watched an away game.
It worked occasionally.
We were nearing a minute now since Roger had buzzed me, so Nathan should be here any second. The elevators were pretty fast, and he was only coming to the ninth floor.
Then add a few seconds because the hallway was fairly long, and I—
He’s here.
The moment he knocked on the door, I bolted out of the bathroom, in a cool way, and undid the chain lock.
Then I was face-to-face with him again, and it was as thrilling as it was… Well, let’s just say he looked tired as fuck, and it made me pump the brakes entirely. Christ, he needed to get some sleep. I felt bad for him.
“So, you have a doorman,” he stated. “A lobby that’s staffed around the clock.”
I let out a chuckle. “It was my mom’s stipulation. Her sweet, innocent boy was moving all the way into the big city.”
He quirked a tired smirk. “You may be sweet, but I’m not sure about innocent.”
“Well, don’t tell her that.” I opened the door wider to let him in. “How was work?”
“Exhausting.” He yawned and removed his shoes, and he dropped his bag on the floor. “We had a late check-in for probably twenty tourists from India, and they all wanted sight-seeing tips that went beyond the usual stuff. And it doesn’t matter how long I’ve lived here, I’ll never pronounce the Shoil-kill correctly. Chuy-kill?”
I laughed and relocked the door. “Skoo-kill.”
He snapped his fingers. “Right. Already forgotten it. But I did recommend a picnic along the Chuy-kill to twenty Indians tonight.”
Call me ridiculous, but I was grinning ear to ear, and I couldn’t believe how good it felt to see him again. Also, those Indians would get a surprise of a lifetime if they stumbled upon the area popular for cruising.
“Tourists are supposed to mispronounce shit, so you did them a favor.” I walked farther in to show him the kitchen. “You gotta be dead on your feet, but do you want something to eat before you crash?”
“I’m good. I ate at work.” He shifted closer to me as I opened the fridge. If he didn’t want to eat, maybe he’d want something to drink? “Was that the plan here? To feed me and put me to sleep?”
He’d had a Coke at our non-datey happy hour earlier, so I grabbed us two Cokes now too, placed them on the counter, and shut the fridge.
“Uh, kinda. I guess. I mean…when I opened the door, I first thought the zombie apocalypse had started.”
His blue eyes flashed with amusement, and he trailed even closer. “Do you think a zombie would knock on your door?”
He had a point.
“I guess they’d claw at it,” I amended.
“No, I mean…” One more step. “Would they knock on your door? Aren’t they looking for brains?”
Holy—
That fucking—
Did he just—
“Let me close that for you.” The shithead hooked a finger under my chin to close my mouth.
I smashed my lips together, still stunned by that—I couldn’t lie—brilliant insult. Delivered so perfectly too.
“You fucking dick,” I blurted out.
He grinned and leaned in, and before I could react, he kissed me.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist fucking with you.”
Shut up and keep doing what you’re doing.
I recovered swiftly and pulled him flush to me, and I deepened the kiss.
Then I backed him up against the counter as I snaked my tongue around his, and it was like being smacked by a wall of lust.
Cupping his face in my hands, I took control and gave as good as I got. I couldn’t be the only one fucked in the head by us meeting today. I needed him on the same page as me.
“You gave me a code to the building,” he mumbled into the kiss.
I nodded and dropped my hands to his shirt. Those buttons needed to come undone.
He shuddered, easing his own hands down my arms. “I can’t get over how hot you are.”