Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
“Morning,” Con said as he pressed another gentle kiss to my shoulder.
“Mmmm,” was all I could manage.
The soft caresses continued as the cobwebs of sleep fell away. I could see through the window that the sun was high in the sky, a sure sign that it was late morning at least.
“What time is it?” I asked.
“Almost one.”
God, I’d been asleep for nearly twenty-four hours.
“The kids?” I automatically asked.
“They’re good,” Con responded. “My brothers took them to this little diner that serves the best pancakes.”
“Better than yours? The non shit-ake mushroom ones?” I asked as I turned in his arms.
Con chuckled at the reminder of his slip of the tongue when he’d made pancakes for Rory the morning after I’d gotten out of the hospital.
“Speaking of food—”
My stomach didn’t even let Con finish the statement. It growled angrily.
“Yes,” I said. “As Rory would say, ‘Yes, yes, yes, yes.’”
“I think you said that a few times yourself yesterday,” Con joked.
I gave him a playful punch to the shoulder. Con smiled but it quickly faded and I felt my stomach drop out at the look of worry that passed through his expression before he dropped his eyes.
“I owe you a story,” he said softly.
Unlike the night in the pool when I’d assumed Con was trying to find an easy way to break up with me, this time I knew what that worry was really about.
“Hey,” I said as I pressed my palm to his cheek. I waited until his eyes were on me to say, “Nothing you say is going to change how I feel about you. Nothing.”
The tension in Con seemed to ease a bit, but I could tell he was still nervous.
“Why don’t you get cleaned up and I’ll get us some breakfast. Can you meet me in the kitchen when you’re ready?”
I nodded and kissed him softly on the mouth. He kissed me back before climbing out of bed. If I hadn’t been so preoccupied with what he was so worried about telling me, I would have enjoyed ogling his body, specifically his tight ass.
I’d meant what I’d said—nothing he said would change how I felt about him—but I also knew that whatever he needed to tell me was a big deal. The mere fact that he’d shown up in that warehouse with his own cache of heavily armed men was proof enough that there was more to Con’s life than I knew. I forced myself not to think about why he hadn’t told me whatever it was sooner than today and instead went to the bathroom and took a quick shower. I barely recognized myself in the mirror as I was brushing my teeth. Aside from the bruise on my cheek, I looked sated.
Well loved.
My thoughts drifted back to the day before. I’d had only a few moments of fear as Con had been making love to me. Specifically, when he’d pushed into my body. I’d been certain I wouldn’t be able to get past the pain, but the more Con had talked to me, the more he’d just held himself inside of me and showered me with loving words and kisses, the more I’d relaxed and that pain had turned into something else.
It would be a memory I would carry with me for the rest of my life.
The best kind of memory.
I had a feeling Con was going to give me a lot of those throughout our life together.
Our life.
I smiled at myself and shook my head. I knew it wouldn’t be all sunshine and roses, but I also knew Con would always be there for me and I for him. I’d never have to do any of it alone ever again.
That smile stayed on my face long after I left the bathroom. When I reached the kitchen, I just enjoyed the sight of Con making breakfast. He moved easily around the kitchen. When he spotted me, he sent me a warm smile that spoke volumes. I stepped in behind him as he worked. When I put my arms around him from behind, he placed his hand over mine, then grabbed it and lifted it so he could press a kiss to my palm.
“What can I do?” I asked.
“Can you get the coffee?”
It only took a few minutes to get us settled at the table with our food and the coffee. We ate in silence, mostly because I was too famished to do anything but shovel the omelet into my mouth.
Con only ate half his meal, another sign that he was nervous.
When I was finished eating, Con remained silent for a long time. Since I knew he was trying to get up his nerve, I broke the ice with my own question. “Can I ask you something?” At Con’s nod, I said, “How did you get Clara to agree to sign the kids over to me?”