Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 73043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Janie’s face fell.
“Why do I feel like I know you?” I whispered.
Her eyes widened. “Because you…”
“Janie,” Tegan, the twat whistle, called. “I’d like to meet your dad before I have to go to work.”
I gritted my teeth as her eyes widened. “Do you need Uncle Sam? Or do you need them all?”
I clearly read the change in subject. “One of them is fine for now,” I offered.
Janie grinned. “My dad is on his way.”
“That’s fine,” I murmured.
“Your dad will be here soon?” Tegan asked, even though Janie had just stated that fact.
“He’s coming,” Janie snapped. “He said he’d be here in about five minutes. He was walking my dogs for me.”
Dogs.
Speaking of dogs, I could hear the barking coming from the opposite direction.
I turned and saw James topping a hill in the distance, two German Shepherds at his sides.
“You didn’t tell me you had dogs,” the douche said, sounding worried.
“I didn’t?” Janie asked. “Huh, must’ve slipped my mind.”
The dogs started running, and when they were close enough, started to lick Janie all over.
They stayed well away from Tegan, but the surprise wasn’t that they did that, but when they instead came to me.
They went back and forth between Janie and me, licking and yipping, and I wasn’t the only one to notice.
James, Janie’s father, and Tegan—her pitiful excuse for a boyfriend—had, too.
My hand went down to the dog who was incredibly familiar with me, and I smoothed my hand down her face.
“Glock,” I heard Janie say. “That one that Rafe is petting is Kimber.”
Tegan crossed his arms over his chest when the dog closest to Janie got too close.
“You don’t like dogs?” I found myself asking.
“No,” Tegan denied. “I don’t like slobber.”
I looked down at the dogs that were leaking like sieves after their walk, and grinned.
I had slobber on my hands and my pants, as did Janie.
“Huh,” I said, grinning.
Janie smiled at me. “They’re definitely droolers. Just wait until I give them a rawhide. They’ll go all crazy and slobber on you.”
“Negative,” Tegan shook his head. Moments later his eyes lifted to the man that had stopped at my side.
James didn’t seem to reciprocate. “Yeah, hi, Tegan.”
“Janie, honey, why don’t you go put your dogs up? They’re probably thirsty. We’ve been outside a lot today,” James murmured, keeping his eyes on Tegan.
I could practically feel the tension in him.
It would’ve been amusing had he not been there to see her.
Janie gave her father a thumb up, and moments later called to her dogs as she started walking away.
My eyes automatically went to Janie’s ass, but quickly moved away when I saw James turn his eyes toward me.
“You mind waiting inside?”
I shrugged and headed that way but stopped right inside the door when I heard Tegan say, “Nice to see you again.”
It wasn’t Tegan’s remark, but James’ reply that had me smirking. “I can’t say the same.”
My lips quirked.
“I came over today to introduce myself and to let you know that I’m in love with your daughter.”
Something inside of me went still as his words penetrated my brain.
I’m in love with your daughter.
Six words. Twenty-four letters.
One shot to the heart.
“Is that so,” James drawled.
Please, say it isn’t so.
“Yes, sir,” Tegan replied. “I’m glad that we’re getting to meet. I wanted you to know how I felt about your daughter and to ask you a question.”
Fuck.
I had a feeling that it was coming.
“I have a feeling you’ll be happy,” Tegan replied, sounding entirely too smug for my liking.
“I can’t say that the feeling is a good one,” I heard James counter.
I leaned my back against the wall and let my head fall to the cool wood behind me, closing my eyes as I waited for the inevitable.
“I want to ask your permission to marry…”
“No.”
I would’ve hooted in laughter at James’ quick denial, but I couldn’t let on that I was listening.
“James…”
“I said no. You’re not going to get my permission. I assume you’re going to ask her anyway, but let me be clear, I don’t like you. You haven’t known her for but a month, and to be honest, I’m not even sure she likes you,” James continued as if Tegan wasn’t standing right in front of him. “You fucked me over during that investigation, and I can tell you now that I will never think you’re good enough for her. You’re a piece of slime, and my heart will literally break if she says yes to you. But for her? If you’re who she chooses? I’ll learn to live with it. I just want you to know I won’t ever like you.”
Tegan said nothing.
Then I heard Janie’s, “Dad?” And I knew why nothing was said in reply.
Tegan didn’t seem the type to let something like that go.
The little asshole.
God, I felt like something was breaking inside of me.
“Yeah, baby?” James called.