Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49348 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 197(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49348 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 197(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
“He refused to come stay with me. I chopped enough wood and brought it in for him. There’s plenty of food at his house. He’s self-sufficient. Which reminds me, you need to call him soon. He’s called twice already.” Gabe lowers his head even more. He’s nowhere near my forehead or my cheek. Oh God, is he going to kiss me?
“What time is it?” I ask under my breath. Last night after Gabe doctored me up, he deemed I was okay and didn’t need to go to the hospital. Which I would have told him absolutely not. Health insurance is a benefit and luxury at this point in my life. Gabe ushered me to his bed, kissed my forehead, and I promptly passed out. I didn’t ask if I should sleep somewhere else or anything. I was completely oblivious to anything else. I didn’t feel when he got into bed with me. My body went through an emotional rollercoaster, and it was ready to sign off.
“Nearly noon,” he replies like it’s no big deal. I guess it isn’t since we’re snowed the hell in.
“What!” I realize I didn’t brush my teeth before bed, and morning breath, dragon breath, dumpster breath, or whatever you call it, is a real thing. It’s also foul and why I place my hand over my mouth swiftly, which also pulls on my forearm, making me wince in pain.
“You’re hurting, and I’m not worried about your breath, fairy.” His eagle eyes narrow. In a swift yet steady movement, his arms wrap around my body and he’s helping me sit up. “Let me look at your forearm, then you can get up and call Gramps before he has a coronary and tries to navigate the streets in this shit weather. I swear he wouldn’t listen when I told him you needed the sleep, wanted to hear your voice for himself.” I melt. No one has ever cared about me enough to worry about my wellbeing. It’s foreign, and it’s making my eyes water and my heart ache a little bit more than I thought possible.
“I’m okay. Let me use the restroom, and if you have a spare toothbrush, I’ll take that as well, then I’ll call Bernie.” I attempt to duck my head once I tell him my plans. Gabe does something I never see coming. His fingertips slide to my chin, lifting it up, and then his lips are barely a breath away from mine. My body ignites, reminding me that I’m not wearing anything beneath his shirt. There are a lot of things I can handle, and wearing a bra to bed and re-wearing panties is not one of them. Gabe doesn’t slide his hands beneath my shirt, and I almost want to groan in dissatisfaction. He does one better, one I wasn’t at all prepared for. His lips press against mine, soft and subtle, careful yet packing a punch all the same. My eyes close, and I sink into him once again, kind of like I did all night. Anytime I’d move, Gabe was there, holding me or wrapping his big body around mine. I felt a sense of peacefulness I never had before, a place that felt like home, and damn if I’m not hoping that this isn’t all a dream. I’d pinch myself, but Gabe might think I really hit my head good. Either that, or I’ve lost the plot.
“Don’t give a fuck about morning breath, fairy. Now, do what you need to. I’ll side-track Grandpa Bernie for another ten or fifteen minutes, but if you don’t call him by then, you won’t be the only one in trouble.” These McCoy men. It seems when they want you in your life, they’ll stop at nothing for that to happen.
“Okay, I feel like there’s so much more to say, but, umm…” I point to the bathroom. Thankfully, Gabe gets the memo. My bladder is screaming at me, as it should. I’ve ignored it for far too long given the number of hours I’ve slept, plus our conversation got the best of me, too.
“Take care of business. I’ll see if I can’t scrounge up a few sandwiches to tie us over until dinner.” I nod. Gabe stands up from bed first, hand reaching for mine. He’s still wearing a pair of sweatpants low on his hips, and I have to tear my eyes away from him before I throw myself on the bed and beg for way more.
“Okay, I’ll be fast. Promise,” I tell him, shuffling to the bathroom. He says something, yet I don’t hear him, too busy silently screaming, pumping my arms, and having an all-out cheer session for myself that Gabe McCoy kissed me, Gabe McCoy held me all night, and Gabe McCoy wants a whole lot more after I saw what the evidence of our kiss did to him. Never mind the way my body is tingling, nipples hard and pebbled, wetness coating my bare thighs. I am one hundred percent in my pinch me, I must be dreaming era.