Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 52864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 264(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 264(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
He nodded solemnly, avoiding eye contact.
Poor Leo. I’d never seen him like this. Even after his parents died, he hadn’t seemed so utterly defeated.
I gently pinched his chin, forcing him to look at me. “If you decide this house isn’t what you want, I’m okay with that. We’ll just have to make a new plan. As long as we do it together, I’m happy.” Of course, I wasn’t being one hundred percent truthful. Giving up on this house wouldn’t be easy after all the work and money we’d poured into it, but I loved Leo.
“You’re a good woman, Piper. I don’t deserve you.” He smiled, but his eyes were filled with something bitter. It made my stomach pop and roll.
I shook it off. “Oh, by the way, I found a renter.”
“So fast?”
I stalled between wanting to tell him the truth—one I couldn’t exactly explain—and lying so I wouldn’t add to his stress. I went for the lie. “He’s a friend of a colleague at work. He paid everything up front, plus a deposit.”
God, I hate lying. It wasn’t right.
“That’s a relief.”
Leo said that now, but wait until he saw the guy. Leo wasn’t going to be happy. But ten grand for two weeks? We couldn’t afford to pass that up.
I squeezed his hand. “See. Things are already turning around. You just have to take a breath and get back on the horse.” And I’m going to try to forgive myself for lying to my fiancé.
“Piper?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you still want to marry me?” Leo sounded absolutely convinced I was going to say no.
“What a stupid question. Of course I do.” I pecked his cheek. “You’re my forever person.”
He nodded, looking…fuck. Disappointed?
“I have to go file my unemployment paperwork.” He left the room, but his sour mood lingered in the air.
I sensed something else was going on, but I knew he’d tell me when he was ready. Our love was unbendable.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Monday rolled around, and I went to my morning class with a thundercloud stuck in my head. For someone like me, it was nerve-racking. No matter the heavy crap going on in my life, I always saw rainbows in the sky, even if they were faint. But today, the dread was literally pressing down on my shoulders. My neck and head were pounding.
What’s going on with me? Maybe stress or lack of sleep. I didn’t know, but I had to cancel my office hours.
I headed home, needing a big aspirin and a dark room.
I parked my old red Jeep in the driveway. Leo wasn’t here, which I knew because he either parked along the street, wherever he could find a spot nearby, or out front where my car was now.
This morning, I’d left a reminder for him to say hi to our tenant, who, from what I could tell this morning, had not stayed in his room last night. Strange, but whatever.
I entered the front door, leaving my laptop case and purse next to the coatrack in the foyer. “Hello? Draco? Leo?” I called out.
I didn’t hear a reply, so I checked Leo’s office out of habit. Empty. I went to the guest room and knocked on the door. No one responded, so I opened it to see if there were any signs of our renter.
Draco stood next to the bed, naked with a towel in his hands, drying his face. Drops of water clung to his lean hard chest, arms, and abs. A patch of black hair circled his long, thick cock.
My breath stuck in my lungs. Jesus, he was beautiful.
His hands lowered to blot his chest, and his pale eyes locked on my face.
“Oh shit. Sorry.” I turned away. “I didn’t think anyone was here.” I closed the door behind me, my cheeks burning hot. Shit. Shit. Shit. That was so embarrassing.
I made my way to the kitchen, praying he only thought I’d caught a quick glimpse instead of a juicy eyeful.
Head still pounding, I went for some aspirin in the cupboard and poured myself some milk. Now my heart was pounding, too. I’d seen naked men before, but none had ever given me an adrenaline rush.
Or made me forget my manners. I couldn’t believe I’d just stood there drooling.
“Piper.” Draco’s deep voice came from behind me.
“Jesus!” I jumped in place.
“I did not mean to startle you. Do you have any coffee?”
I scrambled to compose myself, too ashamed to turn around and face him. “Coffee. Sure. Lots of coffee.” I grabbed the grounds and fumbled with the filter. “I’m really sorry about barging in.” I scooped some grounds into the maker and added water to the tank.
“I have pants on now if you want to look at me.”
Oh God. I did not want to face him, but now he lived here, so it wasn’t like I’d be able to avoid the man.