Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 111278 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111278 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
He laughed, and she relaxed. Whew. He’d been joking.
“I’m too old to need someone keeping an eye on me,” she told him dryly.
“I don’t know about that. Seems like you get into plenty of trouble.”
Rude. She rarely got into trouble.
“You going to be able to sleep tonight after drinking that?” he asked, nodding to her coffee.
“One coffee won’t keep me awake. I don’t usually go to bed until after midnight, anyway. I live on caffeine back home. Pretty sure that if there was no caffeine running through my veins, I’d die.”
Urgh, that had been another thing on that stupid doctor’s list, though.
Cut down on caffeine.
Awesome.
“You okay?” Dominic asked gently.
“What? Me? Of course, I’m always all right.”
“You just looked worried.”
“Just some things I’ve got on my mind.” Her stomach grumbled loudly, making her groan. “Shoot. That’s embarrassing. Sorry.”
His lips twitched. “Nothing to be sorry about. I’m the one that sent your dinner flying.”
“Eh, I wasn’t going to eat it, anyway. Not to be rude to their chef, but it didn’t look very appetizing, and the owner kind of turned me off.”
“Yes, the owner is a bit . . .”
“Of a dick?” she supplied.
“Something like that. Not many locals eat there.”
“So you’re saying people travel from other towns to eat subpar food and get leered at by that creepy dick?”
That was weird.
“Wait . . . he leered at you. Exactly what happened?” He stiffened, a frown creasing his forehead. “Did he do or say anything inappropriate?”
Whoa. Was he upset on her behalf? This was new. The only person who ever worried about her was Reuben.
“No. He wasn’t interested in me. I’m not young and gorgeous with big boobs. Well, they are pretty big, but when you take my bra off, they droop. I should probably get a boob job, but I feel too old now. I can’t really be bothered, you know? And I really wish you’d have stopped me talking about three sentences ago.”
His gaze narrowed as he gave her a stern look. “I thought we spoke about you putting yourself down.”
She pointed her teaspoon at him. “It’s not speaking badly about yourself if it’s the truth.”
“You might think that’s true. I don’t.”
“Ahh, but how can you know? You haven’t seen me without a bra.”
Amusement filled his face. “Was that an invitation, Shortcake?”
6
“It was not! And I don’t think I like that nickname.” It didn’t suit her. She wasn’t short and sweet.
She was fiery and tough. Definitely an acquired taste.
Her stomach rumbled again. Shoot.
“That’s too bad,” he muttered quietly.
He hadn’t just said that, right? There’s no way he’d want to see her naked. She didn’t want to see herself naked.
“Did you actually eat lunch?” he asked.
“Umm.” Shoot. She’d forgotten that she’d told him that. “Not exactly. But I had a few snacks.” If you counted some energy drinks, countless cups of coffee, and a packet of gum as snacks.
She had a feeling he wouldn’t.
Oh well, she wasn’t his problem.
But if she didn’t start eating more healthily, she was going to be in big trouble.
“Is that so? Somehow, I don’t believe you.”
She gave him a charming smile. Hmm, that didn’t really seem to work. If anything, he seemed more suspicious.
Liv brought over their food, setting the plates in front of them, and Gwen’s mouth watered.
God, that looked so good.
Her healthy diet could start tomorrow, right? She rubbed at her chest, feeling a strange flutter.
You’re okay.
Just nerves.
Yep, tomorrow she’d be good.
“I want to see most of that plate emptied,” Dominic told her in a low voice.
What? Was he serious?
And didn’t that seem like something a Daddy Dom would say?
Daddy Dominic. No, nope. She was not going there.
“And what about your plate, buster?” she asked, trying not to let on how much she liked his bossy command.
How could it be that a virtual stranger actually cared what she ate?
“Well, I happen to have eaten breakfast and lunch,” he told her. “But I’ll do my best.”
She didn’t know where to start. Reaching for a french fry, she picked it up and promptly dropped it as the heat burned her skin.
“Ow. Ouch!” She shook her hand, blowing on her fingers. “Hot.” Unable to wait, she reached for another fry.
“Whoa. Wait.” Dominic slid the plate away from her.
“Hey, that’s mine.” She pouted.
Whoops. Where had that pout come from?
“Nobody is stealing your dinner, Shortcake,” he soothed. “But you can’t keep burning yourself. Let’s see your fingers.”
“Oh, they’re fine.” Damn, had she just made an idiot of herself or what?
“Let me see,” he said firmly, holding his hand out.
She stared down at his palm. How was it possible for a hand to be sexy?
“You’re used to getting your way, aren’t you?” she asked.
“I sure am. And I’m not going to be denied now. Hand. Please.”
She thought the ‘please’ sounded like an afterthought. But she placed her hand in his. He checked her fingers, then brought them up to his mouth.