Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 39513 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39513 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
"Exactly!" she cries, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "You need to keep a closer eye on him, Alessandro. I can’t be worrying about him breaking in and getting into things he can’t have. I bake over here all the time. What if he gets in here and gets into the chocolate?" Distress fills her eyes. “It could kill him.”
I stare at her for a full five count, shocked into silence. All of this is because she’s worried about my dog.
Who the fuck is this woman?
Where the hell did she come from?
Anyone else would be pissed about the hassle—and sure, she's a little annoyed about that—but she's all riled up because she's worried about Rivin. That's a first. Usually, he causes chaos, and people just want him the fuck out of their hair. But Heidi? She wants to kick my ass for not being a good enough handler.
A slow grin spreads across my face, my goddamn heart turning over in my chest.
One way or another, I'm going to win her over and prove to her that I'm not the guy she thinks I am. Rivin is my ride-or-die, my partner. I’d sacrifice my life for his. Hell, I’ve damn near done exactly that in tight spots before. Just a couple of weeks ago, he got boxed in by the flames out in Granite Hills. I refused to fucking leave until he was out safely. They damn near had to drag me out by the time I got him out of there, but I got him out of there.
I'm not just another asshole firefighter. By the time I’m finished with her, she’ll know it, too.
"Oh, angel," I growl, my eyes locked on her face. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into."
She blinks at me, her brow furrowing in confusion. "What are you talking about, Alessandro?"
"You and me, Sunshine. We're happening."
"Uh, absolutely not," she snaps, her green eyes narrowing into slits. But the way her breath hitches and her pulse flutters at the base of her throat tells me everything I need to know. She feels this thing between us, too. The knowledge makes me smile, anticipation quaking through me.
I take a step toward her, intending to start changing her mind with a toe-curling kiss. But before I can even touch her, an unholy screech comes from inside the house.
I look that way just in time to see Rivin bound off the couch, his tail thumping, as a tiny black cat goes racing around the side of the recliner, fur standing on end.
"Rivin!" I growl, my voice sharp with command. "Don't you even fucking think about it."
Naturally, my dog ignores me and takes off after the cat, ready to play. The cat clearly isn't on the same page, judging by the way it streaks through the living room like a bat out of hell.
"Przestań!" I bark at Rivin in Polish. He immediately freezes, his ears flattening against his head as he looks at me.
“Are you kidding me?” Heidi breathes, looking at me like she wants to murder me. “He doesn’t even speak English?”
“He’s trained to respond to Polish commands, angel.”
“You couldn’t have mentioned that earlier? I don’t know. Maybe when we were on the phone?”
“Didn’t know you had a cat when we were on the phone. And you have to know Polish commands to issue them.”
She sends me a death glare hot enough to set me on fire.
Okay, so maybe it’s time to take Rivin, retreat, and regroup before my future wife murders me with her bare hands.
Chapter Three
Heidi
“Ican’t believe you didn’t bring us a single kolache.” Gemma pouts at me like I’ve broken an inviolable rule of sisterhood, her bottom lip poking out.
“Did you miss the part of the story where the hot neighbor’s dog ate them?” Leia asks, running her paint roller up the wall with the tip of her tongue poking from between her lips.
“What the fuck, Leia?” Colter growls, his eyes narrowed on his wife.
She bites her lip, hiding a smirk. “Mind your business, Colter. This is a sister conversation.”
Colter sighs heavily, glancing at Xavier and Bronx, who are wrestling my new countertop into place. “Have either of you two noticed that anytime they talk about shit we don’t approve of, they declare it a sister conversation?”
“Noticed that, huh?” Bronx grunts, heaving the countertop into position as Xavier balances it. They’re both breathing hard and sweating. “Happens every goddamn time they decide to talk about some fucking asshole in town.”
Gemma giggles beside me, mischief dancing in her eyes. “Worry about yourself, Bronx Kaiser. This doesn’t concern you.”
Her husband’s gray eyes narrow on her. “Keep telling yourself that, Dilemma,” he growls, wiping the back of his arm across his bald head. “You’ll be the one paying for it later.”
“If this is another sex conversation, I don’t want to hear it!” Charlie cries, slinging paint across the tarp in the process. “I’m too tired to think about sex.”