Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 121728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
“This pizza shop owned by the club?” Of course it was. But he had to act as clueless as the rest of the prospects. MCs certainly didn’t recruit from Ivy League schools.
“Would you be workin’ there if it ain’t?” Wolf countered.
“What’s the name of it and where’s it at?”
“Pizza Town in Connellsville.”
Connellsville? He’d have to check with Crew to see if he already had that location on the long list of businesses the Demons had bought up as fronts for drug sales and money laundering.
The task force leader was going to pop a damn boner when Decker informed him that he’d be working at one of them.
“When do I start?”
Chapter Ten
She hadn’t slept well last night seeing it was her first night in a new place, in a new bed and basically with a new family.
Plus, even though fresh sheets had been put on the bed, the room smelled like him. The bathroom, too. With whatever soap he used or cologne he wore. Whatever it was, was recognizable since she had picked up that same scent when he’d come to her motel room.
Because of that, between the bathroom and bedroom in his suite, she was surrounded by him.
On one hand, she was glad she didn’t hate whatever Decker wore and it definitely didn’t singe her nose hairs. On the other…
It made her want to press her nose to his skin and inhale deeply as he moved about the kitchen this morning.
That urge caught her off guard and it disturbed her all damn day. Not only did that distract her, but being tired from lack of sleep didn’t help, either. She found it difficult to concentrate on her work after taking Val to her preschool ten minutes away.
She hoped to soon settle into this new schedule of breaking up her workday around Val’s schedule. Of caring for someone other than herself for once. For being responsible for a child not her own.
On top of that, the constant worry about Sadie didn’t help with Sloane’s sleep or her concentration, either.
Every time her cell phone rang, she’d jump out of her skin and dread would fill her chest. She’d hope it wasn’t the call. The one where a police officer was asking Sloane if she had a sister.
That call.
The one she hoped would never come.
The one she knew might.
It made her more determined than ever to find Sadie before she received that bad news.
The rattle of the garage door opening yanked her from her thoughts and had her checking the time on her laptop. 10:04.
Decker did say his hours would be erratic. He’d been gone since early this morning after he’d said goodbye to Val and tipped her head back to give her a kiss on the forehead while she ate her Frosted Flakes.
Sloane couldn’t deny that watching how he interacted with the little girl gave her the warm fuzzies.
Maybe it was more like hot flashes because she had broken out in a sweat.
“Bye, Daddy. You gonna be home to read me my story?”
“I don’t know, pumpkin. If I’m not, I’m sure Sloane won’t mind reading you one.”
His eyes had locked with Sloane’s across the kitchen.
Nothing like being put on the spot. Sloane released the bottom lip she had clamped between her teeth to answer, “Sure, I can do that.”
His chin lift and soft smile in thanks did not help the heat pooling in her gut.
Why was a man—especially a burly one—taking an active role in child-raising so damn sexy?
Did it have to do with some deep-seated mating instinct to ensure the survival of the human race? A woman saw a man with the potential to be a great father and, boom, the ovaries went into automatic overdrive?
Maybe.
Even if that was true, Sloane was in no way looking for a mate right now. And, at only thirty-one, she certainly wasn’t in the market for children of her own. Her life, as well as her sister’s, would need to get back to normal before even considering it.
Plus, it would be a good idea to actually find a good man to have those children with first.
Perhaps a man similar to Decker.
After moving into his home the day before, she spent more time setting up her stuff in the office and the bedroom suite than going over the details of Val’s schedule and specific needs with him. Luckily, he jotted down a few notes for her. His mother’s phone number. His number. The address to Val’s preschool, Stepping Stones Academy, as well as the times she needed to be dropped off and picked up. Sloane would have to wing everything else until she got into the groove of the Decker household.
This morning she ended up following him to the garage door on his way to leave. “What time do you normally put her to bed?”
He paused and considered her question. “Depends if she took a nap or not. Six, if she didn’t. By eight, if she did. Believe me, you’ll know when she needs to go to bed.”