Page 33 of Sweet Surrender
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“Rise and shine, Princess.”
His deep voice penetrated her dream and pulled her from it kicking and screaming. Taylor pushed back her covers, confused and there he was, in all his muscley glory.
God I just hate his face!She glared at him as memories of last night came back to her. “Why exactly are you waking me up?”
“We’ve got a counseling session in thirty minutes.”
“What!”
“Yep, crazy I know. Get that booty out of bed.” He stood there, arms folded across his chest like the bouncer of her bedroom.
Her glare deepened. “Can you leave my room?”
“Not until you’re up. I know you, you’ll fall back to sleep.” He grinned down at her. She wanted to slap it off his face, especially after his stunt last night. Of course, this asshole was a morning person.
“But I’m naked under here.”
He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing her face before his smile widened. He gripped the corner of her quilt and yanked it back.
“Beau!” she shrieked, covering herself.
“Cute unicorn jammies, who knew they came in adult sizes too? I know all your tells, sweetheart. Don’t bother lying to me again,” he said. She grabbed a pillow and heaved it at his stupid smug head. He ducked unfortunately but she was already grabbing another, ready to go again.
“Pillow fight!” He threw a pillow at her and hit her in the face. She cursed and stood up.
“God, I hate you,” she huffed.
“I know, you told me last night. Twenty-eight minutes left, you don’t wanna keep your best friend waiting for you when she could be seeing otherpayingclients.” He pushed her towards the bathroom. She flipped him off and his dark chuckle snaked over her as she slammed the door.
She seethed under the spray of the shower. When she had agreed to a therapy session she hadn’t expected it to be less than twelve hours later. After the incident with Dale last night and what followed with Beau she was feeling a little raw.
A kiss.
The bastard wanted a kiss. Not just any kiss, he wanted her to ask for it, to beg him for it.Fat chance of that happening, she snorted as she lathered herself aggressively. She would be on her deathbed before she accepted one kiss, let alone begged him for it.
Her mind turned to Dale and his little visit. Seeing him in her cabin had been a shock. The only people who had a key were Dean and Justine. Which meant Dale had stolen hers and had a copy made at some point. The thought turned her stomach. How many times had he been into her place? Was last night the first time or just one of many? She needed to call a locksmith after this stupid therapy session.
She finished showering and dressed in a floral-patterned blouse and pink jeans. She applied a little makeup wanting to look nice forBeauJustine.
“We gotta go!” Beau’s voice interrupted.
“Damn, he’s still here?” she muttered, trying to ignore the way her heart skipped at the idea of him hanging around her home. Last night had been difficult, being so close to him and flirting with him had flared to life the old attraction she felt for him. It was dangerous territory when she was meant to be pretending to be in love with him.
She brushed her hair and headed into her living room. “Why are you still here?” she groused at him, trying not to notice how his navy t-shirt clung obscenely to his biceps.
“I figured you needed a ride.”
She grunted at him in response.
“Coffee’s in the car, I know you’re about as useful as shaving cream to a Wookie without it,” he drawled.
“Trust you to make aStar Warsreference in the first thirty minutes of the day.” She grabbed her bag and opened the door to the cabin, stepping aside to let him pass. He stopped in front of her and bent down, putting them nose to nose. Her breath hitched as she stared straight into those warm eyes and arousal unfurled in her stomach. No, not arousal.Neverarousal. His pupils expanded, chasing away all the deep chocolate color.
“Say what you like, Princess, but geeks are cool now. You’re the loser here,” he said and then booped her nose, walking off and leaving her mouth gaping open. When she finally snapped out of it, she locked her cabin door and ran after him to the sleek black car parked in the lot.
He didn’t bother to wait for her, just got in and started the engine. She ran up the side and went to grab her door handle as the car rolled forward a few feet out of reach. She growled and skipped after it and when she reached for the handle the same thing happened again.
