Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“You’re easier to talk to than anyone I’ve ever met,” I told him.
“Coming from you, that might be the nicest thing anyone’s ever said about me.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. “It means a lot to me, too,” I said. “I was able to talk to business executives last night. You make me feel like I’m not as socially inept as I thought I was.”
“Hey, you were rocking it on your own, last night,” Chase said. “You even got Emmett talking about the Batman movies, and I couldn’t believe it. I wasn’t helping in those conversations. It was all you.”
I shook my head. “I was able to do it because you were across the table from me. Knowing you were there made me feel more like myself, or something.”
“I never thought I’d say this, but you’re complimenting me too much,” Chase said. “I’m going to get such a big ego that my head’s going to pop off.”
“Let it get big.”
“My ego’s already doing fine,” Chase said with a grin. “Yours should be big after last night. Fucking me like you own me.”
My cock perked up under my pants. “Don’t say that. I can’t have an erection while we’re filming for the Fixer Brothers.”
For the last couple of minutes of the drive, images from last night flashed through my mind. I was still somewhat convinced that this was all just some elaborate prank, and that Chase couldn’t possibly have wanted me as much as I wanted him. I’d never felt so turned on in my life, but I’d also never felt so connected to anyone, either.
The tires crunched on the gravel as Chase pulled up outside my house. He looked like some kind of fallen angel, the rays of slanting sunlight hitting his hair and lighting it up like a soft halo. He hummed along to whatever pop song was playing lightly on the radio, pursing those lips that had been all over me last night.
“Let’s get in there before the guys all show up,” Chase said before hopping out of the car.
Right. That was another thing I had to stay on top of: remembering that what Chase and I had was a secret, not only from the other crew members, but from the thousands of people watching us on OnlyShots, too.
I got out of the car and watched him slowly pace up toward my front door.
My little secret.
The hottest secret I’d ever had.
I made my way to the door and was about to turn the key in the lock when I realized the door was slightly cracked open. I cocked my head to one side and pushed it open, poking my head in.
“Hello?” I asked.
“There you are!” I heard Charlie’s voice call out from in the kitchen.
I whipped my head back around to look at Chase, who was as wide-eyed as I was.
“Charlie?” I asked.
“I’m in here,” he called over. “I’m hauling in tile.”
“I didn’t see the Fixer Brothers van in the front driveway,” I said as I entered the kitchen, where Charlie was stacking strips of tile on a workbench.
“Shawn took the van back to the office to grab his phone. Left it there this morning accidentally,” Charlie said, looking up at me. “You look chipper today. Are you still wearing what you wore to the dinner last night?”
“No. Uh, yes, I mean. I—”
“I let him crash at my place last night,” Chase said, coming up behind me in the doorframe. “After you left the private car, Adam was feeling pretty woozy.”
Charlie furrowed his brow. “You seemed pretty in control of yourself during dinner. And for the first part of the car ride.”
I felt heat creeping to my cheeks. “The liquor hit me hard in the second half, or something,” I said, scrambling to make up something believable. “Thought I was going to pass out.”
“He was as good as new after chugging some water at my place, though,” Chase said. “Wow, Charlie, you look amazing today. Is that a new shirt?”
Chase was a wizard. He was easily able to distract Charlie into a different conversation while I headed upstairs to my closet, pulling on fresh clothes for the day. When I got back downstairs, the other guys had gotten back, as well as part of the film crew.
The day got started as normal from that point, and soon we were in the full swing of filming and renovations. I made some appearances, but spent a few hours upstairs in my office, working on cleaning up some databases for my research work.
The strange feeling from the morning lingered in my chest all day, though.
I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I didn’t like that we hadn’t told Charlie the truth, even though it was a white lie. I was no good at keeping secrets. And even though I was protecting both Chase’s privacy and my own, it didn’t feel right.