Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 117(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 117(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
“What’s there to talk about?” Her voice is sharp, clipped, like she’s already figured this out in her head. “You stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of yours. Simple.”
Simple. Right. I can’t stop the dry laugh that escapes me. “Yeah, that’s a great plan. I’m sure avoiding each other completely in a house we’re both stuck in will go real smoothly.”
Her eyes narrow, and for a second, I see the fire behind them—the same fire that drew me to her in the first place. “It’ll work fine as long as you don’t make it weird,” she shoots back. “Just...do your thing, and I’ll do mine. Problem solved.”
Another laugh bursts out of me. "Ha! You think this isn't already weird? Come the fuck on, Laurie, we spent an entire night—"
"Don't." She cuts me off again, her voice low and full of warning. "Don't bring that up."
I run a hand over my face, biting back my frustration. She’s got this way of shutting things down, of building walls so fast it makes my head spin. But I can’t just let it go. “Christ, woman. I’m not bringing it up to make things harder. I just think we should figure out how to handle this before it blows up in our faces.”
"There's nothing to handle, Adam. You don't want to be here, and neither do I, but we've both been overruled by our parents." She shivers. "Ugh. Saying it out loud makes me want to puke. Listen. Let's just stay out of each other's way and get through the year without making it a big deal."
“Fine,” I bite the word out. “We’ll stay out of each other’s way. If that’s what you want.”
She nods, chin held high like she’s won some kind of battle. Too bad for her that I can see through the ruse. Laurie knows, deep down, that this battle hasn't even gotten started yet.
“Good,” she says, her voice a little too firm. “Glad we’re on the same page.”
That the idea of ignoring Laurie for a year is about as realistic as pretending I haven’t thought about her every day since we hooked up. But if she needs to lie to herself to get through the day, then that's her call. I'm not following her made-up rules, though. There's still a hell of a lot more I want to know about this woman.
I take a step back, shoving my hands into my pockets to keep from doing something stupid, like kissing her thoroughly enough that she forgets all of her previous arguments. “Guess we’ll just...make it work, then.”
“Yep,” she says, turning away, her tone clipped again. “See you around.”
I can't help but watch her walk away, perfectly steady even in her heels, dress swaying around her perfect, heart-shaped ass. Fuck! This is going to be hell. A full year of pretending she doesn’t make my pulse race, pretending I’m not still haunted by the feel of her lips on mine, pretending I’m okay with this ridiculous arrangement.
I shake my head, muttering under my breath, “Yeah, we’re definitely lying to ourselves.”
3
LAURIE
After my pep talk before dinner about embracing my fully adult self, I've never felt more like a petulant teenager than I did busting into my room and throwing myself down on the bed.
I want to throw a fucking fit. I want to scream until the windows shatter. Except none of that will help change the mess I've stumbled into.
Letting out a huff, I roll over and stare at the ceiling. The pastel walls creep into my peripheral vision, but it doesn't bother me like it did before. Teenage angst seems appropriate considering the circumstances.
I fell for a guy I had a one-night stand with, ghosted him the next morning, and now he's not only staying in my house with me, he's technically my fucking stepbrother. Gross.
Oh, and did I mention he took my virginity that night?
Grabbing a fluffy pillow, I scream into it, unable to hold it in any longer. This is it, my last night in this house without Adam Lawson for an entire year. Just thinking about it makes me want to clench my teeth.
Why couldn't Mom have just hired a security company if she was so worried? A year of Adam and me coexisting like polite strangers? Impossible. The man might as well have moved into my personal space bubble and set up camp. The nerve of it.
After I've screamed my heart out, I sit up and kick my heels off, one flying to hit the wall while the other clatters to the floor. My arches ache as I stand, shimmying out of the dress and letting the expensive fabric pool at my feet, and throw on my sleep clothes, a soft cotton tank, and matching shorts. I don't plan on leaving the room tonight, if ever, so it doesn't matter what I wear. I just want to be comfortable.