Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 60933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
He shook his head. “No,” he replied firmly. “I still dream about you, Mags. That’s not some childhood crush.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but my words were cut off.
“That sounds like your problem. Not hers.” West’s deep voice came from behind me just as his hand landed on my shoulder.
Tate looked from me to the man standing behind me. “Excuse me?” Tate asked, a touch of irritation in his expression.
“You heard me,” West replied. “Let’s go, Maggie.” The possessiveness in his tone left no room for argument, and honestly, I was glad he was here. I hadn’t expected this, and I was unsure how to handle it.
“We’ve not been introduced,” Tate said, standing up and holding out his hand. “I’m an old friend of Maggie’s. Tate Morris.”
West didn’t reach out to shake Tate’s hand. Instead his hand squeezed my shoulder. “An old friend who’s dreaming about her.” West’s tone held a warning there I hoped Tate picked up on.
“We have a past,” Tate replied in a challenging tone.
I stood up then. If I didn’t end this, then it was going to get nasty. I could feel the tension coming off West, and he wasn’t himself. Something was wrong. There was an anger just below the surface I didn’t think had to do with Tate. West trusted me. It was something more.
West’s hand moved to my back, and he kissed my temple. “Let’s go,” he told me.
“We were having lunch. She’s not eaten yet,” Tate argued.
West’s entire body went rigid. He was controlling his temper, but I could feel it being pushed too far. “Maggie is mine,” he said in a low, hard tone. His jaw was clenched, and I put my hand on his chest to calm him.
“Tate, it was good to see you again. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding,” I told him. “But we should be going,” I added, then pushed for West to move and break his glare, which was leveled at Tate.
I didn’t wait for Tate to say more, and thankfully West moved then, keeping his hand on my back as we made our way back inside Wicks toward the exit.
“Show me your server,” he said.
I looked over at the girl who had taken our order and pointed at her. He dropped his hand from my back and walked over to her. I watched as he handed her money, then he headed back to me.
“No man is buying you anything but me,” he said simply, then put his hand on my back again and led me out to the parking lot.
I wanted to explain all of this to him. I just wasn’t sure where to start. When we reached his truck, he didn’t open the passenger door like I expected but pressed my back against it instead. His hands flattened against the truck on each side of my head as his eyes locked on mine.
“No man gets to talk to you like that,” he said just before his mouth lowered to cover mine. His kiss was more forceful than usual, but I knew it was because of the scene we’d just had. I slid my hands up his chest and fisted his shirt, holding him to me, reassuring him that no man would ever have me but him. He should know that by now.
When he broke the kiss, he rested his forehead on mine and closed his eyes.
“Something else is wrong, West,” I said softly. “I know you. What is it?”
He sighed heavily, then dropped his hands and stepped back from me. “Let’s go. I want to be alone with you.”
I didn’t push, but I would later.
CHAPTER FIVE
WEST
I lay in bed listening to Maggie’s breathing and watching her sleep. She’d fallen asleep after we had quietly made love for over an hour in her blue bedroom at the Higgenses’ house. Tonight I should be holding my fiancée. There should be a ring on her finger.
But instead it was like any other night.
I reached for her left hand and gently held it in my much larger palm. Her bare ring finger caused an empty feeling to expand inside me. I’d let my mother’s actions ruin tonight. Brady had barely spoken to me at dinner. When our eyes did meet, I could see the disapproval in them. He didn’t understand, and he had the wrong damn idea in his head. There was nothing in this world I wanted more than Maggie. Making her my wife, giving her my last name, that was all in my plans.
My dad had known she was the one for me before I’d been willing to admit it. He’d love knowing she was going to be an Ashby. He had told me she was the kind of girl you held on to and I needed to make her mine. I hoped Maggie was right and he could see us now. That heaven she believed in I wasn’t positive about, but I liked thinking Dad was watching us and smiling.