Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 84700 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84700 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Made me realize I had to make the same decision—my job or Annabella.
22
Annabella
I worked at my desk but glanced at my phone a couple times…hoping to see a message from my man.
That’s what he was to me, so I would call him as such.
I didn’t hear from him yesterday, and since I was trying not to be too forward about my feelings for him, I did my best to keep my distance, not to smother him with obsession. If I had it my way, I’d be at his place every night.
I hated my mattress, and not because it was old and lumpy, but because he wasn’t there beside me. I was addicted to his presence, sleeping hard whenever that strong man was beside me. I liked staring at his face as I fell asleep, seeing it again first thing in the morning.
I was so into that man…and he must know.
How could he not? I woke him up several times during the night because I needed more. I grabbed his arm on the drive because I wanted him to know how I felt. I wore my heart on my sleeve, showed him how much I wanted him, so there would be no mistaking my feelings. If I didn’t give him everything I had, someone else would…and I would lose him.
I couldn’t lose that man. He was my goddamn religion.
Sofia came into my office. “I have good news.”
“The board agreed to the remodel?”
“No.” She sat on the corner of the desk. “Better than that.”
“We’re gonna have fresh cookies in the lobby again?”
She chuckled. “Okay, not that good. Hades and Damien made up last night.”
“Really?” I felt so much happiness because I knew Damien wanted that so badly. “What happened?”
She hesitated before she answered. “Something happened with work, and Hades was there for him…so they buried the hatchet and moved on. I can see how much happier Hades is for it. He’s in a much better place.”
“That’s great. I knew how important that was to Damien. He must be so thrilled.”
“Yeah,” she said with a nod. “And my husband said you had something to do with his decision.”
“Me?” I asked in surprise.
“When you told him what Damien had confided to you, I guess it made him realize Damien was still sorry…after all this time.”
I was gonna get some good loving for this. “I’m glad I could help. Now the four of us can go out together.”
“Yes, that’ll be fun,” she said. “I’m just excited to be in the same room with both of them. Every time I see Damien, I feel like I’m having an affair.” She hopped off the desk and chuckled. “I’ll let you get back to work. Just wanted to share the good news.”
When I got home, I called him.
He answered, but his voice was low like he was trying to speak quietly. “Hey.”
“Hey,” I said, bursting with happiness. “Sofia told me that you and Hades made up. That’s so great. I’m very happy for you.”
He didn’t reflect my happiness, his mood clearly troubled. “Yeah…”
I turned quiet, trying to figure out what I was missing. “Everything okay?”
He took a long time to answer. “Are you home right now?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” He hung up.
My stomach clenched with dread, like I knew something bad was about to happen. There was a warning in my gut, like he was coming by to share terrible news. But I reminded myself that his moods were unpredictable, and he probably just wanted to be comforted after having a hard day…just the way I wanted to see him after my dinner with Liam.
That was all.
He knocked even though the door was unlocked.
“It’s open.” I sat on the couch, feeling more uneasy now that he hadn’t just walked in like he usually did.
He stepped inside, wearing a long-sleeved maroon shirt that was nice over his muscles. His black jeans were low on his hips, and he wore one of his nice watches on his wrist. He shut the door behind him quietly then stared at me.
Something was wrong. I could feel it.
I got to my feet and walked up to him, my lips aching for his. Even though he wasn’t in the best mood, I rose on my tiptoes and kissed him anyway.
He kissed me back—but it was cold.
I leaned back and stared at him, feeling my heart start to pound with fear. This man had only been in my life for a few months, but he became an extension of me, a part of my soul. When I was confronted with the real possibility of losing him, it made me so fucking scared. “What’s wrong?”
He continued to stare at me with those dreamy eyes, his jawline covered with a shadow of hair because he hadn’t shaved since the last time we’d woken up together. His hands slid into his pockets instead of wrapping around my waist. Then he looked down for a while…so he wouldn’t have to look at me altogether.