Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 121728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
She grabbed a few thick towels from the linen closet and spread them on the floor to soak up the water. “When did you get in?”
“Not sure. Passed out on my bed. I must’ve woken up and realized I stunk like shit and decided to take a bath. I don’t know. I really don’t remember much of anything.”
“Do you remember driving home?” If not, that was scary.
“Barely.” With a groan, he braced his hands on the edges of the tub and pushed up to a stand, not at all concerned that he was naked. She grabbed another towel from the shelf and tossed it at him. He caught it, stepped out of the tub and used it to dry himself off instead of covering himself up.
She closed the door to keep Val out, since she wasn’t sure how Decker handled his nudity around the girl. Leaning back against the door, she watched him take his time drying off his long, muscular legs.
“Val found you passed out in here.”
He grimaced. “Was she worried?”
She rolled her lips under before saying, “Mostly about her socks getting wet.”
He shook his head as he took in the floor now covered in wet towels. “Made a fucking mess.”
“It’s only water.”
“Water that soaked the floorboards and could buckle the tile floor.” He wrapped the damp towel around his waist, securing it at his hip, then moved over to the large mirror above the double sinks and stared into it. “Jesus,” he mumbled. “I look like a dead man walking.”
She didn’t want to confirm it out loud, but he was right. He looked like he’d been through the wringer. More than once, too.
“I assume you didn’t enjoy your cross-country trip?” she asked lightly.
His dark brown eyes caught hers in the mirror. “Goddamn torture. In my head, I quit the task force a thousand times. I even sent Crew a shitload of texts telling him the same.”
“Let me guess. He didn’t accept your resignation.”
Decker swung to face her, combing his fingers through his wet hair. “I think he blocked my number.”
“He seems to be a good guy.”
He mmm’d.
“Val and Finn both love him. That has to mean something.”
“Finn loves anyone who scratches his ass. Val,” Decker shook his head, “doesn’t know any better yet.”
Sloane knew he was just being cranky and he had a good relationship with both of the men who came to check on them the other evening.
Either could’ve done anything other than come hang out with a four-year-old. They didn’t. They both stepped up to make sure everything was good with Val and her.
And they both continued to check in on them every day after, either by text or stopping by for a short visit.
“Are you hungry? I’m going to make Val breakfast now that I know you haven’t drowned.”
“Fucking starving. Never stopped long enough to grab a decent meal. I don’t want to see or smell fast food again for a long time. I’m going to have heartburn for the next month eating that garbage.”
“You want a big breakfast, then,” she surmised.
“I’ll take whatever you make, Sloane. And when I say whatever, I mean… a stack of pancakes drowning in syrup, a half-pound of bacon, two eggs, fruit, if we have any, and a whole damn pot of coffee. The stronger the better.”
She laughed. “I’ll make whatever, then.”
“Thank you.”
Some people said thank you and they only did it to be polite or because it was expected. Decker’s went deeper than that. Those two simple words, normally taken for granted, wormed their way around her heart and warmed her center. “That’s what I’m here for.”
“No, it’s not. You’re here to help with Val, not to take care of me. I don’t expect it but I truly appreciate it.”
She stepped closer and lightly rested her hand on his warm sternum, tipping her face up to his. “I don’t mind. You’ve had a rough few days.”
His chest slowly expanded as he stared down at her, his pupils expanding to make his brown eyes appear even darker.
When her pulse began to race and her pussy clenched, she knew it was time to get out of that bathroom.
Val was not that far away. She could come busting into the bathroom at any moment. Since moving in with Decker, Sloane learned the hard way that young children didn’t know boundaries or understand privacy.
A few times Val had let herself into the bathroom off Sloane’s bedroom to have full blown conversations with her while she showered.
While she learned to lock the door when she used the toilet, that didn’t stop Val from sitting outside the door and asking five million questions or tell her a detailed story of something Finn had done.
Sloane dropped her hand, broke their locked gazes, and cleared her throat. “Well…” She turned to leave.
As she reached for the doorknob, Decker grabbed her wrist, stopping her. “Hang on…”