Craving The Player (Amateurs In Love Book 1)(83)
“I did.” It only took a week and three Skype calls with the landlord, but I move into a new construction, two-bedroom condo the day after tomorrow. In a perfect world, I would be handed the keys as soon as I land in Toronto tomorrow afternoon, but with such short notice, I’m lucky to be moving in just a day late. Plus, who would say no to a free, company-paid hotel room for a night? Not me. I’m looking forward to spending far too long in the hotel spa. Maybe I’ll even book an acupuncture appointment. There has to be a nerve that can be poked and prodded to clear Braden from my head.
“Excited?” Cole asks, dropping his arms and moving further into the room.
Of course I am. But I would describe the cluster-fuck of emotion’s inside of me as more so terrifying than anything else.
“It’s going to be a big change,” I say, deciding not to show my boss just how glass-half-empty I can be.
“One that I hope you’re ready for?” The questioning edge in his words rub me the wrong way, but I shove my feelings to the side and bite my tongue, deciding to be the bigger person.
“If I wasn’t ready, I wouldn’t be going. You can trust me on that.” Now please leave before I scratch your eyes out and feed them to a stray cat.
His smile is back as quickly as it had faded, and with an almost missable wink, he says, “See you tomorrow then, little worker bee.”
I nearly puke.
“You want me to go to a club and get wasted with you the night before I hop on an early morning flight across the country?” I scoff, squeezing my phone between my shoulder and ear as I open my apartment door and drop the contents of my desk on the counter. “Is this payback for something?”
Re-adjusting the phone, I put the call on speaker and place it down beside the box so I can unbuckle my strappy heels.
“You so owe me this, Sierra. You’re about to make a bunch of new fancy friends and forget about me while I eat cookie dough ice cream by myself and miss you,” Sophie wines. I can hear the frown in her voice as it yanks on my heartstrings.
“I’m not going to forget about you, Sophie. You’re my best friend,” I promise her, hating that she’s doubting that for even a second.
“Okay, well come anyway. It’ll be our last hoorah. Don’t miss out on our final girls night because you’re scared of a tiny hangover.”
I lean my elbows on the counter and let my head fall until my forehead touches it. I love Sophie to death but I was really hoping to just spend my last night here, curled up on the couch, eating my feelings in deep-dish pizza. But as hard as she tries to understand everything running through my mind these last few days, she really has no idea how I feel. I don’t blame her for that, of course, but when she pushes these things on me it becomes more exhausting than helpful.
Besides, the only thing alcohol has done for me lately is make me unbelievably horny. Although, I do partially blame that on the fact that before this week, I wasn’t going more than a single day without having sex. And for that I blame Braden. He completely ruined my single-girl routine.
“Fine. What time?” I rub my temples.
“I’ll come get you at ten! Love you, gorgeous.” She hangs up on me before I reply, leaving me confused and a little annoyed.
“Whatever,” I whisper to myself and comb my fingers through my hair. Looking at the time on my phone, I almost thank God for the fact I still have a few hours to relax before going to completely destroy my liver.
Now I just have to decide which one of my T.V boyfriends will keep my company until then.
My head bobbles as another hard chest pushes against my back. Sweaty hands cup the skin of my waist through the cut-outs in my uncomfortably tight dress. Sophie's choice, of course.
My thoughts are cloudy, tongue way too numb to tell whoever this guy is that I’m fine on my own. I let my eyelids slide shut as the neon lighting becomes too much for my throbbing head. In an attempt to collect myself, I lean against the body behind me, just for a second.
The man smells like cheap body spray and orange juice, a combo that makes my nose crinkle and my stomach to churn. I attempt to fight through my dry mouth and swallow away the uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. Just a little bit longer, Sierra. Then you can hop in a cab, sleep for a couple of hours, and wake up, ready to start your new life.
Sophie and I got here about two hours ago, give or take an hour, but I haven’t seen her for at least half of that time. My anger towards her lack of company probably explains why I drank so much so fast, and why the earth is doing the wave.
Hot breath crashes against my exposed neck, and I tilt my head to the side, as if on instinct. I’m too drunk to feel embarrassed for not pushing this guy away. And hopefully, tomorrow will just be a blur when I wake up.
I feel the stranger pull away from me and shrug my shoulders, muttering something unintelligible under my breath. Straightening my spine, I place my palms to the side of my thighs and start to walk off the dance floor, but stumble backward when another set of hands grab me. My skin sizzles where we touch, and I gasp.
The stranger’s chest is hard but welcoming, and it molds against my back in a way that I can’t comprehend. His jaw is rough and covered in stubble. He brushes it against my cheek, nudging my head to fall to the side to allow him to run his nose along my racing pulse.
“I saw you all the way from the bar. You’re impossible to miss. Just like you were the first time we danced like this.”