Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50620 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50620 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
“I wouldn’t dream of infringing upon your personal space you love so much.”
“I’m not used to sharing my life with anyone. This is difficult for me, Will.”
“I know.” I brushed my fingers along her forearm, and she stilled from my touch. “Friends share things. They lean on each other.”
“I will try,” she whispered, her eyes pointed down at the counter. “It’s been so long since I let anyone into my life.”
I tugged on her shirtsleeve. “Let’s go hang out in the living room. We can get started on The Lord of the Rings marathon.”
A genuine smile turned up the corners of her mouth. “Sounds good.”
Chapter Sixteen
CLARKE
Will wanted to show me another side to him. We spent hours on the couch together, binge-watching the first two The Lord of the Rings movies. It was obvious he wasn’t a fan, but he was doing this for me. And I was caving because of it.
He talked through most of The Fellowship of the Ring and fell asleep midway through The Two Towers. I couldn’t blame him. Most people couldn’t hang through one three-hour movie, let alone two. After the second movie ended, I turned off the television and tapped Will on the arm.
He rolled onto his side, and his shaggy blond hair slid onto his forehead. It still didn’t feel real. I married a man who looked like a GQ model, with his handsome face and perfectly muscular body.
I never understood what he saw in me that night in the bar. The puck bunnies I’d seen on his arm over the years were thinner, prettier, and had way bigger boobs than me. And he picked me. He pursued me. Maybe I hadn’t given him a fair shot in the past, but I had to protect my heart from breaking again.
“Will, wake up.” I shook him again. “It’s time for bed.”
“Mmm,” he groaned. “Not yet.”
I leaned down and pressed my lips to his ear. “Get up, sleepyhead. Unless you want to spend the night on the couch.”
He flipped onto his back and shoved the hair off his forehead as he opened his eyes. “You’re so bossy.”
“C’mon, husband. Bedtime.”
He gave me one of his boyish smirks as he sat up, propping his big body up against the arm of the couch. “I like the sound of that.”
“Don’t get used to it.”
Three months. I only had to last until the end of our deal. But I wondered if I would make it that long without wanting to kiss him, or touch him. What was I thinking when I made that deal with him? Our sexual chemistry was off-the-charts. I’d never made it long around Will without jumping into bed with him. And now, he was sharing my bed with me. Like old times.
Will was growing on me the longer he was in my apartment. I still wasn’t ready to share everything about myself, or even share my home, but I could give him a chance. He was right about needing to put the past behind us.
With the marriage, and the possibility of sex off the table, I was more at ease around him. Knowing there were no expectations made it easier for me to lower my guard. I decided during dinner I would treat him like Mia. A friend and nothing more. If only I could stop thinking about how good he looked naked, or how he me feel.
“Get ready for bed,” I told him. “I’ll clean up the mess.”
I jumped off the couch and rushed into the kitchen with the empty bowl of popcorn and our crushed soda cans. Will rustled around in the living room before he stumbled into the kitchen. He tugged on the ends of his tousled hair and watched me as I cleaned out the bowl in the sink.
“Can I help you?”
He smirked. “I can think of a few things you can help me with.”
I pointed down the hall, toward my bedroom. “I’m tired. Go get settled.”
Will stared at me for a long while before he left the kitchen, his sexy swagger in place as he walked toward my room. Our bedroom. It still felt weird to think of my place as ours. Did it count if I couldn’t remember saying my vows? Even after days of wracking my brain, I could not recall a single detail about the wedding.
Dancing on the bar.
Elvis.
Hot sex.
More sex.
And a hangover.
That was the gist of what I remembered about that night. If Will remembered anything about that night, he hadn’t shared it with me.
When I stepped into the bedroom, Will was sitting at the edge of the bed, dressed in tight, black boxer briefs. Jeez. He looked ridiculously sexy with his abdomen muscles and arms ripped to perfection. I stopped in the doorway, staring like a stalker.
Until he noticed me.
He wiggled his eyebrows. “See something you like?”