Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 45284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
“I know, it’s early days,” Dad replies, “but I’ve never seen you like this before. I trust your judgment. We both know you’ve had to grow up fast without your mother here. We both know you’re wise beyond your years. The age gap is a shock, but I know you’re mature enough to make your own decision where that’s concerned. My issue is… is he a good man? Will he take care of you? Will he always do right by you?”
“I don’t think I will have a chance to answer those questions,” I say, struggling to keep the pain out of my voice. “He stormed off when I mentioned the military stuff. I never should have. I wasn’t thinking.”
That’s a lie. I was thinking about myself, about the anxious truth nestled deep inside, taunting me, telling me I’m crazy for thinking I’m good enough.
“You can’t push a man on that topic,” Dad says softly. “Take it from experience. When he’s ready—which might be never—he’ll discuss it, but if you’re right, if he is suffering, my advice would be to take it slow.”
The words repeat in my mind, each one cutting me deeper.
Take it slow. That’s the opposite of what I want with Kayden.
“I thought you might tell me to never speak with him again, since he’s so much older.”
“What? No.” Dad shakes his head. “I want to see you happy, and I see this man has the potential to make you happy.”
I sit back, clasping my hands, my heart thudding so much it hurts. “I guess I’ve got no excuse now, right?”
“Did you want me to hold you back?” Dad asks.
“No, it’s not that. I have so little experience with this sort of thing. I don’t know what to do, especially now that he’s keeping his distance.”
“I’m not the best dating coach. I loved your mother so, so much. Something broke in me when she passed, but while she was alive, I knew what I had to do.”
“What?”
“Try,” he says fiercely. “Do my best to make it work. Always try to make it work because what we had, it was special. If you feel that, then you owe it to yourself to give it a shot.”
“I’m not sure how when he’s refusing to speak with me.”
Dad shrugs. “I wish I had all the answers.”
“But you’re not pissed?”
“Luna, all I want is for you to be happy and safe. It’s like I said before. I’ve never seen you care this much. I can see how much you like this man. Try to follow my advice. Take it slow. Don’t rush into something and get hurt. If it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be.”
“Thanks, Dad. And be honest…”
“Yeah?”
“If I didn’t mention he was in the military—his four tours—you’d be taking the age thing harder, right?”
Dad chuckles. “You see right through me. Maybe I would.”
Then the laughter dies, and he looks at me sternly.
“But you keep me posted if things pick up again. I’ll want to meet this man, judge his intentions. Just because I support and trust you… it doesn’t mean the same automatically applies to him, military service or not.”
CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
Kayden
Three days since the kiss.
Three days since the closeness, the heat. Three days since she saw through the shield I put up for the world. I’ve spent the time trying to convince myself I’m good how I’ve been for years—focusing on the dogs I’m training and ignoring the chaos whispering at the edges of my mind.
Working out normally helps, but lately, when I activate that fierce part of myself, I can’t stop thinking about activating it for her. It’s like I enter beast mode, not to pump my body and obliterate my demons, but to awaken the protective monster in me, to beat down any bastard who’d ever dream of hurting my woman.
Maybe that’s why I’m sitting outside the studio around closing time. It feels stalkerish in the extreme, but it’s like my woman is calling me here without even knowing it.
I sit back, try to relax my body, my breathing at least, so I don’t snap and turn savage. My muscles are pulsing, like the need deep inside me is trying to get me to move.
Finally, my woman walks out. Rain falls lightly, causing her to pull up her hood as she walks in the opposite direction. I catch a snippet of her—her flushed cheeks, her unsure eyes, the nerves seeming to imbue each step she takes. Or maybe I’m projecting. Hoping or wishing she feels the same as me. Or maybe she forgot about it all the second I stormed out.
Before I have time to think about it, I climb from the car, stalking quickly across the street.
“Luna.”
She turns, looking gorgeous with her raincoat hugging her curvy shape. She makes a small whimpering noise as I walk closer, the same sort of noise she made when I kissed her, when she was on her back, her thick legs open to present me with her perfect sex.