Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 49416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
“That's my line, Kitten,” I say, folding my arms around her.
She looks like she wants to say more, something serious fluttering in those rich brown eyes of hers. She blinks it away and presses her lips against mine, bringing us both back to the common ground we love to dance on.
Our mouths crash together in a slow and possessive kiss that has fire licking through my veins, and a growl rumbling in my chest. I know we have minutes before her next client, definitely not enough time for me to do much, but I can't get enough of her. Her laugh, her smile, her words, her mind, her kiss, her body…I want to drown myself in all things her.
“Speaking of taking care of me,” she says as she draws her mouth away from mine, her lips slightly swollen from my kiss. “Every year I have a conference I run for therapists around the country. I host tons of guest speakers who run panels with the latest research and techniques, and there are dinners and dances in between. I speak at the end of it too. It’s in two weeks. It'll probably be boring to you, but if you want to be my plus one, it's at one of the nicest hotels in Charleston.”
I smooth my hand over the line of her jaw, my thumb just grazing her bottom lip. “Like you could keep me away,” I say.
She smiles up at me, looking at me like I’m the damn answer to all her problems.
I can't deny the way it makes my heart thud against my chest that much harder. I'm about to lean down and kiss her when the bell sounds again, and she blows out a breath.
“That'll be my three o’clock,” she says, backing away from me. “After this hour is up, I'm done for the day. We'll make sure to feed Gregory early, and then maybe you and I can go for tacos?”
“Sounds like perfection,” I say before she heads toward her client, ushering them into her office before closing the door behind them.
Perfection.
Everything with her feels like something close to it.
CHAPTER 12
Zoe
My phone buzzes on the counter as I clean up the simple dinner Owen and I just finished. He’s washing the dishes as I dry, but I furrow my brow as I look down at my screen.
A slew of texts come in, one right after the other. Each time it vibrates I flinch a little.
“What is it?” Owen asks, noticing the shift in me.
I swallow hard, panic snapping through me as I swipe open my phone.
Unknown: How can you do this to me?
Unknown: Blocking my numbers isn’t cute. I’m all for hard to get but you’re being ridiculous, Zoe.
Unknown: You belong with me.
Unknown: Not the meathead who’s attached to your side.
Unknown: How can you do this to me? Haven’t you read my letters? My devotion to you? We’re perfect for each other.
Unknown: How can you fuck him every single night when you know how deeply that hurts me?
Owen’s warm, strong presence is at my side in a second, and my fingers tremble as I hand the phone to him.
His blue eyes scan the texts, a deep groove settling between his brows as he does.
“I’ve blocked every number he uses,” I say, unable to keep the hitch out of my voice. I take a long, deep breath, holding it as long as possible before slowly blowing it out. “Damn it,” I say, anger helping to shoo away some of the panic. “I hate feeling like this. Every time he texts, it’s like he may as well be pounding on my front door. How can I get so scared from a text? It’s not like he’s going to come through the phone.”
Owen sets down my phone, immediately wrapping me in a strong embrace. “Hey,” he says, catching my gaze. “It’s perfectly normal to be scared. It’s harassment and he’s already shown he can be violent from what he did to your flowers.”
I sigh, clinging to him. “Maybe I should change my number,” I say. “I’ve been thinking about it, but I’ve had that number forever and changing it feels like I’m letting him win.”
“I understand,” Owen says. “We can do whatever you’re comfortable with, but let’s get one thing straight, he’ll never win. Nothing you do or decide will ever be a win for him.”
I nod as I lean against his chest, closing my eyes and breathing him in. He’s like the solid ground beneath my unsteady feet.
“He keeps moving locations. Caleb almost tracked him down, but when I got there, he’d moved on. He’s hotel hopping. We’ll track him down and end this, I promise you.”
I shift away to look up at him, but still hold him close. “Isn’t that…dangerous?”
Owen smooths some hair away from my face. “That’s what I do. You don’t need to worry about me.”