Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88057 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88057 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“Your kitchen features an alarming lack of actual food.” He turned as I entered the kitchen. The other two were nowhere to be seen, and if he had an opinion on my attire, he didn’t reveal it. Harley offered a teasing smile as he gestured at the pantry, which did indeed have a lot of empty shelf space. I hadn’t realized it had become so dire, but such was the result of my endless to-do list, which seldom included cooking.
“I work an alarming number of hours.” I smiled back at him, the anxious tightness in my chest easing. Surprising given how physically imposing he could be, but there truly was something calming about his presence. I reached down to pick up Hercules, who had wandered into the room. “I had a personal chef service for a while, but the meals kept going uneaten. Hercules loved it, but I felt bad.”
“You should give it another try.” Harley laughed. Like his boyish smile, he had a great laugh, free and easy and full of good humor. “You need to eat, or you’ll run yourself into the ground. Quality chow is important.”
“You sound like Cressida. She’s always saying I need to stop forgetting to eat. It’s a terrible habit.”
“Yep.” He nodded. I liked how he didn’t try to sugarcoat things. He wasn’t rude, but he also wasn’t someone to say something simply to make me happy or more comfortable. I had enough people like that, so his bluntness was refreshing. “For tonight, you should eat something simple like soup, but I couldn’t find a can of anything.”
“You were going to heat me up food?” My heart did the same twisty thing it did whenever Hercules or one of the niblings did something particularly adorable. He’d been planning on cooking for me. Gah. It was a good thing he was straight, or my teeny crush would balloon to epic proportions in a hurry.
“Well, I was gonna try. Now you get my talent for ordering rations.” Grinning, he pulled out his phone. “Suggestions?”
“There’s an Italian place nearby on the delivery apps. Basil & Fig. Amazing minestrone.”
“Excellent. That’s what you need.” Harley started clicking around. “Found it. Yeah, that looks like a good choice. Haven’t had a good meatball sub in a minute.”
“You’re staying?” I asked cautiously as I petted Hercules, not wanting to presume or beg, but I was nowhere near ready to be alone with my thoughts and the reality of the attack. At some point, the last of my adrenaline would drain away, and it was not going to be pretty.
“Yup.” Harley nodded, and I tried to suppress a sigh of relief as he continued, “You’re stuck with me, at least. Duncan’s heading to the store for some supplies we need. I’ll order for him so he can eat when he’s back, and we’re sending Cash home to Danny. That okay?”
“More than. I’d rather not be alone,” I admitted, immediately second-guessing my honesty. “That sounds silly. I should want to be alone, right? I mean, I’m exhausted, and how am I supposed to sleep if not alone? But my place feels too big and too quiet.”
Harley held up a hand when I would have rambled on. “One step at a time, boss. Food first. Delivery should be here in about a half hour. And it’s not silly to want to be around people you trust. After a hard mission, some guys think they need to be alone, but those are the ones I worry about the most, especially my rookies. Whatever you’re feeling now is normal, I promise you.”
“Thanks.” The word was incredibly insufficient for everything he’d done for me, but I was too wrung out to come up with better. I strode over to the fridge. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“No alcohol when I’m on duty, but I’ll take anything you’ve got with carbonation.”
“Lavender dry soda? Hibiscus seltzer?” I scanned the limited contents of my fridge while trying not to frown at the reminder that he was here as a job. It didn’t matter what sort of emotions he inspired in me, we weren’t friends, and I needed to remember that, be careful not to cross any boundaries.
“You’ve got high-end soda tastes. Guess I can give the lavender thing a whirl.” Harley smiled at me, and damn, it was hard to remember all those boundaries when his grin was so wide and easy. I set Hercules down and fetched us each a soda. But when he took a sip of the soda bottle I offered, inappropriate thoughts multiplied in my brain. His lips were fuller than they seemed at first, jaw strong, and…
Pull it together, Sterling, I lectured myself. I took a cautious sip of my soda, trying to calm any errant lustful thoughts.
Oblivious to my inner drama, Harley smiled again and gestured at the rest of the house beyond the kitchen. “You up to me showing you the security things Duncan and I are gonna tackle?”