Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 107(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 107(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
I chuckle, raising a brow. “Oh? Why’s that?”
She blushes. “Well, you’re like a super fancy billionaire businessman and…” She pauses, biting her lip before admitting, “I may have Googled you.”
“Despite being a super fancy billionaire businessman?” I laugh. “I appreciate a good homemade pie and the city’s best milkshakes as much as everyone else. In fact, I used to work long hours here. Madison kept me fueled for years. She’s good people.”
Delenay’s laugh flows over me, and fuck, I’m entranced by her.
“I’ve got to try her pie and milkshakes then,” she answers.
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t give you, pretty girl,” I tell her truthfully. I wave to Madison, who shoots me a wink and starts dishing up apple pie.
“So, what exactly does your job entail?” Delaney asks, looking genuinely interested.
I give her a quick explanation of my job, not wanting to go into all the details. I’m self-aware enough to know that talking about financial investments and banking is not great conversation. “Not nearly as fun as teaching kindergarten, I imagine,” I say as Madison comes over with our order.
“Pays a hell of a lot better, though,” Delaney sasses back, and fuck if I don’t want to hear that sass in her tone every day for the rest of my life. She takes a sip of her milkshake, and her eyes go wide. “Holy shit, this is so good.”
“Told you.” I laugh, taking a bite of the pie. It’s just as good as I remember. “So, Delaney, other than being no doubt the best teacher Lola’s ever had, what do you like to do?”
Delany pauses, a forkful of pie halfway to her lips. “Oh, uh, I don’t know,” she says softly, frowning. “I work, and I try to visit my grandmother as much as I can and check in on my brother, and sometimes Carly drags me out to clubs like tonight.”
I wait, expecting her to continue and talk about her hobbies or what she does for fun, but she just trails off with a shrug.
“Pretty girl, you have to do something aside from work and look after other people,” I chastise gently.
Her teeth sink into her bottom lip as she looks down at her plate. I reach across the table, tipping her chin back up and holding her gaze.
“What did I say about hiding, Delaney?” I murmur.
She parts her lips to answer, but the beep of my phone interrupts us. I sigh, leaning back to check the notification.
Adrian Findlay. I try not to let my annoyance show on my face, hating the thought of Delaney thinking it’s aimed at her. In the preview, my phone shows me without having to open the message; it’s clear Findlay’s still mad about the property he’s desperate for. I swipe away the notification, ignoring him and shoving my annoyance to the back of my mind to focus on my girl.
Once she’s finished her pie and milkshake and I’ve left Madison a generous tip despite her insistence that I don’t need to, I take Delaney’s hand and walk her home.
“You don’t have to walk me back,” Delany says softly as we turn left at the end of the road. “I’ll be fine.”
I tut my tongue, squeezing her hand a little tighter. “Pretty girl, listen to me. You deserve to be taken care of. I want to look after you. Walking you home is the bare minimum.”
“Why?” she asks, voice so quiet I nearly miss what she’s saying. “Why do you want to take care of me? You don’t even know me.”
I pull her to a stop, stepping forward so there’s barely an inch between us. “You want to know why?” I ask, and she nods. “Because you’re drop-dead gorgeous and kind and caring, and you work so damn hard to give the people you love the best lives they can have, even when it means you go without. And because the first time I saw you, something clicked together for me. You’re mine, Delaney. I take care of what’s mine.”
“Oh,” she breathes, her eyes sparkling in the stars and streetlights.
The inch between us becomes unbearable. I need to be closer, to prove to her that I mean what I’m saying. I move slowly, not wanting to spook her. I cup the back of her head, sliding my fingers through her hair, and lean down until our lips are a breath apart.
“Tell me I can kiss you, pretty girl,” I whisper, needing to hear her say it.
“Kiss me,” she replies, her eyes fluttering closed as she pushes up on her tiptoes.
The kiss is soft and gentle, but it sets me on fire. I groan against her mouth, her lips soft and sweet on mine. My cock hardens in my pants, my body desperate for more, for everything. But I won’t push her.
It takes all my effort to pull away, but I manage it.