Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
“What was Earl’s proposition?” He did us both the favor of not pretending he hadn’t seen me talking to Earl, undoubtedly hanging back until she’d moved on.
“Buyer for my old RV.” I quickly summarized what Earl had said, and Holden’s eyes narrowed more and more as I talked.
“Oh,” he said at last, tone as dry as the cookie crumbs.
“Guess I better take it.” I shrugged like I wasn’t desperate for a reason to turn the buyer dude down. “Probably not getting more cash for that heap of screws.”
“Better call the guy before he changes his mind. Get that cash.” Holden flashed a smile that didn’t reach even half-wattage before fading again. “Suppose that means you can buy a new RV now.”
“Yep.” My heart pounded an anxious rhythm made worse by Holden’s too-calm demeanor. “Next step is figuring out that donation business. Gotta see how much is there.”
“I can help. I still have the website login.” Holden whipped out his phone and clicked around. “Damn.”
Making an impressive noise, he held up the phone to show a very robust number.
“Wow. Must be those testimonials.” I shook my head. “And Sam’s celebrity friend.”
“You do good work, Cal.” His voice was soft and tender. We were the last two in the meeting room at the community center, and in that moment, we might as well have been the last two on earth.
Ask me to stay. I wanted to demand that even as I knew I’d have to turn him down. A lot of folks were counting on me to continue my work, and he didn’t need me hanging around his house, taking up space.
“Gotta get back out there,” I said gruffly, willing him to disagree, but he didn’t.
“Yep.” He nodded sharply. “But maybe not today? Looks like more spring rain is on the way. How about you make your call, and we go home and fix some lunch?”
Home. It wasn’t, but he said it so naturally that I wanted it to be true in the worst way.
“How about a nap?” I gave him a heated look. I might not be the best flirt, but I knew how to get my point across.
“You sleepy?”
“Not a bit.” I forced a smile.
“Well then. By all means. Let’s go.” Rolling ahead, he led the way out of the building to his car. The air around us was heavy and humid. Rain was on the way. Time to find shelter, however temporary.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Holden
“Naptime.” My voice sounded too jolly even to my own ears as we entered the quiet house. All morning Cal had slipped away from me, and this was my chance to yank him back, press him to me, pretend time wasn’t short and slippery. “Bedroom okay? You sounded like you might have a particular…request back at the community center.”
“Bed’s fine.” Cal followed me to the rear hallway. “You can make requests too, you know.”
“I know.” It was a half-truth because, of course, I could initiate, but something usually held me back, had me waiting for Cal’s signal. “I try not to put pressure on you though, or make you feel obligated.”
“If messing around with you is an obligation, please, obligate me more.” Cal leered at me as we reached the doorway to my bedroom. He’d slept in here with me for over a week now, had a book and phone charger on the nightstand, had helped me change the sheets, and his toothbrush was snuggled up next to mine in the attached bathroom. “And yeah, I might have had an idea of how to pass the time.”
“Oh? Want to get the rope?”
“Nah.” He stripped off his shirt, revealing those muscles I loved so much. His complete ease with nudity around me was a huge turn-on, making my cock fill even before he dropped his dress pants. “Getting tied up is always hot, but right now, I want to get fucked.”
“Yeah?” I tried not to sound too eager. We hadn’t done that yet, and for all Cal’s talk about obligation, I didn’t want to push him into something he didn’t truly desire. “You’ve been thinking about that?”
“Only every single day since you brought it up. Never really craved it before, but now I can’t get the image out of my head.”
“Tell me about the image,” I ordered as I took care of my own clothing and reclined naked on my side of the bed, resisting the urge to groan as he stalked toward me, crawling across the bed to straddle me. “How does your fantasy go?”
“I’m not sure I’d call it a fantasy. Not that imaginative.”
I snorted. “Says the guy who rigs himself up like a holiday turkey on a timer for funsies.”
“That’s logistics. This is…” His expression turned thoughtful. “More about a feeling? Not sure if that makes sense. Like, when I think about it, it’s not about what you’re doing to me but how it makes me feel. I want to feel…connected.”