Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 46847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 187(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 187(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
That would get her running.
But I can’t tell her any of that.
My lips are shaping the words before I decide on them. It’s like instinct is driving me, and my only instinct is to stay as close to my woman – my Faye – as I possibly can.
“It’s not a handout,” I tell her. “I meant what I said. Your work does show promise. I’ve got some tasks you’ll be able to help with from the Europe shoot. I was going to hire a freelancer anyway.”
“But if I’m not up to your usual standard,” she says firmly, “you can’t do me any special favors, okay? Please, Mr. Fallon.”
“Call me Felix,” I say with a note of anger.
I try to push it away, so she won’t sense this sudden need in me.
I’m aware of Lola being only in the next room, the toilet flushing. She’s going to be out here any second, and the last thing she’s going to want to see is me staring at her best friend like she’s a meal.
My meal. My everything.
The future mother of my children.
And maybe that’s why it pisses me off so much, the idea of her calling me Mr. anything. If we’re going to be together one day – and I’m sure we are, even if we can’t, that’s how messy she’s making my mind – she has to call me by my name.
“Okay,” she says, leaning back slightly.
It’s as if she’s shocked by the dark note in my voice, but I can’t help it. It’s taking all my effort simply not to flip the table and get it out of the way, so there’s nothing keeping us apart.
And then I’ll draw her into my arms and push my lips….
Lola walks out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her and offering us a smile as she approaches.
Faye gives me a look, difficult to read. It’s like panic streaks across her expression, just for a second, as if she senses what I’m thinking.
But then she smiles as she meets Lola’s gaze, leaving me to wonder if I imagined it.
“So, Dad,” Lola says as she sits down. “What’s your first job for Faye, huh?”
I explain how I’ll need her to sort through my photos, selecting promising ones based on the criteria I’ll give her. I explain it all coldly, keeping my gaze on Lola, not allowing any emotion into my voice unless it morphs into full-fledged desire.
The urge to claim Faye. To own her.
To make her mine.
Forever.
Fuck.
I wish I could slow these thoughts down, give me time to think about them, to at least try and understand what’s happening to me.
“You’ll be great,” Lola says, grinning at Faye. “And if Dad works you too hard, let me know. I’ll put him in his place.”
We all laugh, but I have to force it a little. She’d be doing more than putting me in my place if she knew the truth about how I feel. This hunger won’t stop. It makes me feel like kissing my Faye, holding her, taking her young curvy body… it’s the only option I’ve got left.
I should’ve said no when Lola asked if Faye could work with me. But I didn’t know how badly I wanted her.
It’s difficult to match the woman I saw in the back of the car, braces on her teeth, shy and withdrawn with the woman I see now. It’s impossible, in fact.
She was eighteen then, so I could have noticed her, but she was far too similar to her old self.
Invisible to me.
But now…
It’s all changed as if something inside of her is calling to something inside me.
“This is delicious,” I tell Lola. “You’re one hell of a cook.”
“I warmed up the sauce myself,” Lola jokes.
“Seriously,” I tell her, knowing I’m being too serious. “It’s amazing.”
She looks at me, narrowing her eyes for a moment. “Thanks, Dad.”
A pit opens in my gut when I realize what’s just happened. The look in Lola’s eyes…she thought I was being so sincere, so solemn because I missed her and love her, which I do with everything I have.
But that’s not what drove the compliment.
Guilt whispers at the edges of my mind, trying to break through and ruin this dinner. Every time I so much as glance in Faye’s direction, it gets louder, almost deafening.
I need to work out a way to fire Faye as quickly as possible.
That’s the cold truth.
It’s going to be difficult, but there’s no other choice. If I spend time alone with Faye – with her scent, wavy brown hair, and that cute quirk on her lips, like she’s waiting for me to kiss her – I won’t be able to resist.
I’ll break apart.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” Lola says after dinner.
I shake my head, rising from my chair.
I can’t. I don’t trust myself.