Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49645 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 248(@200wpm)___ 199(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49645 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 248(@200wpm)___ 199(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
“No, give it a minute. You hit your head. You’re bleeding.”
At most, the shoulder that had taken the brunt of the fall was a bit sore, so if there was any bleeding, the wound was paltry at best. I was about to tell Christopher pretty much exactly that when he leaned forward until his mouth was only half a dozen inches from mine. I doubted he even noticed the proximity because his eyes were focused on my temple. I was forced to brace myself on my elbows to maintain the position since the young man seemingly wasn’t going to let me sit up anytime soon, and I didn’t want to be flat on my back with him hovering over me. That would have put way too many images in my head.
Of course, having Christopher’s supple lips right there wasn’t ideal either. I was very close to telling him one kiss would make everything better.
“Does your neck or back hurt?” Christopher asked.
I was about to give him the stock answer that I was fine when he chose to look me in the eye again.
And something shifted inside of me.
The air between us became filled with tension, though neither of us moved. Not forward, not backward.
It would be so easy. A well-placed hand at the base of his neck, a few inches of leaning in…
Christopher sucked in a breath as he suddenly seemed to realize the position we were in… that he was in. I fully expected him to jerk back or at least turn his head to break the contact, but to my surprise, he leaned in a little more. His fingers were still at my temple, but instead of exploring whatever injury was there, his thumb began rhythmically stroking back and forth while his palm covered the side of my face.
Holding me in place.
Not that I needed to be held. I had no intention of going anywhere.
It was the sound of the kitten crying that broke through the charged moment. Christopher lurched back so fast that I ended up putting my arm around his waist to keep him from scrambling away and cutting his feet on the little bit of glass that was still near us.
“You should, um, lay down on the couch, and I’ll… I’ll get some bandages for that cut,” Christopher said nervously. His eyes shifted to my arm that was still keeping him immobile. I reluctantly released him.
“I’m fine, really, Christopher. It’d take at least a coffee table and three floor lamps to take me out,” I joked.
The small smile that drifted across Christopher’s mouth was like watching the sun break through the clouds.
“I’ll be right back,” he said shyly, and then he was climbing to his feet. He stepped over my body, gracefully navigating the glass and wood, and then hurried up the stairs that I assumed led to his bedroom.
My eyes were still on his pert ass when I heard the crunching of glass.
Fuck.
I pushed myself to a sitting position, avoiding King’s eyes as long as possible. If the man had seen me ogling his nephew’s ass… well, then I really would be facing a world of hurt.
“Snipers, IEDs, suicide bombings, only to finally be taken down by three pounds of cuteness,” my boss said as he held out his hand. I grabbed it and let him pull me to my feet.
“Shut up,” I growled because I had nothing better to say. I glanced over my shoulder at the damage my clumsiness had caused. The table was beyond repair, but thankfully, the lamp hadn’t been damaged aside from the broken bulb. “Tell me that wasn’t some kind of family heirloom or something,” I said.
I looked around the house to try and figure out from the other furnishings if they were newer or if they had any kind of antique flair to them. That was when I noticed the wall between the kitchen and the dining room was being torn down.
Or someone was trying to tear it down. There were a few small holes here and there but not placed strategically enough to make it easier to bring the wall down in large pieces.
“Here,” King said as he suddenly shoved the kitten into my arms. “He’s coming.”
“What?” I asked stupidly. I could hear footsteps overhead, but what did that matter?
I had my answer when King said, “Do this for me, and I’ll explain later.”
I opened my mouth to ask what the hell he was talking about when he suddenly grabbed my free arm and practically dragged me to the couch. He shoved me unceremoniously down onto it just as footsteps began coming down the steps. King pulled his phone out and put it to his ear without even dialing. Just as Christopher appeared, King said, “Yeah, Gio, I’m on my way.”
I was about to ask King what the fuck he was doing when Christopher worriedly asked, “Is Gio okay?”