Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 88936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
“You can make that later,” I told her. “I’ll need to go get the bouillon paste and shrimp from the grocery first.”
She frowned. “You don’t get the shrimp from the grocery. Lord’s sakes alive, that would be frozen, and you can’t use frozen shrimp. Granny would roll right over in her grave, she would.” Grams shook her head as if I had lost my mind.
We lived a good four and a half hours from the Atlantic Ocean. There was no fresh shrimp here.
“You’re right. I’ll go get some fresh shrimp,” I assured her.
She nodded and turned to shuffle toward the living room. I let out a sigh of relief that she was safely away from the broken glass and finished getting it cleaned up. I quickly disposed of it, then tied up the garbage bag to take it outside. I didn’t trust her not to go digging in the trash and end up slicing a finger.
I passed the living room on my way to the door and glanced in to see she was sitting in her chair, watching the television with a cup in her hands. I had yet to make coffee, and I wasn’t sure what she had poured in that. I needed to check as soon as I got the trash outside.
Closing the door firmly behind me so Grams didn’t try to follow me, I stepped around the rotten places on the wood until I made it safely off the porch. This was getting worse, and we should probably just take it all down. Get some bricks to use as steps and not have a front porch anymore. We? We who? That should be me. Dad wasn’t going to do anything that required actual work.
I was almost to the trash can beside the road when an expensive matte-black SUV slowed down, then turned into our driveway. There were only two people who knew where I lived and had money to drive something like that. The Mercedes symbol on the back meant this was one of those G-Wagons that cost more than two of my houses.
Opening the lid, I dropped the trash bag inside, then closed it while keeping my eyes on the driver’s door. I did not want that to be Merce, but I’d seen Amory in two different cars now. What were the chances he had three vehicles?
The familiar boot that emerged had me relieved and also caused my stomach to flutter. When Amory stepped out, his eyes were locked on me, and the sight of him seemed to make all my other problems fade away. He was already back. I hoped that meant I wasn’t the only one who was feeling things.
I tucked the hair blowing in my face behind my ear as I made my way in his direction. I had no idea why he was here so early, but I didn’t care. I was just glad he was.
“Good morning,” I said, smiling up at him as he started toward me.
“It is now,” he drawled as a crooked grin curled the corner of his lips.
I licked mine, thinking about how his had felt. Then, I remembered I hadn’t brushed my teeth yet, and I stopped walking. I did not want him smelling my morning breath.
His eyes slightly narrowed as he studied me, but he closed the space between us. “You were heading toward me, all smiles and bright eyes, and then you stopped.”
I put my hand in front of my mouth as I looked up at him. “I haven’t had my coffee yet, which means I haven’t brushed my teeth,” I admitted.
A low, deep chuckle, which made me feel warm all over, came from his chest. “Morning breath won’t scare me off.”
Eh. Well, we weren’t going to test that.
“I wasn’t expecting you,” I told him. “I mean, I’m glad you’re here, but I just didn’t think I’d see you again so soon.”
He took my hand and pulled it away from my face. “Stop shielding your mouth,” he told me with a gentle yet slightly demanding tone. “I want to see it.”
From now on until the end of eternity, I would brush my teeth the moment I woke up. Just in case.
“It looks the same as yesterday,” I quipped.
His eyes heated as he stared at it, and he made a pleased-sounding hum before lifting his gaze to meet mine. It wasn’t cold out, but I shivered anyway. The dark gleam in his eyes felt … possessive maybe, or was that just appreciative lust that I was reading too much into?
Things with him were moving fast. Faster than I’d ever allowed them to with a guy. But unlike the ones before him, I wanted to grab him and hold on.
My heart had never been broken, but I feared this might just be the man who would end up wielding the power to do it. I was helpless to stop it. There was no control over this thing that was happening to me.