Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 26164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
Yet, she’d just managed to throw a handful of dead leaves, and other disgusting stuff she didn’t want to think about, right into the face of her neighbor.
Whoops.
To his credit, he didn’t yell. Or really react at all other than to reach up with his arm and wipe his sleeve over his face.
“I’m so sorry,” she cried, clinging to the ladder. “I didn’t mean to do that, I swear. It was an accident. You surprised me.” She moved down a step. “Are you all right? Did you get it in your eye? Oh God, you got it in your eye, didn’t you? Just wait there, I’ll get something to clean out your eye.”
She tried to move down another rung. Only in her haste, she missed the step and slipped. A scream of fear escaped her and she just knew she was going to fall to her death . . . then a large arm slipped around her waist, lifting her to the ground.
“Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.”
“You okay?” he asked.
Turning, she plastered herself against him. Her nose rested in the middle of his chest, and her arms could barely reach around his waist. But she held onto him like a baby monkey clinging to her mommy.
Huh, had she just called him a monkey mommy? Funny.
“Hey, you okay?” The gruff voice gentled, and a huge hand awkwardly patted her back. She forced herself to draw away, feeling embarrassed as she realized a couple of tears had slipped free to fall down her cheeks.
“Um, yeah. Sorry.”
“Look at me.”
She kept her gaze down as she shook her head. “Thanks for saving me.”
“Look at me.” His voice had firmed.
She had to steel herself to refuse. It wasn’t in her nature to deny anyone anything she could give them. But she didn’t want him to see her like this.
A huge sigh escaped him, and she winced. No doubt she was annoying him again.
“Last chance.”
Last chance? What did that mean?
“I’ll have to do something drastic.”
Hm. Drastic like what? The part of her that was always curious wanted to find out, but the other part of her that was a wuss wasn’t certain she could stand it.
Then he did it. He said it.
“Lucie, please.”
He said her name. And please. In the same sentence. And he’d said it in a soft, cajoling voice she’d never heard from him before. She sniffed and rubbed her eyes with her hand quickly before glancing up at him.
Then she winced again. Because, shoot, she’d somehow forgotten that she’d gotten him with a fistful of gutter trash, right in the face.
He’d managed to get most of it off, but he still had streaks of brown gunk on his face.
And how did that not detract from how sexy he was? Seriously. That should be illegal.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to get you in the face with a handful of gutter gunk. Are you all right? I’ll get you a cloth. Did I get you in the eye? I’m so sor—oomph.”
He placed a hand over her mouth.
Right. She was babbling again.
“Hush.”
She was already hushed. She couldn’t talk with his giant hand still covering half her face.
“Why’re you crying?”
She wasn’t crying. Well, not anymore.
He raised his eyebrows. “Lucie?”
Darn it. Why did he have to keep saying her name? It sounded so sexy coming from his lips. When she’d been pressed against him, hugging him tight, all she’d been able to feel was how hard his body was. The man was all muscle. All six-foot-something of him. She felt dainty. If someone with curves like hers could be considered dainty.
He removed his hand from her mouth, only to slide it down to her chin. “What’s wrong? Why were you so upset?”
“I’m scared of heights,” she blurted out. “I thought when my foot slipped that I was going to fall to my death.”
He glanced up at the ladder, which was only eight feet tall, then down to her.
“I’m short, that’s a long way up to me.”
Did she imagine it or did his lips just twitch? Her near-death experience could not be the thing that made him smile. No way. No how.
Not happening, sunshine.
With a huff, she put her hands on her hips. “My fear of heights isn’t funny.”
Immediately, he frowned, and she wished she hadn’t said anything. He didn’t smile enough from what she’d seen. Of course, she’d only known him around six weeks now and maybe seen him a dozen times if she was lucky. And most of those times had been because she was peeking out her window at him while he’d chopped up firewood or worked in his yard.
Yeah, she’d been perving at him and she wasn’t going to apologize.
“No, you’re right. Why were you up a ladder if you’re scared of heights?” He crossed his arms and the material of his shirt stretched over his thick biceps.