Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 116031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 580(@200wpm)___ 464(@250wpm)___ 387(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 580(@200wpm)___ 464(@250wpm)___ 387(@300wpm)
“Not really,” I reply, “but we have business to tend to, so I’m all ears.”
“First point of business, you thought I was trying to sleep with you?” she asks as if the words are insulting on top of the accusation.
“I didn’t say anything about sleeping, sweetheart.”
She gasps. “Are you kidding me?”
“Why lie?”
“You are . . .” She turns away as if the very sight of me leaves her speechless. Wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened to a woman. It’s a regular occurrence, so I’m used to it. “You’re a real piece of work, you know that?”
“I do know that.”
Her head jerks back so fast she might need to see a chiropractor to fix it. “It’s not a compliment, Shane.”
With her buttons easily accessible, I continue to push a few more. “It would be a first, then.”
“I can’t.” And then she apparently can because she anchors her fisted hands on the swell of her hips and stares at me like she’s about to snap back. I don’t think she has it in her. She’s a sweet little nurse, after all. But it’s fun to watch her try. “You really thought I reached out, that I left all those messages because I was desperate for sex? God, that’s so LA of you. And then you thought I was stalking you because I didn’t want to have sex with you? Is that right?”
“Stalkers say all kinds of crazy shit to get to me. Lie to my security. Pose as food delivery. Pretend to be gardeners, stalk my house, beg my band manager to meet me, claim to be family through 23 and Me, and show up at my parents’ place back in La Jolla proclaiming undying love for their son. So it’s not out of the realm of possibility that a chick from high school would try to reconnect now that I’m famous. It sure as fuck wouldn’t be the first time—”
“It would be for me.” She punctuates her response with an arched brow as her arms unwind with fists still restraining her fingers.
“What would be a first for you? Stalking a celebrity or hitting up someone for sex?” A myriad of emotions stumble through her expression along with a few verbal starts and stops, but she can’t seem to lie to save herself. So I corner her. “You’ve never texted someone late at—”
“No!” She waves her arms erratically in front of her. “Not ever.”
“Maybe that’s why you’re not having orgasms.” I shrug. “Or sex.” It was that moment I realized I had royally fucked up. With her mouth gaping open, she blinks rapidly at me. Shit. “Look, Cat—”
“Cate!” she corrects, then sends me to hell with a glare that would incinerate a weaker man.
“Cate,” I say evenly, and then take a breath to find my inner calm since I’m trapped in the middle of her chaos. “This has gotten out of hand. Let’s forget about the fucking for now—”
“Do you have that word on speed dial? Can you please stop saying it so much?”
“Can I stop saying what?”
She looks around like the swear police are going to nab her, and then whispers, “Fucking,” with a roll of her eyes.
“Such a dirty mouth for a geriatrics nurse.”
By the way she angles her head away from me, she tries to act like I’m nothing more than a gnat annoying her, but I see the smile tugging on her lips. She can’t resist me or, at minimum, my sense of humor. Laughter is the way to her heart. Noted.
Breaking the uptight character she’s been portraying, her shoulders rattle with amusement as her smile flies free, giving me a hard-earned victory. “Where do you think I learned those words?” With a huff of grievance, her shoulders lower, and she comes a little closer. “You really have women you don’t know contacting you for sex?”
“I know you, Cate.” Tightening my grip on the steering wheel, I confess, “That’s why I’m here.”
I’m not sure how I managed to turn this around with her, but I won’t take her better mood for granted. She’s still trying so hard to be mad about something by how much she’s containing herself. I should go easy on her since we’re on the right track. “As fun as it is teasing you about sex, which was your first point, I can’t wait to find out about point two.”
It’s as if she’s been given permission to relax, her body alleviated from the defenses burdening it before, her fingers flexing from the fist. She says, “It started earlier this week when I went to buy a house.” I have no idea where she’s going with this, but I’m riveted. “All the paperwork was in perfect order.” Stripping off the white coat, she says, “It’s hot.”
“Sure is.”
She tosses it in the back seat of her Toyota. Not a flashy ride, but dependable. “Anyway, so I show up, and Ross, my mortgage broker, starts asking me for my husband’s financials. Needless to say, I had no idea what he was talking about since I’m not married.”