Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 105756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
I knew he was back from his trip the following morning when I spotted his car leaving just as I was headed out of the building. He’d sent a text to check in the night before, but it was curt and without the usual pleasantries. If he were home, why hadn’t he come in person like he normally did? I worried he really was offended that I didn’t want to accept his birthday gifts and that was why he hadn’t shown. Then again, his flight could’ve gotten in late. Maybe he hadn’t wanted to disturb me.
I discovered this wasn’t the case when the next two evenings passed, and Jonathan continued checking in by text. His absence left me with raw emotions, while his gifts remained sitting on the kitchen counter, a reminder of the fact that he was avoiding me. These emotions combined with my physical exhaustion from being overworked came to a head the following day.
Yet another two employees had come down with the flu, and we were all running on fumes. By the time I arrived home, my leg was so sore, and I was so tired that I had to just sit in my car for a few minutes to drum up the energy to walk the few yards to the apartment building. I’d also left my cane in my office, which meant getting inside was going to be even more of a struggle. I resigned myself to sitting there until I felt a little better, and of course, I ended up falling asleep.
I wasn’t sure how long I’d drifted off for when suddenly I found myself woken by a knock on the window. I startled and glanced out. Jonathan was there, glaring down at me.
“Unlock the door,” his muffled voice commanded, and still foggy headed from exhaustion, I did as requested. He yanked the door open and bent down so we were at eye level.
“Hey,” I said, feeling awkward as I absently massaged my sore leg. “Thanks for waking me. There’s a flu going around, and we’ve been short-staffed at work all week.” I paused, chagrined. “Hence why I fell asleep out here. I didn’t mean to.”
Jonathan frowned, then his expression softened when he glanced at my leg. “Can you walk? Where’s your cane?”
I grimaced. “I left it in my office. I’ll be okay, though. Just need a few more minutes to rest it.”
“You can’t stay out here any longer. You’ll catch your death.”
Without asking permission, he reached past me to gather my coat and bag. He slung both over his shoulder and then hefted me into his arms. His hands went under my legs and around my waist, and instinctively, I wrapped my arms about his neck to keep from falling, my heart jackhammering in my chest.
“What on earth are you doing?”
Deftly, he reached down, pulled out my car keys, kicked shut the door, then hit the locks. “What does it look like?” he answered before proceeding to carry me into the building.
18.
Jonathan
“Has the flu been going around your workplace, too?” Ada asked, her arms fastened around my neck as I carried her.
I tilted my head to stare down, battling against the need to grip her more tightly, especially since she smelled subtly of the nectarine and honey perfume that was quickly becoming my favourite scent. “No, why do you ask?”
She blinked and glanced away, her expression showing a flicker of hurt. “Oh, I just thought since I haven’t seen you, that maybe you were sick or something.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, guilt swept over me. I’d been avoiding Ada, but only because I’d gone overboard with her birthday gifts and had clearly made things weird. Since my pathetic and desperate reaction to her having her car fixed, I’d come to the realisation that I couldn’t keep it together around her. She was under my skin even more than she’d been a couple weeks ago, and now it was difficult not to want to touch her whenever I was in her company.
So, I’d decided to keep my distance. Hell, it was half the reason I’d gone to London in the first place. I could’ve easily sent one of my investment specialists, but I needed some space from Ada to get my head on straight. I needed to figure out how to not want her as desperately as I did, so far to no avail.
Seeing her asleep in her car just now, exhausted and overworked, made me feel crazed. Everything inside me itched to take care of her. The lines around her eyes and the tired pallor of her skin were enough to make me impulsively take the rest of the week off just to see to her needs. But I wouldn’t do that. I’d already acted like a lunatic and bought her diamond earrings for her birthday that cost more than I was willing to admit.