Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
“Afraid not, but it’s okay. I’m in no rush to leave.”
“Really? Why?” Mom asked, sounding surprised. “Is there something wrong with your apartment? Are you...”
“No, Mom. Everything’s fine. I’m just not ready to go back.”
“O-kay.” She thought for a moment, then asked, “So, how long are you planning to stay?”
“Just another day or so.”
“Okay... And you’re sure nothing’s wrong?”
“Mom.” My mother had always been a bit of a worrywart, especially where I was concerned. I didn’t want to get into a big discussion with her, so I said, “I have some work to finish up, and I can focus better here. That’s all. Now, stop worrying.”
“Okay. Okay, but if you need me, you know I’m always here.”
“Yeah, until Cotton lifts a lockdown, and then, you are AWOL.”
“Mia, you know...”
“I’m kidding! Seriously, it’s fine.” I glanced over at my laptop and cringed when I spotted a new email from my boss. “I better go. I’ve gotta get a report sent into the office.”
“Okay. Have a great day.”
“I’m gonna try.”
I hung up the phone, and then I spent the better part of the day hiding out in my room. While I told myself I was using the time to get ahead with some of my images from work, that wasn’t the case. I was feeling a little anxious about running into Wrath—which was crazy because I was fairly certain that he wasn’t even at the clubhouse. Most of the guys had gone home, and there was a strong possibility that he had done the same.
My stomach was starting to rumble, so I decided to take a chance and headed to the kitchen. I grabbed myself a bite to eat and went to the family room. I was both surprised and pleased to find that the room was empty. It was usually filled with kids or the guys, and it was a fight to actually watch something decent.
I flipped through the channels for few minutes, and eventually, I found an old romantic comedy. I settled back, and it wasn’t long before I was enthralled in the movie. So much so, I hadn’t noticed that I was no longer alone until I heard, “Mia? What are you doing here?”
I looked over to the doorway, and my stomach did a somersault when I saw Wrath standing there. He was wearing a pair of tattered jeans and his cut, and his hair was pulled back, revealing his intense ocean-blue eyes. I swallowed, hoping it would help ease the knot that had formed in my throat, then replied, “Just watching a movie.”
“There a reason why you’re watching it here and not at your place?”
“Well...” I figured now was as good a time as any to try and bait him to come to my place, so I lied, “I’ve been having some issues with my apartment.”
“What kind of issues?”
“Just some electrical stuff.” I shrugged. “My fan in my bedroom stopped working, and I can’t sleep without it. And then, there’s the whole thing with my bathroom light.”
“What’s going on with it?”
“The stupid thing keeps flickering, and it kind of freaks me out at night.”
“You tell somebody about it?”
“Yeah, I called maintenance a week ago, but they haven’t gotten around to fixing it yet.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“I know, but there’s not much I can do about it.”
He thought for a moment, then offered, “I could come by and take a look at it.”
“Really?” I asked, sounding a little more excited than I meant to. “That would be great.”
“Tomorrow night good with you? Around seven?”
“Yes, that would be perfect.”
He gave me a quick nod, then turned and started to leave. Before he got too far, I called out to him, “Hey, Wrath?”
“Yeah?”
“If you don’t mind, can we keep this whole thing between us? I don’t want Dad getting bothered that I didn’t come to him about this... I would’ve, but he’s always so busy, you know?”
“Yeah, I get it.”
“So...”
“I’ll keep it between us.”
“Thanks, Wrath. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He gave me another nod, and then, he was gone.
I couldn’t believe it.
I’d actually done it.
Wrath was coming to my apartment. I should’ve been thrilled, and to some extent, I was. But I was also terrified. I had no idea what I was going to do or say. I just knew I had to get my butt to my apartment, so I could fiddle with my fan and bathroom light. I needed to make sure they were on the fritz before Wrath showed up, or he’d figure out all too fast that I was up to no good.
It was that thought that had me jumping up from the sofa. I turned off the TV, cleaned up my mess, then rushed back to my room. I had to go to the office in the morning, or my boss would kill me. So, if I was going to pull this whole thing off, I had to get home sooner than later. I quickly gathered my things and headed out to my car.