Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 119005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
When the door closed behind her, I decided I preferred her shook up and flustered, like the time she fell into her flat.
I grinned to myself, remembering it.
How could one woman be so sexy and confident but so fucking adorable all at once?
That night I took care of myself. With my hand wrapped around my cock, I fantasized about Beth, and not for the first time. I came embarrassingly quickly. After I cleaned up, I got into bed and scrubbed a hand down my face.
Part of me hoped Beth broke and decided she wanted sex.
Another part of me knew we shouldn’t.
We were neighbors, and if we started something knowing it could really go nowhere, shit might get awkward between us. Like when I inevitably moved on and brought another woman back to my place. That might be weird for Beth.
I had to think beyond my cock here.
Saturday at the launch party, I’d curb the flirting between us. This was a friend helping out another friend.
End of story.
It had to be.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
BETH
The last thing I wanted was to be a sweaty mess tonight, but I could feel the dampness under my arms and between my cleavage. My stomach roiled nervously. This was so unlike me, and I knew it had to be the pressure and the lie. I really wanted Aura Beauty as a client, but boy, was I crossing some lines to land them.
The invitation to the launch party had stated the dress code was formal, and the theme was jewel tones to match their latest eye shadow palette. I’d left a tie at Callan’s door while he was out for training. It was amethyst to match my clutch.
Maia had hooked me up with an emerald-green dress from her department store. It was silk with thin straps, a V-neck, fitted bodice, and a straight skirt, but the skirt split on the left, revealing leg all the way up to my thigh. My pseudo-cousin had paired the dress with emerald-green Jimmy Choo sandals, held together with strands of suede. They wrapped around my ankles and were glamorous but kind of wild at the same time. I loved them. The shoes were extravagant, but I wanted to impress Sheera.
I sent a photo of them to Luke.
He’d texted back.
🔥So proud of you. Welcome to my world.
Laughing, I’d sent him a blowing-kiss emoji and then slipped my phone into my heart-shaped Jimmy Choo clutch. Hundreds of amethyst Swarovski crystals made the clutch wink and sparkle in the light. I loved the contrast against the green and thought I’d done well living up to the jewel-tone theme. However, it was way too expensive, so it was on loan from the store, which meant I had to be super careful with it. The only jewelry I wore was a silver necklace with a small amethyst heart pendant and an amethyst Swarovski crystal bracelet.
I’d curled my hair and then brushed it out into waves that fell down my back.
A knock at my door made my skin flush hot, and I squeezed my eyes shut. If I didn’t want to be a sweaty mess at this party, I needed to calm down.
I thought my nerves were to do with Sheera, but maybe a tiny part of me anticipated being close to Callan all night. Our dinner at the Thai restaurant had gone somewhere unexpected. Aye, we’d admitted to being attracted to each other, because it was stupid to pretend otherwise, considering our history … but that moment at the table was something else. I’d never been that turned on in public before. Like, I’d felt pangs of attraction, but I’d never had to return home from a dinner to change my underwear because I’d gotten wet merely from a man murmuring sexy words to me.
What the heck was that?
I was usually way better at controlling myself. It worried me. The only other times I’d felt out of control was when I was grieving or anxious. Being out of control to me was not a good thing.
So I had to be better tonight.
Throwing my shoulders back, I whispered, “You’ve got this. You are Beth freaking Carmichael. You own your mind, your body … and you are going to sign Aura Beauty and avoid having sex with Callan.” I nodded militantly at my reflection in the hallway mirror. “Good talk.”
A few seconds later, I opened my flat door to find Callan standing on the other side, looking like my version of a wet dream. I gaped at him as his eyes moved slowly down my body. The split of my dress had parted to reveal my bare leg, and his nostrils flared.
He smelled amazing. Spicy and musky and male.
I’d told him I was wearing emerald-green with amethyst accents. Callan had paired the amethyst tie I’d bought him with an emerald-green silk waistcoat. He wore it with a white shirt and a fitted black suit. An emerald-green pocket square and polished black derby shoes completed his dapper look.