Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 76690 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76690 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
There’s only him.
We end up taking two cars to the ice cream shop as I plan on leaving from there. We find a picnic table in a small park across the street where both dogs get a vanilla cup while the adults enjoy cones. The evening is warm, and Kellen sits next to me with his thigh pressed to mine. His dad tries to embarrass him with childhood stories, but Kellen’s ego is too healthy, and he laughs right along with me.
“Tell us more about your horse,” Lila says as she slips the last of her waffle cone to Princess, who has no shame in begging. Bubba lies at Kellen’s feet, too well trained to debase himself in such a manner.
Kellen must’ve told his parents something about me as that had not come up in conversation tonight. But I don’t mind talking about my horse.
“He’s a sweet boy… fifteen years old. His name is Lunar, and I helped raise him when he was foaled at our farm in Kentucky.”
“Kellen said it’s a saddlebred farm?” Charlie inquires. “I’m afraid I don’t know much about horses, unless we’re talking horsepower of engines.”
I laugh at the mechanic joke. “Yes, my family breeds and sells saddlebreds. My great-great-great-grandfather started the farm in 1892.”
“You were probably riding before you could walk,” Lila exclaims.
“That’s what my parents say. I know sometimes I feel more comfortable in the saddle than I do walking.”
“You should’ve seen her riding Lunar.” Kellen crosses his arms on the table and turns his head to look at me. “So graceful, and he has a really high step. He’s a very fancy horse.”
“He’s a show horse,” I explain. “So part of that is training, but it’s also the breed.”
“You didn’t tell me you competed,” Kellen says, eyebrows raised in interest.
“I guess it never came up. But I don’t anymore.”
Never again.
“And do you have brothers and sisters?” Lila asks. I’m relieved to move on from the subject of competition.
I tell the McCords about my twin sister and my three older brothers. They ask questions about the farm, intently curious as most people are about something so steeped in tradition and history. We talk about Kellen’s career in the Marine Corps and their insane pride in their son, and how grateful they were when he moved back to the East Coast so they could see him more.
It’s close to nine thirty by the time we leave the park. His parents each hug me with demands I come to New York with Kellen on his next visit, and truly, I don’t even find that awkward, considering I just met their son a week ago.
Lila and Charlie take the dogs to Kellen’s SUV, and he walks me to my car. He holds my hand, and it feels good and right.
When I unlock my door, Kellen moves in for a short kiss, cognizant that his parents are no more than twenty feet away. It’s almost chaste, and I find I like that just as much as the kisses that curl my toes. There’s nothing I don’t like about this man.
“See you tomorrow morning.” Kellen brushes away my bangs that had fallen low over one brow. “Can I help with your barn chores?”
I smirk at the offer. “It’s dirty work.”
“If by dirty work, you mean we’ll get filthy and must shower together after to get clean, then count me in. I’ll bring a change of clothes.”
Laughing, I don’t hesitate to move into his body. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I put my cheek to his chest and hug him hard. His arms go around my back, and his return squeeze conveys the same message.
We’re two people who are falling for each other, and I don’t dare question it. I hope he doesn’t either.
Pulling back, he gives me one more kiss… this one a little harder, and it causes me to blush. He then holds my door open for me, closes it once I’m settled in, and steps back onto the sidewalk to watch me pull away.
CHAPTER 10
Kellen
I’m flat on my stomach, binoculars held before my eyes as I scope out the shallow valley. The sloped hills, thick plant growth, and moonless night in the Guatemalan jungle provide all the cover I need to remain hidden.
I’m casing a compound that’s nothing more than a handful of dilapidated buildings made of plywood with corrugated metal roofs. Seems innocuous enough, except it’s surrounded by chain-link fence topped with razor wire. Scattered around the perimeter, three of my teammates—Malik, Cage, and Jackson—also watch from various vantage points. We flew in late last night for this reconnaissance-only mission.
Working for Jameson is never dull because the nature of our work is so varied. I could spend one week providing security for a VIP in a fancy hotel in Vienna and the next week covered in grease paint to blend in with the night while watching kidnappers.