Page 95 of The Re-Proposal

I groan, touching my face. It feels like I went sleep-walking and, somehow, got myself into a WWE fight. Who knew that bruises hurt like a beast the day after?

I don't want to get up.

Or face a new day.

Or be in my own skin.

I want to sink straight through the bed and disappear from the world. Just fade into obscure matter. Maybe turn into a tree or something.

Yes, a tree is nice.

Trees don’t invite their gorgeous ex-fiancé into their apartment after swearing to keep their distance.

Trees don't get excited when their ex-fiance shoves them on top of counters.

Trees don't cuddle with their ex-fiances to watch a movie.

And they certainly don't have X-rated dreams starring said ex-fiancé.

I groan louder this time and roll over. Unfortunately, when I press my face into the pillow, it agitates the bruise along my jaw.

"Ow. Ow." I hiss and sit up.

What time is it?

According to the sunshine, it’s get-your-butt-out-of-bed o’clock. I have work to do, but my body’s so weighed down it literally hurts tothinkabout moving.

Laziness isn’t going to pay your light bills, Clarissa.

Thoughts of moving around in darkness and not being able to afford popcorn and Netflix motivates me. Wearily, I swing my legs off the bed.

That's when I notice a strange bottle on my nightstand. A note is stuck to it in Cody's harried scrawl. I'd recognize that crab-like handwriting anywhere. There's a slant to the letters. A kind of rushed, smushed-together cadence that tells of the type of man he is.

Intelligent. Stubborn. Always busy.

The note says simply'use this on your bruises’.

I cringe when I remember my failed plan to keep Cody from noticing the damage. I thought if I dressed in something sexy and wore dark glam makeup, he’d be too occupied to do anything but stare.

No such luck.

His eyes flickered to my body for about a second and a half. But after one peek at my injuries, the man was like a hound dog with a bone.

Or a German Shephard on a drug bust.

He found every illegal substance I had hidden away and then went in to dig up more.

Annoying, over-protective jerk-hole.

I snap the note off the bottle and inspect the label.

It’s pain relief cream.

Pinching my eyes shut, I fall back on the bed and flail in embarrassment. This wasnotsupposed to happen. I was supposed to keep this a secret for Maggie’s sake. Now Cody’s aware of our little raging lunatic problem.

And who knows what that crazy, overbearing billionaire will do next?

I shudder when I remember the icy heat in his voice when he asked me ‘who hurt you’.

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