Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93195 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93195 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
She held up the phone and snapped a pic. The click of the camera had Jinx’s eyes slowly opening. After a few blinks, his gaze landed on her.
“Shit,” he whispered as he glanced down at the sleeping infant in his arms. “Fell asleep, huh?”
“Yes, you did.”
“How long?”
“We’ve been here about an hour and a half.”
“Well, fuck. I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to abandon you like that.”
With a smile, Harper waved away his concern. “No problem. I kept myself occupied.”
Jinx stood with a quiet groan and moved to the crib, where he placed the baby on his back with easy movements. Caleb made a squeak of protest but didn’t wake.
“You’re good at this.”
He shrugged. “Been helping a bit over the last few months. Plus, my mom got knocked up when I was seventeen. Took care of the baby a lot.”
“Wow. That’s a big age gap.”
“My family went through a rough patch when I was a teen. She was looking for comfort and ended up with a baby.”
“I’m sorry,” she said as her heart ached for the young Jinx and whatever put that look of sadness in his eye.
“For what?”
“Whatever you went through. It must have been painful.”
He stiffened. “I don’t talk about it.”
“Oh,” she whispered in deference to the sleeping baby. “I wasn’t asking you to. Trust me, I understand wanting to keep things close to your chest.”
“But you told me your story.”
Their gazes met. “I did.”
Tension rose, but not the bad kind. The sexual kind. God, she wanted what he’d promised before Lock interrupted.
“Let’s get out of here before we wake him again, and I’m forced to take another nap.”
“Good idea. You seemed so miserable.”
His low laugh warmed her heart. So did the way he slung his arm around her shoulders as they walked out of the room. She’d let the change of subject slide, but her curiosity would have her asking more about his family at a later time.
“What the fuck?” he said as they entered the living room. He released her and did a slow perusal of the room. “You cleaned?”
“Um… yeah. I didn’t have anything else to do, and he obviously needed some help with it, so I did the kitchen and this room.”
“Harper.” He pulled her close.
The warmth of his body bled into her tired muscles. It’d been a long day, and having someone hold her at the end felt incredible.
“You did not have to do that,” he murmured against her hair and kissed her head. Such a simple, chaste kiss, but it went straight to her wounded heart.
She cleared her thickening throat. “I know. But it really wasn’t a big deal. Most of the mess was trash, which is in a bunch of bags by the front door, by the way. But once I bagged that all up, it really wasn’t bad. Some dishes, a load of laundry, and wiping a lot of counters.”
“It might not be a big deal to you, and, unfortunately, Lock probably won’t give you the thanks you deserve, but it means something to me, Harp. So thank you.”
She peered up into his eyes, but words wouldn’t come. His expression said so much more than his words. Gratitude, appreciation, admiration, and desire if she read him correctly.
“You’re amazing,” he whispered in a husky tone as his mouth moved toward hers. His phone chimed. “Always with the bad fucking timing.”
“Everything okay?”
He swiped his phone screen. “Yeah, looks like Lock will be another hour.” He shifted his roguish gaze to her. “Hmm… whatever will we do to pass the time?”
“Um…” She suddenly thought she’d just become prey to this wild animal.
He advanced on her, forcing her to back up. “Oh, I have an idea of something to keep us busy.”
“What? Oh!” The backs of her legs hit the couch, causing her to lose her balance and plop down.
“Oops,” he said with a complete lack of sincerity. “Hold on, let me help you out there.” He pulled over a giant ottoman and sat on it in front of her.
“What are you… oh my God.”
Jinx grabbed the back of her legs and hauled her halfway onto his lap. Her back hit the couch with a bounce as her borrowed dress hiked up, revealing the very skimpy panties Liv had gifted her.
He had a prime view of the tiny swatch of fabric covering her pussy, which rapidly grew wet.
“Jinx!” She scrambled to pull the dress back down, but he grabbed her hands and anchored them to the couch on either side of her head.
“Hell no. You got a chance to eat earlier when I didn’t. Now I’m hungry, and I want my treat.”
Holy crap, who talked like that?
He did, and apparently, it did it for her because she left her hands right where he’d placed them when he released her.
“Fuck, look at you. All spread out for me. Wet. Hot. Tight fucking nipples trying to escape that sinful dress.”