Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 117740 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 589(@200wpm)___ 471(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117740 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 589(@200wpm)___ 471(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
ROSE: So, uh, just to make sure…
ROSE: I didn’t dream that, right?
My first mistake today was sipping tea while opening a message from Rose.
My second was not turning away from my computer as I choked on said tea and spat it all over the screen.
Luke eyed me but didn’t say a word. I grabbed a tissue from the box my mother insisted should be on my desk—that had come in useful more than once—and cleaned the screen to the best of my ability. I put my tea down safely before tapping the ‘reply’ box.
ME: Are you admitting that you dream about me, princess?
ROSE: That’s why I’m asking. I’d like to know if my craziness has finally gone past the point of no return.
ME: As much as I’d love to tease you about that, the answer is no. You didn’t dream it.
ME: You woke up, fondled my poor cock, extorted an orgasm out of me, and promptly went back to sleep.
ROSE: Your poor cock, my left tit.
ME: I’d be happy to arrange for them to meet in person, if you’d like.
ROSE: …Did you not question my random early morning horniness?
ME: It was my early morning horniness that started it, not yours.
ME: And I knew you were awake. You complained neither of us had brushed our teeth.
ROSE: Oh. I remember that. I was half-asleep, though.
ME: That’ll explain why your orgasm lulled you right back to sleep.
ROSE: Did you clean me up?
I grinned, drawing another weird look from Luke.
ME: Yes. You were a bit of a mess, and I didn’t want to leave you to sleep like that.
ROSE: Thank you. Do you mind if I shower quickly before I leave?
She was still in the cottage? I’d even broken into her phone and set an alarm on it to make sure she woke up in time. I thought she’d have been long gone by now.
ROSE: And did you set an alarm on my phone for me? How did you even get in it?
ME: Your passcode is your birthday. It’s not exactly locked down, princess.
ROSE: How do you know my birthday?
ROSE: Nvm, forgot you conducted illicit research on me when you came to ruin my life.
I burst out laughing, and Luke finally threw his pen down and stared at me.
“Your work cannot be that amusing, because mine sure as shit ain’t,” he said, eyes hard. “What are you doing over there?”
I was the boss here. Why was I getting scolded?
“Speaking to an unruly pain in my arse,” I replied, tapping out a message back to her that yes, she could shower, and she didn’t need to ask.
“Rose. You’re speaking to Rose.”
I grinned.
He wrinkled his nose up. “Don’t smile at me like that. You’re starting to scare me.”
“Nonsense. She was just telling me off for my ‘illicit’ research into her, as she puts it. She’s offended I know her phone passcode.”
Luke tilted his head to the side. “It’s her birthday, isn’t it?”
“Which just proves my point that it’s not exactly locked down,” I replied. “So, thank you for that.”
He grunted. “I’m not surprised. She has so much chaos in her brain she probably can’t remember any other combination of numbers. It’s probably her PIN on her bank card, too.”
I would have to check that.
And if it was, make her change it.
Surely only idiots made their PIN their birthdate.
ME: Is your PIN your birthdate, too, by any chance?
Her response came a couple of minutes later.
ROSE: How much did you actually uncover about me? Do you even know my preferred size of speculum in the nurse’s room?
ME: All I know is that my cock is your preferred size, and that’s all I NEED to know.
ME: Also, change your PIN. Using your birthdate is just asking for someone to steal all your money.
ROSE: But I’ll forget it.
ME: Use the date we met. I bet you won’t forget that anytime soon.
ROSE: Yeah, ’cause it haunts me in my dreams.
ME: So you DO dream about me.
ROSE: Only in nightmare form. Don’t be too flattered. You have three eyes, stubby fingers, and no penis. Totally useless to me.
Another laugh burst out of me, and I put my phone down, covering my eyes with my hand. She could say that all she wanted—last night proved that I wasn’t the only one harbouring these feelings.
I’d pretended not to notice at the time, but I’d seen the tears in her eyes. I’d seen her squeeze them shut and hold me tight in a desperate attempt to hide them from me, and I’d let her have that moment.
Because for a second, we’d been so close, so intertwined with one another, so irrevocably connected that if I saw her cry, I might have done the same.
“Will you just focus on your work?” Luke said dryly. “If you don’t, you’ll never get your precious ‘princess’ those papers. If she doesn’t have them, how do you expect her to ever fall in love with you?”