Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55738 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55738 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
After a pause, he says, “Yeah, I guess so.”
Then he pulls me over to the other side of the bed, away from the wet patch. He holds me tightly. I hold him even more fiercely. Of course, it was way too much to expect him to say any of the stuff I wish he would. About family. A future. Kids. A life together. He’d never say any of that, not this soon, anyway. I have to be patient. For now, it’s enough to lie together. At least we’re not thinking about the mayhem, the bullets, the misery.
“You’re the best girlfriend a man could ask for,” he whispers, kissing me on the cheek.
“And you’re the best boyfriend.”
“For an old man…”
I dig my fingernails into his back. “Don’t say that anymore. You’re not an old man. Even if you were, which you’re not, I don’t care. I’ve often been called an old soul, and you’re clearly immature.”
“Ah, I get it,” he says, and I know he’s smiling from his tone. “So we meet directly in the middle.”
I smile, kissing him on the lips. “Exactly.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Fletcher
I wake with my woman in my arms and my dog sleeping at my feet. Loki woke me at around three a.m., scratching at the door. It was like the little man knew me and my lady needed some alone time, so he respectfully waited. I sit up, sunlight slanting through the window.
Damn, that was the best night’s sleep I’ve had in years. It must’ve been because I had my woman beside me. I sit up and look down at her, watching her sleep. Her hair is messy across her face, and she’s got a gentle, beautiful smile on her lips. She yawns so cutely, making me want her and love her even more.
Is it possible to love somebody so soon? Perhaps I’m crazy, but it feels more than possible. It feels real. It feels like we’re building something here that nothing and nobody will ever be able to shatter.
“We should go our separate ways for a while,” Charles Malone says, wincing as he raises his coffee mug to his lips. He’s a tough man. Despite his bandaged injuries, he’s not letting the pain show much. “If I were you, I’d pay off anybody else you hired. Make sure they keep quiet.”
I nod, taking a sip of my coffee. “I will, and you’re right. This is goodbye for us, Charles.”
“Thank you,” my woman says from beside me. “Without you, they would’ve gotten me.”
Charles shakes his head. “It’s like I told you, Samantha. You remind me of my daughter.”
I’m not sure what they’re talking about. Presumably, it’s a conversation they had when I was at the farmhouse. When he says daughter, I’m reminded of the age gap, but then I remember what my girlfriend said last night. She’s an old soul, and I’m not an old man. Even if the rest of the world wouldn’t understand, we do, and that’s all that matters.
I shake Charles’ hand at the door. Then he kneels down, wincing with the effort, reaching forward so that Loki can nuzzle his hand. Loki’s usually nervous around strangers, but I think he understands that Samantha and Charles are different.
“It took a lot to find you, little fella,” he says, smiling, “but you were worth it.”
Once he’s gone, I return to the living room to find my woman sitting on the couch with her knees drawn to her chest. She doesn’t turn as I enter. She keeps staring into space as though she’s seeing something that isn’t there. I know what’s happening. It’s the same thing that happens to me sometimes. She’s seeing the gunshots, the terror, the craziness.
I walk over to her slowly, sit down, and wrap my arm around her. “It’s going to be okay,” I whisper.
She leans against me, saying nothing. My thoughts return to last night when she mentioned we didn’t have a condom. I wanted so badly to tell her we’ll never need one. When our bodies melt together with all that heat, it’s going to be for real, for life. Hopefully, when my seed erupts in her, I’ll get her pregnant immediately.
“What do we do now?” she asks quietly.
“Behave like we normally would,” I tell her.
“Well, that means I have to get going for college soon. I’ve got a class this afternoon.”
“I can give you a ride to your place,” I tell her.
She snuggles even closer to me. “Thank you, and we’ll see each other again, right?”
“You’re my girlfriend,” I say, trying to smirk and keep it light and easy despite my never-ending hunger. It won’t stop, ever. Soon, it will be time for her to learn that, but what if she runs? “Of course, I’m seeing you soon. This evening. We can walk Loki together if you want.”
“Uh, duh,” she says. “If I want… Did you really just say that?”