Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 71275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
“You have a house,” I blurted. Not the smoothest response, but it must have been what was bothering me the most.
He nodded. “Yeah. So?”
I grabbed his arm and pulled his hand from my face. “So, I didn’t know. You’re keeping a woman there, at a house I didn’t know you had. I’ve never seen it.” I paused and crossed my arms over my chest. “We’ve had sex. A lot. But I don’t know things about you. Things like that. It … it just made it clear that all we are doing is physical, and I don’t think I can do that.”
His eyes narrowed as he studied me, trying to make sense of my words.
“You’re upset because you didn’t know I had a house?”
I nodded. “Yes. I don’t know your favorite color … or … or your favorite flavor ice cream or what you like to do … your hobbies.”
The corner of his mouth twitched as he held my gaze, making me feel slightly ridiculous. Saying this all out loud made it seem silly. I wasn’t verbalizing this well.
“Green—the color of your eyes, to be exact. Peanut butter cup ice cream—the kind with the actual chunks in it. When I was younger, I played football. Quarterback. I could have played in college, but I didn’t get that option in the family. I had to grow up. Take my place in the ranks. But I still love to throw a ball. I like watching it too,” he said, reaching out to run a knuckle over my cheek. “Being with you. That’s become my favorite thing to do in my free time.”
Was he aware the power he wielded with his eyes alone? Probably. He was a grown man. He had been reeling in women since I had been in preschool. Yet here I was, feeling that pull. The desire to agree to whatever he wanted if I could have him.
“You’re thirty-five,” I said, not sure as to why I needed to point that out.
He grinned then. “Yeah, sweets, I am.” He cupped the side of my face. “You decided I’m too old for you?”
I rolled my eyes, and he chuckled, stepping closer to me. The heat from his body made me tremble, and I really wished it hadn’t. I wished I could stop this and walk away. Save myself from being hurt. Because I knew I would be. I’d already suffered some of the pain that would come from loving this man.
“What else do you want to know?” he asked, lowering his head to nuzzle near my ear.
My eyes began to flutter closed, and I had to use all the strength I could muster to step back from him. His hand fell away, but he didn’t take his eyes off me.
“Are you sleeping with her?” I asked before I could stop myself. It was an answer I knew could break me, but I had to know.
His brows drew together. “Scotlin?”
“Yes,” I said through clenched teeth.
Who else would I be asking about? Was there someone else I needed to be asking about?
“Fuck no.” The disgusted look on his face was like a balm to my soul.
“Why? She’s beautiful. She likes you. She’s living in your house.”
He took a step in my direction, and I backed up, keeping the space between us.
The hurt in his gaze made it hard for me to stand firm. A large part of me wanted to run to him, wrap my arms around him, and beg him to just want me. It was pathetic.
He let out a deep sigh. “Yes, Scotlin is a beautiful woman. She chased after me for years, but she was four years younger than I was, and I ignored it. Until she turned nineteen and began pursuing me hard. Showing up everywhere that I was.” He shook his head. “I eventually gave in, and we had a relationship of sorts.”
This wasn’t helping me. In fact, this was much worse than I had anticipated. He’d had a relationship with her. It wasn’t a fling, like I had assumed. I wished I had sat down before he started telling me their past.
“She got pregnant. I told her I’d marry her. But she didn’t want to be a mom. Ever. So, without talking to me about it, she went and had an abortion.”
My hand went to my stomach as I let out a gasp. “Oh, King,” I breathed. I’d not expected that.
His blue eyes locked on me. “And that was the end of us. I didn’t want to marry her. It would have been a horrible mistake. I know that now, but at the time, I just wanted to do the right thing. Give my kid what I hadn’t had—parents who were together. I even convinced myself I could love her if I tried.” A hard laugh fell from his lips.