Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 21092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 105(@200wpm)___ 84(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 105(@200wpm)___ 84(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
I set down my fork and look him in the eye. “Why did you invite me to dinner?”
He opens his mouth but doesn’t say anything, so I continue. “It’s obvious you don’t want to be here, so why don’t you say what’s on your mind, and we can go our separate ways.”
I pick up my glass of water to keep myself busy. I’m completely on edge, and I hate feeling like this.
He leans forward. “Marry me.”
I choke on the drink of water I just took, and after a few seconds of hacking, I strangle the words out. “Marry you? Are you high or something?”
The people at the tables around us all turn to look, but I don’t care. What he’s suggesting is crazy talk. Obviously, there’s something wrong with him.
He’s fucking with me. That has to be it. There’s no other option.
His voice is soft and gravelly as he puts his hands palm down on the table. “I’m not high. In fact, this is probably the most lucid I’ve been in a long time. I think you should marry me.”
I shake my head because there’s no way I’m hearing him right. “Marry you?”
He nods while his gaze bores into me. “Yes, I want you to marry me.”
I laugh. I can’t help it. And once I start, I can’t bring myself to stop. I laugh so hard, my cheeks and my sides start to hurt. I’m wiping at the tears rolling down my face. “Well, thank you, Grant, I needed a good laugh. That was a good one. Thank you.”
He grits his teeth. “I’m not joking.”
“No,” I say without hesitation. I say it so fast because I’m afraid that I’m going to get caught up in all of this and say yes, which would really be stupid. All I need is to tie myself to some SEAL. He probably has a wife or girlfriend at every port.
He grabs on to me and threads our fingers together. His thumb caresses the back of my hand, and I’m transfixed on the sight of him holding me.
“Look at me,” he demands.
With heat rising in my cheeks, I raise my eyes to his.
He nods and squeezes my hand in approval. Damn, why do I feel that between my thighs? One nod with a small smile causes blood to rush through my veins, my heart to race, and butterflies to flip around in my stomach.
“Why? Why would you want to marry me?”
He looks stunned, and it takes him a second to form any words, but once he does, he doesn’t stop. “Because you’re my best friend’s little sister. Because you need someone on your side right now, and I can do that… I want to do that. Because I can’t leave here and do my job, if I’m worried about you living in a fuckin’ shelter. Because—”
I cut him off. “I’m fine. I can take care of myself.”
He nods in agreement. “I believe that. I wasn’t kidding; James talked about you all the time. I know you can take care of yourself, but why would you want to when I can help you?” He pauses for just a minute, sits up a little straighter, and continues, “And you can help me.”
I scrunch my nose up. “Help you? How can I help you?”
“My house sits empty while I’m gone. Back in the winter, a pipe froze and I didn’t know it. It ended up flooding the whole first floor and cost me thousands of dollars to renovate. You can live there and take care of things while I’m working.”
My forehead creases in confusion. “You need a caretaker. Why would you marry me for that?”
He clears his throat and pulls his hands back, and instantly I miss his touch. “I understand if you don’t want to marry me. We just met, but I thought it would be mutually beneficial. You would get my health insurance, and James talked about how you wanted to go to school. Being married to a SEAL will save you money on that. And I would have someone to take care of my house—make it into a home—for when I get out.”
I ask him the first question that pops into my head. “How old are you, Grant?”
“Thirty-one.” And even before I can do the math in my head, he continues. “I’m thirteen years older than you. I’m not trying to take advantage of you, Jane. We’ll go to Tennessee and get married. I’ll help you get settled into the house, and then I’ll be back in California or somewhere in the Middle East. I’m not trying to take advantage of you… I’m trying to help you.”
I look down at my hands and try to reason with myself. This is ridiculous, and I should get up and walk away, but what he’s offering is tempting. I have nothing right now. I don’t have a home, a car, I walk three miles a day just to get to and from work. I don’t have any friends here. The few friends I had in high school have all moved away. I don’t have any family. I have nothing.