Total pages in book: 206
Estimated words: 192184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 961(@200wpm)___ 769(@250wpm)___ 641(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 192184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 961(@200wpm)___ 769(@250wpm)___ 641(@300wpm)
He stopped and looked up at me and sighed. “Okay, yes. You passed. Can you forget about it so we can move on with our day? I have so many things planned. So many things…” He tongued my earlobe.
I winced, feeling a little sick. He’d left me alone here for hours wondering where he was and then I’d been afraid that those people were part of something sketchy. And they were; they were here to scam me, to see if I’d try to, to what, escape with them? Would they have driven me right to him? Then I’d have been in big trouble. What would he have done?
I shook my head. He rewards obedience. He punishes defiance.
“Don’t be mad at me,” he whispered. “I’m so not mad at you.”
I squirmed out from under him and went over to the table to take another mouthful of coffee and then wandered over to the screen and looked out at the pond. He came up behind me and put his arms around my waist and his chin on my head.
He softly said, “I wanted to believe that you’re being real with me, about what we discussed last night. I guess I just had doubts and I wanted to put it to rest. Either you’d pass and I’d know you’re really giving me a chance, or you’d fail and then I’d know.”
I spun around. “Know what? That I was capable of Oscar-worthy performances? And then what would you have done?”
“I…” He started, took a deep breath, then said, “I don’t know what I would’ve done. But I’d have been devastated. Devastated. I’m glad you passed. Now I can breathe easier, baby. Please don’t be upset. I want us to have a good day today. We can go fishing, I bought us fishing rods. We can go to dinner later. I booked a table at this little place not far from here.”
I shook my head, giving him a disapproving look.
He continued, caressing my face as he talked to me. “I’ll cut wood and we can have a bonfire with some marshmallow-roasting tonight, then tomorrow morning we’ll head back to the city. I called the Crenshaws, and they were busy today but we’re meeting them at their house tomorrow for brunch and then we’ll head home. I have to jet away for a business trip, and I’ll be gone for a couple days so this is time for us before I go.”
He was looking at me with puppy dog eyes. I wanted to stay mad. But I didn’t, at the same time. I wanted today to be the first day since the day before grad of not hating my existence, I wanted today to be the first day of my engagement, the engagement I’d agreed to be in last night. I meant it last night. But the reality was that this wasn’t a typical engagement. He wasn’t a typical man.
“You didn’t trust me. Last night meant so much to me and you thought I was playing you. I thought we decided on a new beginning.” I looked down at my feet away from those puppy dog eyes. They were totally adorable and cracking my armor.
“I want that so much. I wanted it to be real. I fell asleep believing it was real. I was so happy last night, baby. It meant a lot to me, too. It meant everything. But when I woke up this morning, I had this little voice telling me it was too good to be true. You probably wanted me dead a few days ago. When Earl shot at me, all I could think of was that you’d be relieved if he killed me, relieved thinking you had your life back. You’ve been through a lot. I started to doubt that I deserved this about-face and then I started to think maybe you were just placating me until you got a chance to run. I couldn’t think straight, so I went for a walk and picked those flowers. Then I went for a drive. I decided to set up a little test, that’s all. You passed. I feel better. Please just…”
He looked a little bit lost. He ran a hand through his hair and looked at me, eyebrows raised, lips a little pouty.
I felt my anger soften a little. I guess he picked up on it, because he started jerking his head to and fro, searching my face, looking like he was searching for a sign I wasn’t angry. He smiled but it was punctuated by a question mark. Then he raised his eyebrows again and I smiled back.
“S’mores,” I said, “For the bonfire and you’ve got a deal.”
He scooped me up in his arms and kissed me hard. Then he popped me onto the bed and rolled me onto my belly and lay on top of my back, pinning me to the bed, holding my hands above my head while he nuzzled the back of my neck. He then lifted my top and rained kisses over my bare back. It tickled a little, so I squirmed. He must’ve liked that because I then felt his erection poking me in the backside. That was when he started to really tickle me, and that made me begin to struggle. He flipped me onto my side and I caught his expression and the struggling seemed to wake something up in him.