Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 57804 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57804 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Damn, she was a looker. No wonder the other guys were eyeing her during dinner last night as well. Her hair bounced with each step as she rubbed her eyes, still looking a bit dazed from sleep.
“Good morning,” I said.
A gasp broke from Delilah as she froze in place at the bottom of the staircase. She stared at me with wide eyes as she hastily pulled down her shirt as much as she could.
“I didn’t think that anyone would be down here this early,” she said, her cheeks flushing slightly.
I withheld a chuckle and turned away from her to not embarrass her more.
“I used to sleep until noon, but I’m trying to build better habits for myself. Besides, I wanted to fix breakfast for you. To welcome you,” I replied as I placed a pan on the stove and started laying a row of bacon down in it.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Delilah glance up the stairs for a second like she was debating on fleeing or not. However, she stopped messing with her shirt and walked into the kitchen, stopping near the coffeemaker.
“That’s nice of you. I can fix you a cup of coffee. It’s the least I can do,” she offered.
I looked over my shoulder at her, passing her a grin.
“That’d be great. I like my coffee with sugar,” I replied as my eyes threatened to trail lower to her full lips. “Extra sugar.”
Delilah’s face grew red before she whirled around to put her back to me, rummaging around in the cabinets to search for coffee cups.
“Sugar. Got it,” she said.
I walked up behind Delilah and reached over her head to pull open the last cabinet she hadn’t opened yet. My chest slightly pressed against her back as I snagged two coffee mugs from a shelf too high for her to reach.
“Here you go,” I said as I placed the mugs on the counter. I swore I heard her breath hitch before I drew away. With heat circulating through me, I tended to the bacon as she fixed us coffee.
Times certainly were different. I never saw girls in the morning because that meant they slept over. I never let them stay after we had sex because I didn’t want them to get attached. Now, I was making breakfast with a girl I hardly knew, but she definitely intrigued me.
“Your sugary coffee,” Delilah stated as she walked up to my side with my black coffee mug in her hands. She offered it to me, her eyes meeting mine.
“You have nice eyes. They look as rich and brown as my coffee,” I commented as I tilted my head slightly.
“And you’re as sweet as your coffee,” Delilah laughed softly. “Where are you from? You have a little accent.”
“Austin. You may come from New York, but I can still hear a little drawl in your voice too,” I told her as the bacon sizzled in the pan.
Delilah sighed as she leaned her back against the counter next to the stove.
“Yeah, I guess I can’t escape this place in one way or another,” she said.
I lifted an eyebrow at her.
“Why did you leave? Ryder and Amos grew up here and seem to love this place,” I asked, wondering how she went from a small town girl to a city woman.
Delilah tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear as she shrugged.
“I felt like this town had nothing to offer me. That I couldn’t be who I wanted to be here. My parents wanted me to stay here and work a regular job. Marry the first guy who smiled at me and have some kids. I didn’t want that,” Delilah replied. “When I got a deal with my record label, I took it and ran.”
That was understandable. This place was pretty small, but it had its own charm and peace that I couldn’t find in the big city. I didn’t want to get swept up in a bunch of chaos again.
“You ran away from here and I ran here,” I said with a faint chuckle.
“Why’d you leave Texas? The music scene is huge there,” Delilah asked.
“I had a pretty good career as a singer songwriter when I was in my late teens and early twenties, but I got wrapped up in some bad stuff. Parties. Alcohol,” I explained as I grabbed a carton of eggs from the fridge. I cracked as many as I could fit in another pan.
Delilah raised her eyebrows in surprise.
“Oh,” she said.
I rubbed the back of my neck as I took out my phone to text the band group chat, telling them to get their asses to the ranch house for breakfast. I didn’t mean to spill all that so soon, but I didn’t care to lie to people about my past. I did dumb things when I was younger, but I owned my shit, unlike other people.