Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 122550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
His eyes narrowed. “No.”
She blinked. No? What did ‘no’ mean? “No?”
“No, you aren’t too heavy. No, you won’t speak about yourself like that. And no, I won’t stop.”
Her mouth dropped open. “That’s a lot of no’s.”
“It is.”
“I don’t think I like being told no.”
“Maybe you don’t hear it enough.”
She didn’t think that was the case. She’d heard it a lot growing up. Actually, it was more ‘don’t.’
Don’t make noise in the house.
Don’t open the door.
Don’t talk to people about what happens at home.
Don’t go into your father’s study.
Things like that. She hadn’t been told ‘no’ because she’d rarely asked for anything.
“Is your nose sore?” He started prodding it with his fingers.
“It’s fine,” she said, trying to move her head back, away from him.
“Stay still,” he told her firmly. “I’m trying to check that you’re not hurt.”
But it was embarrassing. She’d banged her nose. There was nothing wrong with her.
“It seems to be all right.”
“Cool. Can you let me get down now?” He wasn’t moving. And he was way too close for her peace of mind.
Imagine what it would be like if you were both naked and he was sliding his fat, thick dick—
“No.”
Holy shit. Had she said that all out loud?
“You like that word a lot, huh?”
“I do.”
She grumbled to herself as he placed his hands on either side of her, leaning into her.
Damn it.
Why did he smell so good? No one smelled that good in this heat.
Oh heck.
How did she smell?
“I want you to stay right here while I clean the glass up.”
“What? Why? I dropped the glass. I can clean it up.”
“Want to guess what my answer is going to be?”
No.
Sheesh.
“But—”
“I know you don’t know me that well, friend,” he said in a low voice. “But I don’t like when people argue with me.”
“Oh yeah? What do you do when someone argues with you?”
“I kill them.”
She could feel the color draining from her face as she gaped at him.
Killed them?
All right. You knew he was dangerous, so why are you acting so surprised?
Perhaps because you keep lusting after him and failing to see the bigger picture?
That he was a dangerous man.
“Right. Well, I was joking. Maxim keeps telling me it freaks people out when I try to do that.”
“J-joking?” she gasped.
“Yes. It was a joke. I don’t go around killing people who argue with me. If I did that, I wouldn’t have any brothers left.”
Jilly swallowed heavily. “Oh. Ha-ha.”
“That was the worst attempt at a laugh I’ve ever heard,” he told her bluntly.
“What? Rude. I’m an excellent actor.”
“No, you’re not.”
“I am so! I played the puppy in Annie when I was twelve and I made an excellent puppy.” Of course, it had been a play that just Jilly she and her mama had put on.
“Hmm, now that I could believe.” He ran a finger down her cheek. “But you still have to do what I tell you. Without argument.”
9
Who did he think he was?
Without argument? Ha!
Jilly narrowed her eyes at him. But just as she was about to bite back, she remembered that she was trying not to piss this man off.
Danger. Danger.
It seemed that her self-preservation was kicking in.
Finally.
And really, if he wanted to clean up her mess, who was she to tell him no?
“All right.”
“No more arguments?” he asked.
Hmm. Did he sound disappointed?
No, she had to be imagining that.
“No more arguments.”
“I’m shocked. Stay there. I don’t want you stepping on any glass.”
Jilly glanced down at her shoes. What would it matter if she stepped on the glass? But she didn’t point that out to him.
Apparently, she wasn’t allowed to argue.
Pfft. Bossy men were not sexy.
Lies! All lies!
Jilly waited until he had turned away to salute him.
He quickly cleaned up the glass while she watched on in amazement. What other man had ever offered to clean up when she’d spilled or broken something?
Lowell certainly wouldn’t have. In fact, she usually had to clean up his messes. He’d seen it as her job.
God, what had she ever seen in that asshole? He’d been an insignificant jerk. While this man, who was far sexier, more potent, more masculine . . . was sweeping up glass shards like it was something he did regularly.
“Do you clean up a lot of messes?” she asked.
“You’d be surprised.”
He did? What sort of messes? Okay, maybe she didn’t actually want to know the answer to that.
“Oh. Well. That’s nice.”
What the heck? Why did she say that? He turned to give her a curious look. “Is it?”
“Not really, no. I don’t know why I said that.”
“Do I make you nervous, Jilly?” he asked as he finished cleaning up.
Did he really have to ask that? Because she kind of thought it was obvious that he scared the pants off her.
Actually . . . she patted herself down. Whew.
Her skirt was still on her.
Sometimes, she worried that she’d be in the middle of one of her sexy daydreams and she’d just start stripping.