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907 Words
I spent the whole afternoon ensuring his conference calls went smoothly, his slides were correct and working properly. I don’t get what he is saying but he seems pretty passionate about sleep disorders and how it affects the brain.
I can tell by the way he handles the meeting even though the flood kind of delayed everything, he was a great leader and by his eloquence, he really nailed the whole leader ideal thing.
“I’ll be watching a movie and having dinner. Would you like to join me?”
“There’s the thing I have to do.” I moved back a bit creating space. “I’ll probably take your time.”
“You do know we stay in the same room, right? I can spot you lying from over there.” He pointed to the couch sitting by the window. And he’s right. I already contacted my mom and Nikolai probably knows about the weather in Peru so I don’t need to talk to my ex.
“Since movies and dinner don't sit well with you, how about some marshmallows and discussions?”
It’s obvious I can’t lose him so I agreed to it. As we burn our marshmallows over the fireplace, I can’t help but notice the tattoos and how he hasn’t taken off his glasses since he got out of the bathroom.
“Have you been working all this time?”
Well considering having to attend to all his important emails while trying to manage his conference calls, yes I have been working. “I’m confused...are you angry that I’m working?”
“I pay you a reasonable amount of money but I don’t expect you to work past five,” He said and my thoughts went straight to the late night emails. “And if I have, I'm sorry. Sometimes I feel you are too good for your job. You don’t have to reply to them urgently if they aren’t worth it.”
“The pay does require maximum effort though.” I shrugged. “So have you called my mom since then?”
His expression darkened. “Sorry you don’t have to answer that. It’s so unprofessional.”
He smirked. “I did call. Your mother is an amazing woman though. And she says hi.”
We stayed in silence eating our marshmallows and sipping on our soda cans. “Feel free to use the restroom first. I’ll be in the other room getting some work done.”
His tone isn’t cold, but whatever warmth I felt was gone.
“Okay.”
I walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind me taking steadying breaths before taking a fresh shower. I have always loved showering every night. It relieves the stress I carry during the day.
When I stepped out, I heard typing sounds and I took a peep into the closet and there he was with his headphones on and glasses, laptop on a table and his cot by the side. The room seemed kinda small for a big guy like him and I felt almost guilty for not pressuring him to stay here after all he paid for everything.
His amber eyes met my green ones and my heart did a flutter. He seemed...angry but his lips curved into a smirk that made it seem he was amused? I can’t read him at all.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have seen that.”
He tilted his head as his eyes bore into mine. “It’s okay. I’ll be going to bed now.”
“You should sleep on the bed since you paid for it. The room is small for you. I can...”
“It’s fine, Adeline.” My former name rolled off his lips so deliciously I forgot for a moment the boundary with that name.
“Can I call you that?”
“N-no not really.” I mumbled. “I'm go by London now. But still you can take the bedroom or we take turns?”
“The lock only works from inside of the bedroom.” Oh, those lock principles again. “Is there anything I should be protecting myself from? I mean flood water can still seep in and I doubt a robbery will hold at the crucial moment.”
I saw a hand curl at the bicep and his shoulders became tense. “I am an active sleeper.” His voice is now low. “I tend to sleepwalk.”
“That’s nothing to be ashamed of. A lot of people do.”
His jaw tenses. “Just keep your door locked.”
“Okay fine then goodnight, Dr. Vale.”
“Call me Calhoun.”
But I don’t answer back. I closed the door behind me and this time I waited. After so many contemplations I left it unlocked.
After thirty minutes or more, when I had already fallen asleep I heard footsteps and the door clicking open and an eerie prickle of awareness washed over me.
A shaky breath sounds from the foot of my bed. I’m so cosy, wrapped up in my sheets and too sleepy to stand up.
A warm grip to my neck caused my eyes to snap open. “Dr. Vale?” I asked groggily.
His large body pressed over mine, and when I let my eyes track down his bare chest, my mouth goes dry when I see his sweatpants are tented. Is he...hard?
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