Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 36553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
“Screw Parker Hudson, screw every delicious inch of him, screw his scent, screw his deep and luscious voice, screw the molten lava eyes and perfectly groomed hair,” I tell the empty room, stretching my arms above my head. Even that causes a twinge of pain. Weird, I figured my lower back, legs, and feet would burn like wildfire. It seems my whole body is going to give me hell today. It’s either that or whatever Millie has, she essentially handed off to me. I get out of bed, my whole body protesting, which is never a good sign. “Damn it, Millie.” I feel a chill sweep through my body, really hoping it’s my body that is just run down, grabbing my phone off the dresser in my bedroom as I make my way to the door. A hack I did when I started working nights, then going back to days like I’m a vampire one week and then a human the other. My phone would go off, lighting up, not to mention I’d play on it for hours, do work that could wait when I needed to sleep. So, I put the charger on my dresser, and it’s where it rests when I’m in bed, the healthiest habit I probably have to this day.
I look at the display. Not seeing anything pressing, I leave it where it is. Mom will call me later, at a more reasonable time. Parker has my number, though it’s doubtful he’ll use it after the way we parted. That leaves Millie, and if I’m only feeling half as bad as she is, I hope my best friend is in bed. The remnants of last night’s outfit are still in the pile on the floor in the bathroom. My bag is by the front door. The way my luck is running, the contents are spilled out of it, shoes long forgotten because as soon as the elevator doors closed, that was the first thing I took off. There were no more pretenses since I was in the comfort of my own home. Last night, I took quick shower, not bothering to wash the mountains of hairspray out of my hair, the main focus being on washing the sweat away along with the makeup. God, the amount that was necessary to wear is in actuality what I’d wear all together for a year. This morning, I’m going to take my time, or as long as my weary body allows me to. Then I’ll get out, grab a bottle of Gatorade, swallow some pain relievers, and be one with the couch. The fact that coffee, an energy drink, or even a Dr. Pepper doesn’t sound good to me is all too telling.
“Crap.” The light in the bathroom is bright. I avoid the mirror because I’m a damn mess in the worst of ways. The plus side of sleeping naked is, it’s one less thing to tackle. I turn on the water, loving that hot water is instantaneous, and step right in. I should have known nothing was going to go my way after getting that text from Millie. It was my dumb ass that went over there, bringing saltines, ginger ale, chicken noodle soup, thinking she was pregnant because her period didn’t come. It looks like it was something else entirely, and now, judging by the shivers I’m getting underneath the scorching-hot water, it’s my turn. I wash my hair with shampoo, arms dragging ass, but there’s no way I can’t finish the job, especially with the mountains of product in it. Which means I’m going to have to scrub it twice, not to mention condition it. The plus part is while it’s sitting, I can enjoy letting the hot water run down my body while relieving some of these aches and pains. I get to work, my mind replaying the whole stupid encounter with Parker, wishing like hell I could banish it from my memory. Taking care of my hair should be my only concern. Well, that and my face, along with my body. Instead, I’m sitting, praying like hell this is some weird sinus thing, change in pressure in the air, maybe the weather is doing something wonky. Because if this is a fever, I’ve just shared my yucky germs with over two hundred people, one of those being Parker Hudson, and the worst part of the equation will be, I’ll be the first one to reach out to a man who had no problem shutting me down. No woman wants to look desperate, and sadly, that’s exactly what I’ll look like in the worst way possible.
NINE
Parker
I’m sitting at my desk in my home office after Ezra and I went what seemed to be twelve rounds in the ring, both of us conceding when we were finally worn the hell out, then we called it done. We were both hungry, and our bodies were feeling like the forty-year-olds we are. A quick shower, changing into our clothes, and we headed to the diner around the corner, where we talked some more. Ezra went into detail on how he’d like to present to Taylor exactly what Four Brothers could bring to the table if this were to work out the way he wanted. I was all for it. Ezra was the frontrunner along with Boston. Those two could charm the panties off a nun with one look alone. After a breakfast that consisted of eggs, bacon, waffles, and black coffee, a much better outlook on how to fix up one major fuckup on my part, we went our separate ways.