Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 72790 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72790 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
“Don’t forget the boot. Have someone swing by with it. She’s going to get herself in trouble if I don’t put her ass on lockdown.”
“Which car is it?”
“The faded green hatchback.”
We clasped hands and then he left. I shut the door behind him and shrugged out of my jacket and kicked off my boots. I rolled up my sleeves and grinned.
I had work to do.
Chapter 12
Kirsten
I woke up to the mouthwatering smell of something. Someone was cooking. I sniffed the air appreciatively… I was pretty sure it was steak and eggs. Toast… Coffee too. It smelled so good. Like I’d woken up in a fancy cafe.
Where… am I?
I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and stretched. Then I padded out to the living room to see where the smell was coming from. I must have left the window open or—
I stopped in my tracks.
There were sounds coming from inside the apartment. Someone was in the kitchen. Cooking sounds. Jacey was still at school and she didn’t cook much anyway. Did someone break in and start cooking? Was it the ghost of my mother?
What in God’s name was going on?
I tiptoed down the hallway and peeked into the kitchen door. A wave of relief crashed over me at the sight of the muscular man leaning over the stove.
“Lucky?”
He turned and smiled at me. Everything came rushing back to me all at once. The night before. Him saying to rest and he would take care of things. And he had. He’d gone overboard from what I could tell. I saw empty grocery bags. I saw the food on the counter. I even saw a new coffee maker.
My jaw dropped so far it practically hit the floor.
“Hello, Angel.”
He put down the spatula and crossed to me in three steps. I stood stiffly as he pulled me against him. He kissed me long and deep. I was too stunned to do more than stare at him.
“What did you do?”
“I went shopping.”
“You did what?”
He smiled, completely unbothered by my reaction.
“I went shopping.”
“I didn’t ask you to do that, Lucky. You shouldn’t have–”
“Here, have a muffin.” He smirked at me. “Muffin.”
I had my mouth open to argue when he popped the mini muffin into my mouth. I reluctantly chewed it before almost moaning in ecstasy.
Oh my God, that is a good muffin.
He kissed my mouth again, crumbs and all. I kissed him back this time, his nearness and the food was making me want to purr like a cat. In fact, I would have been more than happy to curl up in his lap and let him pet me for hours.
“You have perfect timing. Go sit.”
I sat numbly at the small table in the living room by the window. It was old and wobbled, and the chairs didn’t match, but it had a piece of vintage fabric over it to pretty it up. Lucky appeared with two cups of coffee. He left again and came back with two plates.
“I hope you’re not a vegetarian.” My jaw dropped at the amount of food on each plate. “It’s okay if you are, I’ll just have to heat up something else.”
“Something… else?”
He shrugged.
“I got a variety.” He handed me silverware and sat across from me. “All organic. Mac said that girls like that. Do you?”
“Yes. I do… it’s… there’s so much… we should save some of it.”
I looked at my plate. I should save this for Jacey. I should–
“There’s plenty more for later. Just eat.” He was cutting into his food when he looked at me, a pensive look on his face. “Please.”
So I ate.
“That was… really good.”
He grinned at me, pleased with himself.
“But you have to take some of it back. I can’t accept all of this food from you.” I pointed to the envelope on the coffee table. “Or that!”
“Yes, you can.”
“Lucky. Maybe if we were together I’d let you buy me groceries in a pinch.”
“We are together.”
I stared at him. From strangers to together? Just like that?
“But… I can’t. I can’t be with anyone right now.”
“Yes, you can.”
He was calm. Unperturbed. Like I’d said something about the weather. Like he was a brick wall and my words just bounced off.
“It’s not you—”
“You like me.”
I sighed in exasperation.
“Yes, I like you, Lucky. But you don’t understand.”
“So, enlighten me.”
“Everything happening with Sal… I have to just get through this.”
“No, you don’t.”
“You don’t understand.”
“You aren’t going back there, Angel.”
“I have to!”
I stood up, hands on my hips. Lucky didn’t look intimidated. No, he was looking at my legs. He licked his lips and shook his head.
“You look good enough to eat, Angel.”
I gasped, realizing I had been sitting there wearing nothing but an oversized t–shirt the entire time. I’d never changed out of my pajamas. I sat down again.
“Don’t say things like that.”
I stared at my lap, silently freaking out. I heard the chair scrape as he stood up and came around the table.