Page 48 of Someday You Learn

Before I can move, she rises onto her toes and plants a soft kiss on my cheek. I stand frozen as she takes a step back.

I feel like I just lived through a movie scene from the fifties: the husband is leaving for work, his wife is kissing him goodbye, eagerly waiting for his return.

She may be my fake fiancée, but I can’t deny that knowing she’ll be here when I get home this evening has my mind racing with what that will feel like.

If things were real between us, I’d storm into the house, rip her clothes from her body, lay her out on the kitchen island, and ravage her pussy until she fucking screamed.

Jesus, Parker. Get a fucking grip. No touching, remember? That was your fucking rule.

She licks her lips and then turns away from me, heading back to her seat at the island. “See you later.”

I don’t waste another second watching her. Like my ass is on fire, I escape to my car, gripping the steering wheel so hard my knuckles ache.

This woman is going to ruin me. I just hope my self-control can survive the next four months. Otherwise, my dick isn’t the only thing that’s going to suffer from this stupid plan.

***

“What the hell is going on?” I smack the coffee machine because, when something’s not working, hitting it is obviously the first logical thing to try.

But the stupid thing still won’t turn on.

I tilt my head to the right and then the left, looking for any sign of something wrong and that’s when I see it—the damn thing is unplugged.

“What the fuck?” I mutter, just as a chipper voice cuts through my irritation, nearly making me jump out of my skin for the second morning in a row.

“Good morning!”

I whip around, heart racing. But this time, I manage to swallow the embarrassing shriek. Taking a deep breath to steady my racing heart, I turn to face her and interrogate her about the machine, but at the sight of her, the words die on my tongue.

Fuck. Her nipples are standing at attention underneath her oversized shirt and a sliver of her stomach is peeking out from the bottom. I move my eyes back to her face, but that proves to be just as distracting. She looks gorgeous in the morning—messy hair, no makeup, completely relaxed. Call me crazy, but seeing a woman dressed down is far sexier than when she’s all dolled up.

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the sexy dresses and heels just as much as the next man. But a woman bare-faced and slightly messy turns me to stone in an instant.

And just like that, my dick is awake as well.

Focus, Parker. The coffee machine, remember?

I clear my throat and remember my frustration. “Good morning? No, it is not a good morning, Cashlynn,” I grumble. “Because I came in here after my workout and shower, desperate for caffeine, only to discover that my coffee machine wasn’t working. I just discovered that it’sbeen unplugged, and I know damn well that I didn’t do that.” I arch a brow at her. “Care to explain?”

She stares at me blankly before her lips twitch and she dissolves into laughter, covering her mouth with her hands. “Wow. You are definitelynota morning person.”

“Cashlynn,” I warn, pointing to the offending machine. “Why did you unplug my machine?”

She breezes past me, plugs it back in, and then reaches for a mug before pressing the button to start the machine. “To conserve energy, of course.”

My mouth falls open. “What?”

Glancing at me over her shoulder with an innocent shrug, she says, “If you’re not using it, but it’s plugged in, it’s still using a tiny bit of power.” She holds her thumb and forefinger close together to emphasize the point.

This has to be a joke.

“You seriously believe that?”

She nods confidently. “They’ve done studies on it. And I know it’s not much, but I really try to minimize my carbon footprint where I can, you know?”

I pinch the bridge of my nose, reminding myself that living with another person means accepting their quirks and weird obsessions.It’s only four months, Parker. You can handle this.

“Be that as it may, Cashlynn, I would appreciate it if you didn’t unplug my coffee machine,” I say through gritted teeth, managing to keep my tone just shy of murderous.

---