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)
“No.”
“Then what?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.”
“No, clearly you have thoughts and I want to hear them since they must be about me.”
“It’s just… your outfit.” A smile flirted on his lips.
She glanced down. She wore a nice blouse over yoga pants. Along with fuzzy socks, of course. It was her typical outfit during work days so she hadn’t given it much thought about how it looked to others.
“You don’t like it?” She rolled her lips under.
“What’s not to like?”
She laughed, extended out her arms and turned in a circle. “This is called work-from-home garb. It’s all the rage. Dressy on top, homeless chic on the bottom. This way if I have to video chat or an unplanned meeting pops up, I still look professional.”
“I didn’t know you wore glasses,” came his deep rumble.
Her hand automatically went to them. “But you knew I wore contacts, since you rattled off a bunch of facts about me in my motel room. One of those facts being that I need corrective lenses to drive. Remember?”
“Oh shit, that’s right.” He sighed. “Long fucking day.”
“Sometimes my eyes are tired and irritated by the end of the day, so I pull out the old glasses to give them a break.” Like him, her long day had really taken a toll on her. She had removed her contacts a few hours ago after she had the urge to claw them out of her eyeballs. “So…”
“So,” he repeated.
“Are you hungry? I made you a plate. I wasn’t sure when you’d be back, so I put it in the fridge instead of keeping it warm.”
“You don’t have to cook for me. That wasn’t part of the deal.” His words did not match the satisfied expression he wore. He was pleased she thought about him.
He was probably so used to taking care of others that no one took care of him in return.
“Since I cooked for myself and Val, it wasn’t any trouble to make you some, too. Unless you ate already?”
“I didn’t. I planned on hitting up some of Val’s Frosted Flakes.”
“I mean, cold cereal is an option. Ooooor you can have some of the broccoli and bacon quiche I made. I had to make something with the ingredients you already had in the house.”
His eyebrows shot up. “She liked it, right?”
“She gobbled it up and asked for more. You were right about her being open to trying new foods. She also asked for me to make it for dinner tomorrow night.”
He chuckled. “You don’t have to do that.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t. Unless you eat the rest of it tonight, there will be leftovers.”
“There might not be leftovers. I haven’t had quiche in ages,” he admitted.
“I’ll go warm it up.”
“Again, you don’t have to. I can manage since I’ve been a bachelor for the majority of my adult life.”
“It’s not a problem and I don’t mind. I forgot how satisfying it is when someone else enjoys the food I make. Not only that, with living in that motel room, it’s been a while since I’ve been able to cook. Microwaving frozen meals or ordering take-out isn’t the same.”
“That’s for damn sure. Can you give me about twenty?” he asked. “I want to shower quick to get the Demon stink off of me and I also need to make a phone call.”
“Perfect. That’ll give me time to change, too.”
When she turned to head to the bedroom, he placed a broad hand on her lower back to guide her out, but just that simple touch caused her skin to prickle and her nipples to pucker.
How was she attracted to a man who looked like a big biker? Bad boys had never been on her radar before. Maybe her brain knew who he really was at his core and reacted accordingly.
A man dedicated to his family, his job and his brotherhood.
She would love to see him cleaned up with his face clean-shaven or at least his beard trimmed neatly and his hair not a shaggy mess. It was at that in-between stage between long and short.
In the entryway that led to the main bedroom or the living room, he hooked a left and she went right, breaking that contact. The loss of his touch left her with a confusing mix of relief and a desire to feel that touch again.
Her reaction to the man she agreed to live with for the next few months, if not longer, could end up being a problem.
Just what she needed, one more thing to lose sleep over.
Chapter Eleven
Sloane switched out the blouse for a camisole, but threw a loose cardigan over it to stay warm while heating up his dinner.
When he entered the kitchen freshly showered, she tried to keep her eyes above his chest…
And failed miserably.
Didn’t he know that gray sweatpants were the same to women as sexy negligees were to men? Then add on the fact he might as well have painted on the long-sleeved Henley he wore. It hugged the boulders that made up his shoulders, chest and arms.