Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 49416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
I cringe at the thought, my emotions a bucket of conflict jumping from mortification to desire in one quick leap.
The sex we'd had right after I said those words certainly goes on my top ten list—Zoe holding every single numbered slot on it.
But I'm not an idiot, I know it's too fast.
Doesn’t mean I take it back. I can’t deny it, too fast or not, I'm in love with this girl.
Pretty sure I've been in love with her since the second she stepped into my life, even before I knew her name. Getting to know her, the way she views the world, how compassionate she is, how kind she is, and how much she wants to help people? It's only made me fall for her that much harder.
Physical chemistry aside, I'm in love with her mind, her heart.
But yeah, it's fucking fast, so maybe I should’ve kept it to myself.
It doesn't make it any less true.
I don't hold it against her for not saying it back. It's only been five months, and less than that of actually knowing each other's real names.
If it had been Caleb telling me this story, I'd call him idiot, but there's nothing I can do. My heart is hers if she wants it.
Not for the first time, I think about my contract job. Last night solidified things for me. Whether she wants to pursue something serious with me or not, I’m hanging up my contract work—the idea of being away from her for months, let alone a few days, at a time seems like an impossible mountain to climb, especially when I can easily remove that mountain.
Of course, I need to talk to her about it.
Need her to know my intentions, and that I’m not rushing or pushing her into anything. I don’t want her to take me quitting the contract work as a necessary requirement to start something serious with me, so clarification needs to happen.
Excitement helps take the edge off the nerves as I get settled in my seat at our designated table in the event room for the closing ceremony for the conference. Thankfully, there’s no sign of the asshole from last night.
Zoe has been practicing her speech for weeks, and I’m more than excited to watch her take the stage and hit everybody with the beautiful words she's been working on all this time.
She'll nail this speech, we'll share a dance or two, and then when we get back up to the hotel room, we'll talk. I obviously can't quit until I solve her case, and that brings me right back to the nerves I've been feeling all morning.
The person who is introducing Zoe addresses the crowd, telling jokes before talking about how amazing of a therapist Zoe is. My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I discreetly retrieve it, recognizing the signature vibration assigned to Caleb.
Caleb: Finally got a lock on Spencer. He used his credit card to rent a car yesterday. I'm working on nailing down the location of the rental car now.
Me: Send it once you have it.
I text back quickly, heart pounding in my chest as I scan the crowd. Most of the faces are familiar, the same ones I’ve clocked the entire conference, but it doesn’t stop me from searching for him.
Zoe takes the stage, looking stunning in a red dress and the heels she kept on while I fucked her last night.
Her delicate fingers grip the podium as she scans the crowd, her eyes falling on me as she smiles before she starts her speech.
“Esteemed colleagues, I want to express my sincere and heartfelt gratitude for all of you in attendance. Over the last two days we’ve engaged in epic debates, dove deep into cutting-edge theories, and even shared a drink or two,” she says, and the crowd laughs as they raise their glasses of champagne or liquor toward her. “But beside all that, we've worked on a commonality between us, which is sharpening our skills and staying educated to better serve our patients and each other. That’s the goal I had in mind when this conference was nothing but a dream years ago, and as our fourth annual event comes to a close, I can’t tell you how grateful I am to be a part of such an amazing community. One that focuses on spreading awareness about the importance of mental health as well as constantly striving for further education as new information is discovered. As long as we focus on those aspects, we’ll be able to serve our communities in the best way possible. So, thank you, and I look forward to seeing each of you back here next year.”
The crowd erupts into applause, everyone standing to show their gratitude to Zoe for hosting such an incredible event, and I’m one of the people standing and grinning up at her like the love-struck man I am, wondering how the hell I’ve gotten so lucky for her to be looking at me the way she does—