Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 71289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
“How long have you been going?” I asked him. “Have you taken a break at all?”
He looked at me over his shoulder, his face dripping with sweat.
His beard was curlier than usual due to the moisture on his face, and it made him look even more rugged than I was used to from him.
His gray t-shirt was clinging to the planes of his chest and back, and his jeans had a ring of sweat right around the waist that went down past his ass.
His arms were covered in small slivers of wood, and his glasses had small particles clinging to them, too.
“Since you left,” he panted. “I have two pieces left, and I’m done.”
He indicated the two larger logs that he had left to be split, and I sighed.
Taking one long glance behind me at Perry, I slipped past the house so he couldn’t see anymore but Apple could, and stared at Apple until he turned to me.
Once I had his eyes, I hooked my fingers in the hem of my shirt, and then ripped it up and off my head.
His eyes bugged as he took a quick glance behind him, and then back to me.
“Put it back on,” he ordered gruffly.
I shook my head.
“Can’t,” I disagreed. “The doctor cleared me for sex. Either you give it to me, or I go take care of it myself like old times.”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m almost done. I’ll come up there when I’m finished.”
He was trying hard, I’d give him that.
In fact, he’d been a good boy for going on two months now.
He’d been busting his ass as he tried to make everyone happy.
He helped me with Emily. He helped me out even more when a seizure would knock me down on my ass. He helped Ridley. He helped his father. He helped other game wardens who were sick, picking up the odd shift for other areas here and there.
And then there was the wood splitting when he was home and he wasn’t needed elsewhere.
Needless to say, I was getting sick and tired of him taking care of everyone but himself.
“Apple,” I said, my tone biting.
Apple’s eyes, already focused on me but not my face, snapped up to mine.
“Yeah?” He gasped, chest still heaving.
“You either come up here now, or I’ll go home with Emily and not come back for the night.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Are you giving me an ultimatum here?” He warned.
I nodded.
“Yes,” I nodded sharply. “Either you give me what I want, or I leave.”
“You won’t leave me,” he ordered.
I wanted to laugh.
I wouldn’t leave him. But I’d go home and stop watching his sexy body as he worked his ass off.
Then he’d follow me home later, and I’d already be in bed.
Which he wouldn’t wake me from.
Not if he could help it.
The only way he’d actually wake me was if Emily needed to be fed and I didn’t hear her crying, but I always heard her.
So he wouldn’t have that excuse, and he’d have to leave me alone because he was too scared of being the cause of one of my seizures.
I lifted my finger and watched him watch me.
His eyes staying glued to mine.
I could tell he wanted to drop those eyes and watch my fingers circle my pebbled nipples, but he didn’t.
He kept watching my eyes, intently.
Knowing he’d follow if I left, I turned my back on him and walked to the barn where he no longer lived.
He’d moved in with us mostly. His stuff was still in the barn, but most of his clothes were now housed in my closet.
His shoes took up the underside of my bed.
His guns took up a shelf in my bathroom closet.
I stocked his favorite cookies, Oreos, in my pantry.
For all intents and purposes, he was now moved into the house with me, Emily and Ridley.
Although Ridley rarely saw him.
When Ridley was there, Apple was at work. When Apple was there, Ridley was at work.
I wasn’t even sure if Ridley knew exactly what was going on with Apple and me.
It looked poorly that every time Ridley walked in the door, Apple was walking out of it.
And not all of those times was Apple working.
Sometimes he was chopping wood like he was doing now. Others he was just walking out the door to walk out the door, and I wanted to know why.
Emily had been home with us for a little over four weeks now, and of those four weeks, I might have seen Apple for a whole four hours of it.
He was there, but he wasn’t there.
And I wanted to know why.
Which was why I was ambushing him today.
He either gave me what I wanted, or I went all crazy on him and started making a big deal of it when I really didn’t want to.
I made it to the top of the steps before I heard the barn door creak open below.