Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 34098 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 170(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34098 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 170(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Mason couldn’t recall a time in his life when he hadn’t had someone judge him. In the beginning it was because he was a foster kid, then as time slid by, it was because he was homeless. Then there was the time he made a name for himself, and even now, people judged him. Fairly, he could imagine, because he wasn’t a nice guy.
William had gotten off lightly.
He didn’t allow feelings to get in the way of business. Not for a single fucking second.
Once he cleaned the dishes, it was getting close to four in the morning and he knew he couldn’t leave her. The temptation to go and lie down next to her was killing him. The fact he’d been able to hold off for an hour was a fucking miracle. He made his way to his bedroom, then pulling off his shirt and sweatpants, he climbed into bed.
Holly was curled up close to him, her hands beneath her head, and he watched her. She looked so peaceful in sleep. He didn’t want to wake her.
Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss against her lips, and she let out a moan. She seemed to move a little closer to him. He pushed some of her hair off her face so he could see her without any obstructions in his way. She looked so beautiful in sleep, or wide awake.
Holly was … she was it for him. Completely and totally his. He couldn’t let her go.
The gentlemanly thing to do would be to allow her to leave, to find someone who was better for her than him, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do that.
“I’m not letting you go,” he said, whispering the words. “Not ever. You’re mine.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “And I think I’m in love with you.”
Holly was fast asleep.
He wasn’t waiting for a response, nor did he expect one. When the time came, he knew Holly would know who he was, and then it would be too late. She would want to leave him, but once you entered his world, there was no going back.
****
Summer was fast coming to an end.
Holly couldn’t believe she’d been dating Mason for about a month now. It had been a strange month. They divided their time between her place and Mason’s. He seemed to love it when she didn’t sneak out of his apartment. Of course, she often had to set an alarm. Whenever she slept beside him, she never woke up in time.
She’d been late to work twice, and Evie hadn’t wanted to give her a warning, but seeing as Evie was the boss and all, she had no choice. Holly hadn’t let it happen again. So she always set her alarm, even if Mason tried to turn it off.
Her relationship with Mason was … normal. No, it was strange, if she compared it to her time with William.
Mason was always there—at lunchtime and in the evening to pick her up. He loved to take her out every Friday night, and he insisted on her wearing a new dress and the prettiest heels she’d ever seen. Of course, she did it all for him.
She didn’t know what he’d said to William, either way, it had worked. He no longer bugged her at work, for which she was grateful. She hated when he showed up uninvited to her place of work, or at home.
Holly had a rough idea what Mason had done, but she hadn’t asked him about it.
Running fingers through her hair, she stared at the books and wrinkled her nose. That morning, she had woken up and hadn’t been feeling well. One look in the mirror and she knew she was coming down with something. After Mason had dropped her off, she had gone to a pharmacy to get some medications for a flu or cough. She had already taken them, but throughout the morning, her temperature had started to rise, the coughing getting a little out of hand.
To add insult to injury, she hadn’t been able to eat a thing, and as she burped, she pressed one hand against her stomach, and the other against her mouth. She had no idea what was up with her. The pharmacist had said there was a sickness and plenty of bugs making the rounds at the moment. Last week, they had a selection of schoolchildren in to do a read time as well as join the library.
Her stomach wasn’t happy. She took several deep breaths and after a few seconds, she started to feel fine. Holly quickly filled the shelves and then pushed her trolley toward the elevator. Perspiration dotted her brow and she used the back of her sleeve to wipe it off.
Her shirt was already sodden beneath her jacket. She was sweating but freezing cold at the same time. Approaching the desk, she felt another wave of sickness wash over her.