Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 83800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
"Think you could spare some time for me today?" she asks, her words slightly muffled from how she has her face buried against me.
"You have to work."
"I was thinking about calling in," she replies.
I don't know if she can feel me freeze in her arms. Is it a red flag that she wanted to go back to work so she could save her vacation days for the trip she was planning to turn around and now wants to stay here after we connected the way we did last night?
I don't sense manipulation in her tone, just the hint of an ache to spend time with me, but that doesn't mean that she isn't the absolute best actress Henry could find.
There's always the chance she's one of Henry's pawns, just like I've always been in his games.
I don't know which voice in my head to believe, and I hate the fact that it's starting to look like I may end up losing her, no matter what the outcome may be.
"I have a ton of stuff I have to do today," I say instead, not wanting to be the one to ruin things before I find out what's really going on. "I may have some time this evening."
She takes a step back, a wash of cold immediately replacing her warmth against my chest.
Sadness fills her eyes, but she simply nods and gives me a weak smile.
"Work it is then, I guess."
"Sorry," I mutter, fighting the urge to tell her that I can skip work too.
"It's fine," she says, resting her hand right over my heart.
The action makes it pound harder in my chest.
"We're adults, right?"
"We are," I quickly agree.
"And we have plenty of time."
"We do," I say, my voice cracking a little at the end. I cough, clear my throat, and give her a smile.
"Wanna wash my back in the shower?" she asks with the hint of a devious smile pulling up the corner of her lip.
"We'd never leave my room," I tell her, leaning in and brushing a kiss against her lips. "I have to get back to work."
She lifts up on her toes, pressing her lips against mine one last time before walking out of the conference room.
I can't help but think that no matter what I do in this situation, it’s going to end up being the wrong choice.
Chapter 29
Morgan
I can't determine when the sense of foreboding settled completely inside me, but a hint of it started the second I woke up alone in Robert's bed.
I chalked it up to disappointment in being unable to snuggle in his arms before facing the day.
Then I went to the conference room, and although I couldn't put my finger on exactly what was wrong, the entire interaction seemed off, a little stilted. There felt like there was distance between us that didn't exist before I fell asleep in his arms.
Being a woman, of course, I overanalyzed things, which led to internalizing things. The realization that I'm not as healthy and the whole image of my self-worth was just an additional hit to my psyche that I didn't need today.
I don't think I've ever been disappointed by not being a person's number one priority, but I felt a tinge of that this morning when he didn't drop what he was doing because I wanted to spend time with him. That disappointment made me realize just how egotistical it was to even expect that from him, despite it not making me feel any better about myself.
I figured it would be good to go to work and put a little distance between us because how I feel about the man is unprecedented, and it makes me a little uneasy.
Work has absolutely sucked. I guess I could've still called in even though he told me he would be busy all day. I could've easily taken the day for myself, but the sting of his rejection motivated me to get showered, dressed, and ready for the day.
My irritation grew slightly when I went to the conference room to tell him bye, only to find it empty. It felt like a slap in the face, and I overanalyzed that on the entire drive to the office in the silent SUV because Bandera didn't seem interested in talking to me this morning either.
While at work, I got no messages from Robert. As the day progressed, I grew incredibly annoyed, thinking that he might've been watching me on camera in silence. Although I couldn't do anything about the cameras in the office, I placed a sticky note over the camera on my computer screen, knowing how juvenile it was.
My feelings were hurt, and I didn't understand why.
The drive back to the house was just as silent as the morning drive in, and by the time I climbed out of the SUV, I was vibrating with the irritation that had been growing inside of me all day.