Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 38483 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 192(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38483 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 192(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
I nod and sniffle while I wipe away what’s left of my tears.
His blue eyes fill with worry. “Am I fucking up? You need me to back off?”
“No!” That’s the last thing I want. After what happened to me the night I got pregnant, I didn’t think I’d ever want to get close to a guy, but Justin isn’t just anyone. He’s kind, funny, and crazy hot. And so patient with me. He’s somehow managed to work his way past the wall I’d put up to protect myself before I even realized what he was doing. Now he’s inside there with me, close to my heart. Honestly, I didn’t stand a chance when it came to falling for him. I grip his wide shoulders, pull him closer, and brush my mouth against his, whispering, “Please don’t back off.”
“Never,” he groans. “That’s the only thing you could ask me for that’d be almost impossible to give.”
I smile up at him and tilt my head to the side. “What if I want a pony?”
“That’d be doable.” His eyes light up and he grins. “The landlord allows pets, but I’m not sure what the rules are when it comes to having a horse. If we couldn’t keep one here, we can buy some land.”
“I like that idea, but every penny I have is going to the baby right now,” I admit as my stomach fills with unease. I hate the idea of him thinking I’m using him for anything. I know he’s stable. Even in his twenties, he’s living a life most guys would envy. He has a job he loves, where he works from home a lot of the time, and it must pay well, since he has an eighty-two-inch television in his living room and another in his bedroom. He seems to have every game system known to mankind, and uses a computer system unlike anything I’ve ever seen before with six monitors and a desktop that must be custom-built. Then there’s me, living with a roommate, pregnant by another man, and working at a strip club because it’s the only job I could get when I moved here.
“Baby.” He takes my face in his hands. “I’ll get you and the baby anything you need.”
“I would never ask you to do that.”
“That’s the thing—you’re not asking me.” He kisses my forehead, and a fresh wave of tears fills my eyes.
I never knew men like him existed, men who give without any strings attached. I can only hope that someday I’ll be able to stop taking from him and start giving back too.
“Anything you want, it’s yours,” he says softly.
I open my mouth to say something, anything to express how much he means to me, but instead my stomach chooses that moment to let out a low growl.
He rests his hand on my belly. “Let’s start with getting you and my girl some dinner.”
His girl. He’s killing me.
“I should probably eat something,” I agree. “My stomach felt like it was in knots all day, and I don’t think I ate enough.”
He brushes his lips against mine before getting up and walking over to the kitchen. “Were you that stressed out about going past your due date?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I say, rubbing my belly. “The doctor said it’s too early to worry, but I still let it get to me. I just want her here already, and carrying her around is taking a toll on my back.”
He pulls the leftovers from last night’s dinner out of the fridge then looks at me and smiles. “It isn’t a pony, but I’ll give you a massage after dinner if you want. It might help you relax a little.”
“A massage?” I repeat softly, remembering how good it felt to have him rub my feet earlier.
“Yeah, I read online that it’s great for stress relief late in pregnancy,” he explains, and my cheeks flood with heat and my body tingles at the thought of his strong hands stroking over my naked body. “Would you like that?”
I clear my throat and answer with a quiet “Yeah.” Even though I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to control the hormones raging through my body or the need I have for him.
Chapter 6
JUSTIN
I DON’T THINK I taste a single bite of the food as I shovel it into my mouth. All I can think about is getting my hands on Aubrey’s beautiful body. I told her I want to give her a massage to help her relax, but truthfully I want her to get used to my touch.
Even with her only sharing bits and pieces of her past with me, I’m smart enough to know that something dark happened between her and the guy who got her pregnant. There is no other reason a woman like her would want him dead, only she doesn’t know that’s something I’d be willing to make happen if she ever asked me to. I want her to feel safe. I want her to know I will do whatever I need to do to protect her and her daughter. And since she ran to protect her baby, I know it might come to that. Just as long as when the dust settles we’re together I don’t give a fuck what goes down.