Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 22991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 115(@200wpm)___ 92(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 115(@200wpm)___ 92(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
Whoa! Where did that come from? I tried to shake it off, but my mind wouldn’t stop picturing what this woman would look like with a belly that was round and swollen from carrying our baby.
Her heart-shaped lips curled into a sheepish smile. “I have no idea how I ended up here. I’m hoping someone can give me directions.”
Before Butch could respond, I put a friendly expression on my face—shutting out the blazing lust I was sure she would have seen otherwise—and took a step toward her. “I’d be more than happy to help you out, Miss…” Please don’t correct me to Mrs…
“Um, Laurel,” she replied, the pink of her cold cheeks deepening with an adorable blush. “Laurel Carlow.”
I smiled and stuck my hand out. “Well, welcome to Winter Falls, Miss Carlow. I’m Hayden Douglas.”
“Please, call me Laurel.” She slipped her smaller one into mine, and my skin sizzled from her touch. When her color deepened yet again, I almost smirked at the knowledge that she was affected by me, too.
“And I’m Hayden.” I held on for a couple of beats longer than necessary, then forced myself to let her go, for now. “Regrettably,” I continued with false disappointment, “directions out of town won’t do you any good right now. The police have just closed the main roads in and out of Winter Falls.”
Dismay clouded her features, and she gasped, “What?” She yanked the cap from her head and ran a hand through her thick tresses. “Okay, um…does the town have RV parking? Or a place where I can park my van and keep it running for heat while I wait out the storm?”
I frowned and crossed my arms over my chest. “You intend to sleep in your car?”
She blinked a few times, then understanding crossed her face. “Oh, not like you're thinking.” She giggled, and my cock throbbed. “My van is set up for me to live in. I’m a travel influencer, and the home on wheels makes it a lot easier to bounce from place to place.”
I wasn’t happy to hear that she was living in a van, no matter how much she’d done to the inside to make it livable. But even if I’d been okay with her normal living conditions, no way in hell would she be able to wait out a blizzard this intense in a van.
“Have you checked the weather, Laurel?” I asked gently, not wanting to scare her off with the frustration I was feeling inside.
Her brow furrowed, and her mouth curved down. “Well…no. I figured it was a pretty bad snow storm considering how heavy it's snowing out there.”
“In Winter Falls, a bad storm is fairly normal. This blizzard is forecasted to hit record snowfall and wind speeds. As the mayor, it’s my job to protect everyone in this town. Including someone just dropping by for directions.” I gave her a crooked smile that made her blush again. Damn, she was cute when she did that. “I cannot possibly let you stay somewhere that is unsafe.”
Laurel shifted on her feet and glanced outside, biting her lip as she took in the nearly whiteout conditions and the howling of the wind. “I guess I could stay in a motel.”
Relief flooded my system at her agreement. I would have kidnapped her and hid her van if I’d needed to. Luckily, it didn’t appear that I would need to break any laws in order to keep her safe.
“I’ll call Snowbound Suites,” Butch offered before walking through the door that led to the back rooms, including his office.
“Suites?” Laurel echoed, chewing on her bottom lip again. I wanted to reach out and tug it from between her teeth, but the worry in her green orbs distracted me. “Sounds expensive.”
Ahhh. “It’s a reasonably priced motel, babe,” I told her with a wink. “With a fancy name.” I didn’t bother to tell her that she wouldn’t be paying for it anyway. I had a feeling she would put up a fight, so I decided to put that argument off until I had her situated somewhere safe.
“Oh. Okay.” She smiled and shrugged, her cheeks dusting with pink. “I make decent money doing what I do, and I also don’t have many bills because of the way I live. I have savings, but I’d rather not put a dent in it just to stay in a palace during a snowstorm.” Her tone was a tad defensive, so I hurried to reassure her.
“I get it,” I told her with a healthy dose of admiration and respect. “Living on a budget allows us to follow our dreams.”
She quirked an eyebrow. “Dreams…well, I don’t know about that.” Her expression shifted to something more pleasant, and she added, “I do enjoy traveling and the fun my followers seem to have with my adventures.”
“Well, shoot,” Butch muttered as he stalked back into the room.