Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 115706 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115706 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
We slide into our respective seats, with Caleb sighing and exhaling in frustration.
When we’re both situated, he grumbles, “The truth is, the most authentic version of me is desperate for Raine to like me.”
It’s the most vulnerable he’s looked in my presence. Feeling a touch of compassion for his plight, I pat his tattooed forearm. “I know, Coobie. I’m sure you feel like you’re between a rock and a hard place.”
He nods. “Time is ticking. The hearing’s in a month.”
“I know, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. Keep showing up and being yourself, as best you can, and soon, she won’t be able to resist you.”
The vulnerability he displayed a moment ago evaporates, replaced by swagger. “Tell me, babysitter,” he says, his tone flirtatious. “Does that same strategy work on big girls, too?”
I roll my eyes. “Just drive, Coobie. It takes an hour to get to Billings, and that’s the maximum amount of time I can sit next to you in a locked car without giving in to the impulse to strangle you to death.”
Caleb chuckles. “You know the expression, ‘The lady doth protest too much?’ That’s you, Aubbey.”
“You know the expression, ‘Shut the fuck up and drive, motherfucker?’ That’s you, Coobie.”
He guffaws. “That’s no way to talk to your boss, Miss Capshaw.”
“You’re not my boss. You’re my . . . what’s the name for someone I’m required to watch over?”
“Your hostage?”
“My ward. You’re my ward, and I’m your guardian. We’re emphatically not boss and employee.”
“No? I’m paying for services rendered.”
“If you paid someone to give you piano lessons, would they be your employee? No, they’d be your teacher. That’s me, except I’m giving you Raine lessons. Becoming-a-good-daddy lessons. Being-a-good-and-responsible-person-instead-of-an-entitled-rockstar-manc-child lessons.”
To my surprise, Caleb cracks up again. “Glad to hear it. That’s a huge relief, honestly.”
I turn to look at him, confused. I just insulted the man, after all. Why isn’t he mad at me? “What’s a relief?”
“That you don’t consider me to be your boss.” He flashes a wicked grin. “I’m pretty sure it’s a no-no for a boss to want to fuck his employee, after all.”
My jaw hangs open as my cheeks burst into flames. “In your dreams, Coobie.”
“Yeah, literally, in my case.” He winks. “Last night, as a matter of fact.” He leans toward me. “Want to hear about my sex dream? It was scorching hot and about you.”
Holy shit. Does this mean Caleb saw me when I barged in on him, stroking his dick and groaning out my name? Or is it pure coincidence he’s bringing up having a sex dream about me now?
I scoff. “No, I don’t want to hear about that, even a little bit.” It’s a bald-faced lie, but a necessary one. No matter what, I’m determined not to give in to my shocking, detestable impulse to tackle this man and do every imaginable thing with the hard dick I witnessed him stroking this morning.
He winks. “Okay, well, if that changes, let me know.”
“It won’t.” I’ve said that with more confidence than I feel, but there’s no way I’m going to let this egomaniac know his magnetism is working on me. I motion to the dangling keys in the ignition. “Are you going to drive us to Billings, or am I going to spend the rest of the day, sitting in my parents’ driveway, trying my damnedest to overcome the urge to strangle you?”
With another chuckle, one that makes me feel certain Caleb knows his charisma is working its magic on me, Caleb turns the ignition and pulls out of my parents’ driveway. And the moment we break eye contact and I’m no longer required to maintain the mask of disdain I’ve been wearing throughout this entire back and forth, I turn toward the passenger-side window and let loose the beaming smile I’ve been holding back through sheer force of will—the grin that’s been threatening to break free, ever since Caleb admitted he thinks of himself as a boss who wants to fuck his employee.
Chapter 13
Aubrey
“Now, this is a truck,” Caleb says. We’ve made it to I-90, the interstate that leads straight into Billings, and Caleb can’t stop talking about how much he loves driving my dad’s old tank of a truck.
“Isn’t she great?” I tap on Big Betty’s dashboard with my knuckle. “Dad’s had her forever, and she just keeps on chugging.”
“They sure don’t make ‘em like this anymore.”
“Dad always says the same thing. Whenever he needs to buy a new truck, he’s going to get the brand-new version of this one.”
“How soon is he planning on getting a new truck? Whenever he does, I’d be tempted to buy this one off him and pay whatever it takes to get it refurbished.” He pauses. “I mean, assuming I’ve kept the cabin, of course.”
Crap. Why hasn’t Caleb made up his mind about that, when it would be in everyone’s best interest for him to keep the lake house? There’s no place quite like Prairie Springs, especially for raising a kid. Why can’t he see that? “I don’t know when Dad will be able to afford a new truck, now that he’s injured. I guess we can cross that bridge, if you decide to keep the lake house.”