Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 83718 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83718 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
“It’s not. Not at all. I do have the room.”
I swallow. I know he does. He lives in the big house where his parents raised him and his five siblings. When his mother moved out to live in the apartment behind Ethan’s garage, no one was ready to see her sell the house. Apparently, Brayden moved in as a temporary solution, but the family continues to gather there every Sunday and for any major holiday that they can’t celebrate at their family cabin.
“You’re looking at me like I’m offering you a room in my dungeon.”
I shake my head. “Sorry. No. I mean, this is incredibly kind of you.” I want to be the woman who can hold his gaze through what I need to say next. But I’m not. So I study a crack in the pavement at my feet instead. “I was thinking that after our ill-advised night in New York—”
“Christ.” Something like anger flashes over his features, and he looks toward the traffic inching down Lakeshore Drive. “Despite what you might think about our night and my ulterior motives for hiring you, this isn’t about getting you in my bed.”
I am the world’s biggest bitch. “Brayden—”
“I regret how I handled everything. And that my decisions that night made you feel—”
“Stop!” I desperately want to go back to being the Molly and Brayden who don’t talk about that night and who never, ever mention the shitty accusation I made. “Please. Can we just . . .”
When he turns back to me, his expression is guarded. “Just what, Molly?”
“Pretend I didn’t say that?” I swallow, but the shame doesn’t go away. “I never believed you would hire me just to sleep with me, and I promise there’s no part of me that thinks you’re offering space in your home just to get in my pants.”
“Good.” He nods, but this conversation pulled that old hurt to the surface—pain that I am responsible for—and the sight of it makes me feel so small and unworthy of everything he’s given me. “So you’ll consider it?”
“I’m worried that sleeping under the same roof might end up more complicated than either of us wants.”
He stuffs his hands in his pockets and rocks back on his heels, and when I drag my gaze back to his face, the corner of his mouth twitches in amusement. “Am I that irresistible?”
I snort. “Oh, fuck off.”
“No, I totally get it. If having me around would distract you from your work or prove to be a bigger temptation than you can handle—”
“I can handle it just fine.” I handle it every freaking day, thankyouverymuch.
He holds my gaze. “Then move in. You and Noah can have the second floor all to yourselves for as long as you need. I never go up there, so you don’t need to worry about any accidental seduction.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m not worried about accidental seduction.”
“Then what are you worried about?”
I search for a reasonable objection but come up empty. The only reason not to stay with Brayden is because I’m attracted to him and don’t want to make the same mistake I did in New York. Then, it was a mistake because he was my boss. Now he’s more than that. He’s . . . my friend. The label might scare me, but it’s true. As a single mom, I need his friendship far more than any bedroom chemistry that simmers between us. “I’m worried about taking too much from you.”
“It’s not too much. Not at all.”
“Then I’ll consider it. Thank you.”
He grins—really grins that rare, full smile that transforms his whole face. Warmth spreads from my tummy all the way out to my fingers and toes. This guy doesn’t smile enough. “You’re welcome.” He looks at my car. “Where are you headed?”
“I’m looking at another house. This one’s a rent-to-own kind of thing just outside of town. The commute wouldn’t be too bad, and we could move in right away.”
“Want me to go with you?”
For a flash, I imagine it—what it would be like to have Brayden in my life as more than my boss and friend, what it would be like to have a partner who helped me make decisions when they overwhelmed me . . . What it would be like to have him look at me the way his brothers look at their women. “No, that’s unnecessary.” I force a smile. “I’ve been picking places to live on my own since I finished undergrad. I’ve got this.”
“Do you need any help packing?”
I shake my head. “I don’t have much, so it shouldn’t be too bad. I’ll rent a truck for the move, though, and I could use some help loading the furniture if you think you could talk your brothers into it.”
He shakes his head. “Save your money on the truck. Between Jake’s and Levi’s, we can get you taken care of.”