Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 70171 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70171 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
“Yeah, she likes to stay up there,” I admitted. “If you can’t find her, that’s generally where she’s at.”
She set her bag down onto the counter, and I followed suit with the shit that was in my hand.
I took a cursory look through the mail.
When I saw nothing but bills and one letter that looked like it could be another offer to buy my house, I shoved it all to the side and turned to the woman that had followed me into the kitchen.
Her eyes were on me as she waited.
“What?” I asked.
“What was that look on your face?” she questioned.
I gestured to the mail.
“I have a company that continually tries to buy my house. They send me a letter at least once a month requesting to purchase it and the surrounding acreage. I at first called them and told them no. Now I just throw the shit away. But it still pisses me off when I get them,” I admitted.
She frowned. “Did you ask them why they wanted it?”
I nodded. “I did. He said that they had a family member that owned the land before me that wanted it back. I told them I wasn’t interested. Now we play this stupid game once a month. Each time the price on the house goes higher and higher.”
“What are they offering you?” she asked. “Is it a price that’s at least worthy of what you would sell it for?”
I nodded. “They’re up to one and three-quarters of a million right now. It steadily goes up each month by about fifty grand.”
She shook her head. “What’s it worth?”
“About half that,” I admitted.
“Do you think that they’ll ever stop offering?” she asked. “And is there a price that you are willing to sell it for?”
I shook my head. “Nope. I built this house with my own two hands. I’m not selling it to someone that’ll just tear it down. I looked up the company online. They’re land developers. They specialize in outdoor shopping malls. The area that I’m located, which is still within the city limits, is apparently where all the town’s growing toward. The people at the end of my road sold out to Walmart and got about eight times what their property is worth.”
“You don’t mind having commercial property around you?” she asked.
I gestured at the window.
“On that side of me is the Valentine ranch. They’ve owned that property for years. They just acquired quite a bit more a few years ago. On this side of me” —I gestured with my thumb— “is Nico, a member of the KPD SWAT team. He owns about half of what the Valentines own. And on that side of me is an old man that I’ve already got a binding contract with. When he passes away, he’ll sell me his land. That makes about a thousand acres in this particular area that’ll never be commercially zoned. Nobody will ever sell theirs, either.”
She smiled.
“That’s good,” she said. “That you have neighbors like that.”
I tilted my head and studied her.
“What’s wrong?” I asked when I noticed her fidgeting hands.
She licked her lips. “I don’t know what to do.”
My heart melted.
“What do you want to do?” I asked.
“Make a snack,” she admitted.
I gestured at the fridge.
“Honey,” I said softly. “If you want a snack, eat it. If you want to remodel the kitchen, probably might need to hire a contractor first, but do it. If you want to take off your clothes and walk around naked…it’s your house. Just know that I can’t control myself when I see those pretty titties.”
She burst out laughing.
“I don’t usually walk around naked,” she admitted.
“Shame,” I murmured, feeling parts of me come to life at the thought of her naked. Of the thought of walking in the door and seeing her puttering around the kitchen in nothing but skin.
Her eyes went a little hot as she took me in, her eyes going from my head and traveling down the length of my body.
Her eyes snagged on my growing erection that was now filling up the front of my jeans.
“As your wife, you should’ve probably carried me over the threshold,” she teased.
I levered myself off of my lean against the counter and walked toward her.
She held her ground.
“I made a mistake,” I said as I bent down and caught her up bridal style. “I can’t do it for the house, but I can definitely do it for the bedroom.”
She shrieked when my wet clothes met her heated skin.
“You’re cold!” she cried out.
I was cold. The air conditioner was on in my house, and I’d been standing in damp clothes since I’d arrived.
But Piper? She was deliciously warm, and she was squirming up against me, shoving those pretty tits of hers in my face.
And that was when I decided that I should probably do other traditional things, too.