Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 133849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
“You didn’t charge your phone?” She was a woman living alone in a dangerous part of town. She needed her phone.
Now those gorgeous brown orbs narrowed in irritation. “Well, I had my mind on other things last night. I was too busy following other orders. Orders like sit on my dick, Nicole. Ride me hard, Nicole. Not once did either of the bossy men pause the sex to tell me to charge my phone, and if you say it should be unspoken or something, you’re going to get the same sass I gave your evil ex. You are the one who left without a call when my phone still had a baby bit of charge, and you decided not to leave a note.”
This was where he was confused. “I told you we had an emergency when we left.”
Her head shook. “No, you didn’t.”
“Yes, I woke you up. At least I thought I did. My sister called because we have a sick bred heifer, and Grim is the vet. My dads are good at what they do, but they don’t have Grim’s skill.” It had been a shitty morning. They’d figured out the problem and now had another twenty head to worry about. “I didn’t want to leave you.”
Her expression had softened. “I’m sorry. I thought you left. I thought…”
“You thought we were done.” He could guess what had gone through her head. He leaned over and brushed his mouth against hers. “I’m not done, baby. Not even close. I told you I would come back out after I dropped Grim off. I intended to, but they needed me.”
“Well, now I seem all full of myself and selfish since I did kind of curse your name a little.”
He felt his lips tug up. “Just a little?”
She flushed a pretty pink. “Okay. I was hurt when I woke up and you weren’t there. I told myself it wasn’t like you promised me anything.”
That was where she was wrong. He slid a hand along her jawline, tilting her head up so she had to look him in the eyes. “I promised you a lot last night, and I intend to fulfill every single one.”
This time when he kissed her, he didn’t hold back. He let his tongue run along her lips until she opened them and let him in. He was well aware that they were in public, but he wasn’t about to hold back. She needed to know how it was going to be. His father was wrong. He understood what his dad had been trying to tell him, but Nicole could handle it. She’d handled Alyssa with ease from what he could tell.
Of course her bravado might be exactly that.
He pulled back, staring down at her. Damn, but he loved her face. He searched it to see if she was holding anything back on him. “Baby, are you okay?”
“Well, I am now,” she replied, her fingers coming up to brush over his cheek. “I was way more upset when I thought you used me. But now I’m upset because I realized you have terrible taste in women.”
Someone moved behind him. People were walking all up and down the street, and there was no way they were missing this scene. He’d made his point, but now he needed to get her away from here. “I’m going to be honest. Alyssa was my mistake. She was a nice girl when we were in high school, though we didn’t go to the same one. If we had, I might have picked up on her mean-girl vibes. My parents kept a pretty protective circle around my sister and I, and later Grim. We went to a private school, and most of our friends had parents who were active in my parents’ lifestyle. So I didn’t spend a ton of time with her. Mostly at parties. I remembered her being real sweet. She came back from living in Austin for a couple of years, and I asked her out. It obviously did not work. I’d like credit for having better taste now. And, baby, I can make sure she never says a bad word around you ever again.”
“I’m not sure I want to know how you would do that, Joshua Barnes.” She reached over and grabbed the seatbelt, clicking herself in. “I hope you have breakfast where we’re going. And that Grim’s there.”
There was the difference. What he hadn’t told her was that Alyssa was sweet as pie to him. She’d been a little spoiled, but affectionate, and seemed so proud to be dating him, and she changed when Grim came around.
Oh, she’d slept with him. Enthusiastically, but she’d made herself plain she didn’t want anyone to know about it. Grim could be their dirty secret, but he would get pushed out when the time came to settle down.