Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 25768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
“Dormant means you were softer at one point and then you changed. What did Wall Street do to you?” she asked, obviously determined to talk.
Having a conversation was the last thing he wanted to do but he resigned himself to being horny and uncomfortable while they talked. “More like what did the women in that world do to me?”
Gabby wrinkled her nose. “What was her name?”
“Felicia. But it started before her. My parents are good people. Dad’s an electrician and Mom stayed home with me and my younger brother. We didn’t have a lot but we had enough. And we were happy. But I got a scholarship to Columbia and then got my MBA. Before I knew it, I was on Wall Street and mingling with people I never thought I’d meet. Not given how I’d grown up.” And that was a mouthful more than he’d ever planned to reveal.
“People like me? My family? Preston?” she asked.
He sighed. “You’re nothing like them.”
“But you thought I was. When you met me at the bar, right? Tell me. I won’t be angry.”
He nodded. “I did, at first. Then you showed up the next day with a job and towels for the guest bathroom and for mine. Next thing I knew, you were working in the mornings, painting in the afternoons, coming to the bar at night and helping out by clearing dirty glasses.” He shook his head and grinned. “Blew my initial perception of you out of the water.”
“I live to shock you,” she said wryly. “I take it you liked what you saw?”
He nodded. “More than liked. I admired you. In one short week, you changed what I thought of you and I stopped fighting my desire.”
“Lucky me,” she whispered.
Finally, he thought, they could move on from talking. He reached for her breast and she arched backward. “Tell me about Felicia.”
He groaned. “Seriously? We’re both naked and you want to hear about my ex?”
She shook her head. “I want to learn more about you.” She placed a hand on his chest, over his heart.
He couldn’t deny her. And once he told her everything, they could move on to better things. “Okay. I met a woman at one of the fundraising events I went to on behalf of the firm. We dated and pretty much lived together. She looked good as my date and I convinced myself I cared for her but I know better now.”
“What changed?” Gabby asked, her gaze soft on his.
“I hated the people I worked with, disliked the pretentiousness surrounding me. I’d already made enough money to put it in savings and do what would make me happy.” He lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “I didn’t know what that was at the time but I saw this house advertised. It was rundown and needed renovations and it called to me. So I bought it and moved here.”
She looked around the bedroom that still needed massive painting and work. “I like it, too. I can envision the entire house when it’s finished. It’ll be a home.” Her lips curled up in a smile and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her.
She patted his chest. “Go on. I want to hear it all.”
He rolled his eyes. “You’re a bossy thing. Okay, fine. I began the reno process. One night I met Zach and Remy at The Back Door and offered up my bartending services. I worked evenings for a couple of months and enjoyed it. Eventually, Remy had to go back to the city to the Manhattan bar, and they promoted me to manager.” He shrugged. “The casual, easy lifestyle works for me.”
“Thank you. I know you weren’t in the mood to revisit the past.”
“I don’t mind telling you.” And he didn’t. She listened and understood him on a level that shocked him, given she came from the world he’d been so disillusioned with.
“How about that shower?”
She climbed off him and a cool chill rushed over his skin.
“You go first. If we shower together, I’ll forget you need some time to recuperate before we go again.”
“Tonight,” she said, and his cock hardened at the promise in her words.
He nodded. “Tonight,” he agreed.
“I’m going to use the other bathroom. All my stuff is in there.” She walked out of the room naked, more comfortable with her nudity around him than he’d expected.
She’d be at least twenty minutes in the shower and he didn’t want to tempt fate by them both using the hot water at the same time. He could use a cup of coffee. He rose to his feet and pulled on his track pants, walking to the kitchen.
No sooner had he pulled out a K-cup than his doorbell rang. He wasn’t expecting company.
He strode to his door and looked through the glass. An older woman stood outside, leaning on a brightly decorated cane. Her hair was blonde with light streaks of gray and she wore long sleeves in ninety-degree weather, a pair of pressed slacks and sneakers, no doubt for better balance. On the street behind her, a black Lincoln Town Car with a driver appeared to idle.