Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 53965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 270(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 270(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
…My jaw drops, and my heart skips probably two or three beats. Yeah, no, not a dead man. Just a naked one.
I scream again and whirl, dropping the food to the ground and quickly covering my eyes. But there’s no unseeing what I just saw, which was every single inch of Gabriel Marsden’s grooved, sculpted, muscled, tattooed body, from the top of his head to basically his knees.
All of him.
“I’m so sorry!” I scream. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m—”
That’s when I realize he’s laughing. Loudly. I swallow, and I start to turn before I realize he hasn’t moved at all, nor has he somehow magically become clothed. So I whirl back, keeping my eyes squeezed shut with my hands over them.
“You… what are—” I gasp a shaky breath. “What are you doing!”
Behind me, Gabriel chuckles. “What am I doing? I’m not trespassing, for one.”
I blush heavily. “I’m so—I’m sorry!” I fumble. “I wasn’t trying to break in or spy on you! I was—”
I stop because he’s laughing again.
“Delilah,” he finally growls lowly in that voice that sends heat and shivers to place it very much shouldn’t. “It’s fine. I’m teasing you. You can turn around.”
I swallow. “Are you decent?”
“Decently naked, yeah.”
My blush somehow deepens even more.
“I—I was bringing you dinner. My mother…” I swallow, still shaking from what I just saw. “I’m gonna go.”
“Nah, hang on. Hang on. Pass me that towel over there and we can talk.”
I swallow. “Where?”
“It’ll be substantially easier if you open your eyes.”
I crack a small smile, and facing away from him, I open my eyes.
“Right there, draped over the chair.”
I nod and grab it, and then I start to walk backwards towards him. Gabriel starts to chuckle, and I sigh.
“I wouldn’t have to do this if you were wearing clothes, Mr. Marsden,” I say tightly.
He snorts. “Mr. Marsden? What is this, math class?”
“Fine, Preacher Gabriel.”
“Just Gabriel, okay?”
I nod and shove my arm back, towel in hand. I shiver when I feel his warm, wet fingers brush mine as he takes it from me.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” I breath. I swallow thickly as I hear the sloshing sound of him getting out of the tub, and then a click. The gentle bubbling sound from before goes quiet.
“What were you doing?”
“Relaxing in my hot tub.”
I snort. “Your hot tub?”
“Yeah, my—you can turn around, you know.”
“Are you decent now?”
“I’m pretty decent naked, to be honest.”
I groan and feel my face burning hot. “Are you clothed, Gabriel?” I say tersely, doing everything in my power to forget the sight of his… um, all of him. It’s not working.
“I’m wearing a towel over my no-no parts, if that’s what you’re asking.”
I snort a giggle, and immediately turn bright red. Gabriel chuckles.
“Seriously, you can look.”
Slowly, not quiet believing him, I turn. Instantly, I suck in a breath of air, and my pulse thuds in my ears. Technically, yes, he’s covered. But by covered, I mean he’s got a towel that covers him from well below his navel to about two-thirds of the way down his muscled thighs. I honestly didn’t even know they made towels this small, and my whole face burns before I look up at the roof of the tent.
Gabriel snorts a laugh. “Oh, c’mon, not clothed enough for you?”
“You’re…” I stammer, blushing. “You’re practically naked!”
“By definition, I’m not though. So, you can look.”
“I don’t think I can.”
“As a preacher, I’m telling you that you can.”
“Well I’m not sure I should,” I whisper. “Nor am I sure you’re really a preacher,” I blurt out with a snap before I gasp and quickly shut my mouth. But Gabriel just chuckles deeply.
“Ahh, and lo, the truth shall ascend you to the kingdom of heaven.”
This time, I drop my eyes and glare at him. “That’s not from the Bible.”
He shrugs. “I never said it was.”
He slouches against the side of the baptism tank, his muscled arms folded over his thick chest. His abs ripple on their own accord, and that freaking towel is like the devil’s own neon sign, with those grooves of his hips pointing right down to Hell and damnation itself.
“Eyes up here, young lady.”
I blush, and my eyes snap back to his. “You implied that it was.”
He grins. “I… what? They’re just words, Delilah.”
“Well you can’t just add ‘ye’ and ‘shalt’ to nonsense and pass it off as scripture,” I mutter.
He sighs. “Did you need something?”
“No!” I snap. “I was just bringing you food. It’s…” I turn and frown at the upside-down tupperware on the ground.
“Tossed,” he purrs with a grin. I can’t help but smile, but I quickly wipe it from my face.
My brow knits. “Hang on, did you say hot tub?”
“I did. You’re welcome to come try it out.”
I frown. “Where?”
He grins and pats the side of the baptism tank, and my brow furrows. “You’re not serious.”
“Sure I am. A parishioner up outside Knoxville a year or so ago graciously donated this baby.” He pats a strange looking contraption clipped to the edge of the tub that looks like a small outboard boat motor.