Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
He chuckles at me. “Message received,” he says. “I’ll get on with it. There’s some tiles missing, and I’ll check for further damage before I start fixing it up.”
I nod, happy with that, and clench my fists to stop myself grabbing Dahlia and dragging her out with me. I don’t want to overwhelm her, though I’ve made it pretty damn clear that she’s mine now. Besides, I’ve already interrupted her unpacking once.
“Back soon.” I turn to leave.
“I’ll try to survive in your absence,” Dahlia calls out with a laugh, making my teeth clench. God, her sass might actually drive me insane. Then again, I’ll happily take whatever madness she gives me.
Dahlia Jenkins has done something to me in just a few short days that nobody else has ever come close to.
She’s stolen my fucking heart.
An hour and a half later, with a car full of supplies, I pull up outside Dahlia’s cottage. Tom’s ladder is still propped up at the side of the house, but he’s nowhere to be seen. Surely, he isn’t done already?
Leaving the stuff in the car for now, I trudge up the overgrown path and barrel into the house. I need to set eyes on Dahlia, to reassure myself that she’s still here and hasn’t run for the fucking hills yet.
“Dahlia?” I call out when I enter, but my voice is overshadowed by the musical sound of her laughter. I turn towards it, feeling like her presence is a physical tug in the center of my chest, demanding closeness.
My feet take me into the living room, then further through the doorway to the kitchen. For a second, I just stand there, dumbstruck. I blink a few times as though the scene in front of me will clear, but no, it’s still the same.
Dahlia, my Dahlia, on her back under the cupboard where the new sink will be fitted, her sock-covered feet sticking out. And beside her, his knee touching hers, is the man who should be on the fucking roof, not in her house. Making her laugh. Too close to her, too close to what’s mine.
I’m going to kill him.
I don’t even have time to think. My body’s already moving, driven by instinct. At the sound of my heavy footsteps, they both move, scooting back out so I can see their faces again. The second I get close enough, I grab Tom by the front of his shirt and roughly yank him to his feet. By the shocked look on his face, he’s seen the murder in my eyes.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I growl at him, hearing Dahlia let out a little squeak as she scrambles to get to her feet in front of me.
“Calm down, man!” Tom sputters, eyes wide and face red as I shake him a little.
“I leave for less than a couple of hours and you’re already trying to get close to her?” I seethe, fist tightening in his shirt. Tom’s just as tall and fit as I am from all the manual labor required in his job, but I’m far from intimidated by him. Hell, I think I could take down a whole army with my bare hands in Dahlia’s name. “She is mine!”
“Jesus, dude, really—”
“Give me one fucking reason I shouldn’t break your damn nose—”
“Oh my god, Dylan!” Dahlia’s shout of my name snags my attention, and I glance away from Tom to find her wide-eyed with her hands on her hips, staring at me. “The pipe was leaking! I needed help fixing it. That’s all. I promise.”
I consider her words, knowing instinctively that she’s not lying. I trust her, which is a strange as hell feeling because I don’t make a habit of truly trusting anyone but myself. I like it, though, the warmth of my utter infatuation with her that seems to glow in my chest.
“You can look for yourself,” Tom says in my grip, flailing a little as he points to where they were just lying.
I don’t like how close they were, but I was the one who told Dahlia she should learn how to do this for herself, wasn’t I? I’m not mad at her, no, I’m pissed that Tom’s fucking knee was against hers, that he was breathing her air. I don’t give a shit if it seems irrational, that’s the effect she has on me.
“You come that close to her again—ever again—and I swear to God you’ll regret it,” I tell him darkly before letting him go. Tom shakes himself out a little, shaking his head at me.
“I’m going to go,” he says simply, being smart and not even glancing at Dahlia’s way, even when she lets out a relieved sigh and steps closer to my side. I wrap my arm around her shoulder, tucking her close. “I’ll be back to finish up the roof tomorrow, give you some time to…cool down.”