Total pages in book: 16
Estimated words: 15575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 78(@200wpm)___ 62(@250wpm)___ 52(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 15575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 78(@200wpm)___ 62(@250wpm)___ 52(@300wpm)
For Kirsty, she has never liked smart-mouthed Ward. He always seems to think he knows best, and he always has to have the last word. Much to her surprise, she learns of a bet that has been placed on her and Ward finally getting together. She is shocked and when she tells Ward, he is just as surprised as her. What starts out as a civil conversation, soon becomes heated, and Kirsty doesn't know what exactly happened next.
One moment they’re fighting, the next, they’re kissing. Only that kiss … was amazing.
There is only one tiny problem, both of them want to do it again. They agree to date in secret. There are many surprises along the way through their secret dating. Ward starts to fall for her, and he loves that he is the only man she has been with. He is going to make this the best experience of her life.
When Kirsty becomes pregnant, Ward knows it is only a matter of time before everyone knows their secret, but he wants her to know his feelings. He is in love with her, and he is not going to run and hide. He wants to show everyone that she belongs to him.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Chapter One
“You know the polite response is to say thank you,” Ward Hildreth said, glaring at his opponent.
“And if I wanted you to intervene with my place of business, I would certainly not ask you!” Kirsty Blake had her hands on her hips, and he imagined if she could, she would be shooting fireballs out of her eyes at him.
“Wow, so you’re going to let your stubborn attitude ruin your place of business? Is that it?” he asked. “Is that what you’re trying to do?”
“It’s none of your business what I do! You should just be grateful I don’t ban your ass.”
“Ha, go ahead, ban me if you want!” He didn’t even know why he challenged her. There was no other bar to drink in their small town, and it wasn’t a good idea to start a fight with the woman who owned the bar.
He’d been doing her a favor, and all he’d gotten for his hard work was abuse. Next time an asshole tried to destroy her bar, he would just leave it to wreck and ruin.
“Get the hell out!”
Ward noticed she didn’t ban him, and right now, he was considering that a win. Rather than be too smug about it, he made his way to the door. “Don’t you worry, I’ll leave.”
“You can’t leave when I’ve just thrown you out,” Kirsty said.
“I will take this as a weird thank you.”
“I’m not thanking you.”
“Good night, Kirsty, sleep well.” He knew from years of experience that the more he pretended to misinterpret her feelings, the more annoyed she got. This was their thing, and he honestly couldn’t help but wind her up. It was a lot of fun.
Stepping outside, he saw Christopher, his longtime friend and fellow tattoo artist.
“I thought you’d be gone by now,” Ward said, and made his way toward his best friend.
“Be gone and miss all the Ward and Kirsty drama? Yeah, I wouldn’t let that happen.”
Ward rolled his eyes.
“I can sense the sexual tension.”
“Sexual tension?” Ward asked.
Christopher rolled his eyes. “You two have been playing this dance for so long. How can you not see that you’ve been … in love, meh, maybe wanting each other.”
Ward held up his hand and shook his head. “I have a horrible feeling you hit your head or something.” He walked over toward his best friend and placed the back of his hand across his forehead. “Are you feeling woozy?”
Christopher shrugged him off with a laugh. “You can play all you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that you and Kirsty have been like this for years.”
“That’s because we hate each other.”
“I’ve always heard there’s a thin line between love and hate.”
“Yeah, well, that line is wide, okay.”
This time, Christopher held his hands up. “You could have fooled me. You and Kirsty have this way of standing in each other’s paths, and I don’t know, setting off fire without letting it consume you.”
“I think you’re going to way too many poetry readings, and it’s messing with your head.”
Again, his friend laughed.
“Come on, dude, think about it. You and Kirsty have always been like this, even in high school. She was the nerdy, chun—ugh, I mean, more womanly—than the rest of the girls at school. You don’t think I noticed how you changed whenever she walked into the room?” Christopher asked.
Back in high school, Ward used to be a football jock, one of the most popular guys in school, and Kirsty was the nerd. Unlike most of the team, Ward wasn’t obsessed with football. He preferred art. He simply liked football, and for the most part it kept his dad off his back if he was playing the game. When it came to the team, they would say horrible things about Kirsty, especially with regard to her weight, and they would have to deal with him.
He wasn’t going to deny it. Kirsty had always been curvy. Curvy perfection, as far as he was concerned, and there was absolutely no reason for her to change, which she hadn’t. Those curves had become even more sexy.
He’d excelled in art, and followed that path. He played a little college football, but then he dropped out. Worked his ass off to become one of the best tattoo artists in the state, and opened his own place right here in town.
As for Kirsty, he knew she’d gone away to college, but when her parents got sick, she came back home and started to run the bar. Her parents had passed away a few years ago. Ward had gone to both funerals, and it was the only two times he’d gone to Kirsty and simply pulled her into his arms for a hug. He had this overwhelming feeling to comfort her, and he did exactly that. Of course, after a short time in mourning, he’d decided he needed to put the fire back into her eyes, and he’d acted the asshole.