Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33020 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 165(@200wpm)___ 132(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33020 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 165(@200wpm)___ 132(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
She frowned. How could he be a takeout king and look that good?
“Isn’t that unhealthy?” she asked.
“All the restaurants cook my meals. Nothing is fast food. It is all healthy, I just don’t cook. Unless I absolutely must.”
She chuckled. “Not all of us are that lucky to have a chef at our fingertips.”
He winked at her.
“Besides, my mom was an amazing cook.”
There was a brief pause of silence.
“You miss her?” he asked.
She nodded and pressed her lips together. She was not going to cry. “Yeah, I miss her. I miss them both.” She let out a breath. “Wow, I promised myself I was not going to cry.” She felt the tears starting to well up in her eyes.
Within seconds Gabriel’s arms were around her. “I’ve got you.”
He did have her, the only problem was, for how long?
****
Gabriel hadn’t been asleep when Nora left the bedroom. He had security cameras placed throughout his apartment, and after Nora snuck out, he watched her. He knew he shouldn’t doubt her. She’d told him how she had been able to get off the streets, and he’d already paid Milly’s father a visit and given him back the money, plus interest. The father hadn’t wanted any money, as Nora had helped his daughter when she didn’t have to. There were a lot of people in the world who chose to look the other way, while Nora hadn’t. Gabriel wouldn’t take it back. He felt it was necessary to pay him back for Nora.
But, he wanted to see what Nora would be like if she thought he was fast asleep. He’d been the one watching her sleep, marveling at how beautiful she looked in his arms. She’d not gone snooping around his apartment. Well, not to find anything damaging about him.
His office was near the kitchen.
Nora had gone straight to the kitchen, figured out his coffee machine, and got started on breakfast, and for that, he was so damn happy. It was rare for him to be a bad judge of character. His Nora was a good woman.
After watching her for several minutes, he figured he would join her.
Now, as he held her in his arms, he wished he hadn’t brought up her family. Seeing her reaction, he knew he would have to do something. Her aunt and uncle took everything from her.
“You miss them. That is only natural.” He would not cry over his own parents. Gabriel accepted the world was divided between good and bad parents.
Nora had two great ones taken from her. Life could be cruel.
“And they took everything.” Nora sniffled. “My aunt and uncle, I don’t know how they managed it. While I was in a coma, they stole their home, took their money, and sold their stuff. There were things I wanted, like my mom’s cookbooks. I’m not allowed access to them. Her wedding ring. My dad’s necklace. All items that are part of them.” She shook her head.
“What did your father do?” Gabriel asked. He already knew the answer, and Nora told him what he did know. Her father was an author.
His name wasn’t huge, but it was enough to make a good income and support his family, and to also start putting money aside for his daughter to go to college. Years of hard work and good decisions, with investing some of that money, had made it possible.
Gabriel hadn’t met this aunt or uncle, but he had a feeling he was going to hate them on sight.
Staring at his woman, seeing how distraught she was, he knew he was going to right this wrong.
“Leave it with me,” he said.
Nora sighed. “There’s nothing you can do.”
“There is. I can get back what was taken.”
“But they have complete control over it.”
“Nora, honey, trust me, I have a feeling the reason they acted as fast as they did was because they knew there would not be any claim to them. You were in a coma. You couldn’t fight it, and I have a sneaky suspicion something wasn’t right. Let me figure it out.”
She sighed. “Fine, fine. It is not worth it.”
He kissed her head. He had a feeling, seeing her with her parents’ things would be totally worth it.
Nora pulled away. “Let me continue making you breakfast.”
He kissed her again, but this time on the lips. He gave her some space, but he didn’t leave her alone. He couldn’t help but watch her.
Nora had been a virgin. She had never known the pleasure of another man, until him. He liked that. There was something primal, something … heady that came with knowing he was the only man she had ever been with, and he was going to be the only man she ever knew.
He felt that ache building in his cock. Nora looked so good, standing at his stove, cooking breakfast, wearing his shirt. It fell to mid-thigh so at least he got to enjoy the view of her thigh, knowing the temptation that lay beneath the shirt.