Mr. Hired Boss (Alphalicious Billionaires Boss 4)

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, and besides, I think I might have eaten two thousand dollars worth of food since yesterday.”

Pearl grins. “I know. That’s Mom. She cooks for an army every single time. She’s in her element right now. She was really disappointed when Susan wouldn’t let her do the catering. She said there was no way she wanted to stress Mom out like that, but of course, Mom doesn’t see it that way.”

“The hall’s food is probably good. The place was pretty nice.”

Pearl raises a brow at that. “What? For a little town?’

“I didn’t mean it like that!”

She keeps smiling, and damn, I’d do just about anything to keep it there. If I thought she was gorgeous before, Pearl’s smile could power a small country. “I know. I was kidding. Anyway, we should get some sleep. I have to be up early tomorrow. I have to get to Lisa’s house since Susan and the rest of us are getting ready there. We’ll be back here around one-thirty. The ceremony is at two. I just hope Chase makes it. I don’t think having his stag the night before the wedding is a good idea.”

“Lots of people do that, unfortunately.”

“I know. And I’m sure there are lots of hungover grooms who don’t enjoy their wedding day because they feel like death and a half.”

“I didn’t realize you could do death halfway.”

Pearl smirks at me. “Then, you’ve never been properly hungover before.”

“Touché. I’m not much of a drinker.”

“Neither am I. Well, anyway, you’re going to be left here tomorrow from about eight until the time the wedding starts. Mom and Dad will be here, so just ask them if you need anything. And don’t hide in the room all day. You can go out and make yourself at home. They’ll expect nothing less.”

“Wake me up this time.” I stretch out with my arms above my head, working the kinks out of my shoulders. “I guess if we go to sleep now, seeing as it’s midnight, we’ll be able to get up in the morning just fine. And I promise not to break any more toilets.”

“To be fair, you never broke it. And it was an easy fix. The guy just came and replaced a part in the tank.”

“I know. I was there. Watching and praying that he wouldn’t look inside.”

“Oh. Dad met him out in the driveway and told him all about the big nasty inside. That’s why he didn’t look until he’d done a few test flushes.”

“Christ,” I groan.

I hit the light so Pearl can’t see me blushing again. Jesus. Remind me never to take a poop outside of the privacy of my own house. I think holding it until I burst would have been preferable to the toilet incident last night and this morning. Or not if you really think about it.

Pearl giggles. I can see her moving around, pulling back the blankets. The sheets and quilt rustle as she slides below. She lets out a half contented, half exhausted sounding sigh, which, of course, makes me wonder what her sounds of pleasure would be like. They’d be perfect. I know it. I know a couple of other things too. One, I’d like to be the one to help Pearl make those noises. And two, I’d like to make some noises with her.

Just not in her parent’s house.

Just not ever, because she’s not my real girlfriend.

We did too much handholding and making eyes and little chaste brushes up against each other here and there today. It was all for show, at least on her part. On mine, I have to admit that it wasn’t all for show. Okay, none of it was. Every single time I got near Pearl, I felt like I’d just rocketed into another universe. Her universe. The universe of Pearl.

It’s a universe I’d like to land in and live in, not just pass by fleetingly.

But maybe that’s for another lifetime, for just another time. It’s sure as hell not for now.

I fumble in the dark to find my pajama bottoms before shedding my jeans and tugging them on. Pearl, I notice, is jammed up tightly on her side of the bed, right next to the edge. She’s left me most of it now that she knows I’m a back sleeper.

I basically fall into the bed, but no matter how tired I am, I can’t sleep.

I don’t hear Pearl’s deep breathing either, which means she’s probably awake too.

“Are you still awake?” I ask, just to check.

“Yeah,” she says softly. “You?”

“Yup.”

“I just keep worrying,” Pearl whispers. “That…uh…that tomorrow we’ll have to really sell this, and I’m not sure we’re prepared. I mean, I just learned your last name, and you just learned mine. Maybe we should go over some basic facts about each other.”

“We did just meet. According to what I overheard you telling your parents today.”