Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 42829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Mack sniffed and smiled. It smelled awesome. Something chicken. A picture popped into his head of the canned chicken noodle soup with the stars and a few pieces of diced veggies. He hadn’t eaten that in years.
Grey didn’t eat that.
“You have your choice of two bedrooms. This is the one I offer to guests,” Grey told him.
Mack peeked in to see a well-decorated room with everything and more a person needed to be comfortable. “That looks great, unless you have a smaller room for me. I don’t want to impose. Oops!” That last sound escaped his lips when he became the target of a very unhappy look from Grey.
“This room I haven’t opened for anyone else. This might be a place you’re interested in.”
Grey opened a door and stepped inside. Mack followed him automatically. One step over the threshold made him freeze. Against one wall was a bed shaped like a racecar—but not short like made for a kid. This was a full queen mattress, he guessed.
He looked around in amazement. There was a bookshelf with books, a cargo net on the wall with all sorts of stuffies, and a toy chest. There was a piece of furniture that looked like an overgrown changing table and a few things he didn’t recognize. Mack knew immediately what that chair facing the corner was and the paddle hanging on the wall.
“Is this a nursery?” he asked, turning in a slow circle to see everything.
“It is. For a Little boy. Would you like to stay in here?”
The allure of that bed and all those stuffies was too much to resist. He didn’t care if he looked silly. “Yes, please.”
Grey looked pleased. “I’m glad. Please make yourself at home. Unpack. I’d love for you to stay with me.”
“What if I’m a total jerk?” Mack asked jokingly.
“I have a paddle for that.”
Quickly, he decided to change that thought in Grey’s mind. “I’m really a good guest. I won’t cause any problems. Promise.”
“If I really thought you were a jerk, you wouldn’t be here,” Grey assured him. “I’ll let you settle in. Dinner is in thirty minutes.”
Mack pinched himself when Grey left him alone. “Ouch!” He was awake. This was real. Had Grey focused on his lips before he left? Mack had gotten the impression he wanted to kiss him but had controlled the urge for some reason.
Pushing that thought away, he focused on the bed. He could remember wanting one of those when he was a kid.
Without hesitating a moment more, Mack dove onto the racecar bed. His fingers ran over the side frame and discovered a deep hole in one side. He checked the other and found its twin. He wondered what that was designed to do before dismissing it from his mind as he turned the steering wheel on the headboard. This was the most fun ever.
CHAPTER 4
Grey walked to the stove and lifted the lid. Stirring the fragrant mixture, he laughed to himself. Chicken soup healed all wounds.
There was more to Mack’s story than he’d gleaned from him. Hopefully, he’d feel comfortable sharing more as they got to know each other.
This feeling of instant connection with Mack was a challenge. Grey always trusted his gut in business. After dealing with all sorts of clients in his law practice, Grey felt comfortable in detecting the bad guys. Bad being someone who didn’t tell him the truth. There was nothing worse than finding out your client had withheld information integral to the case because it made them look like they’d done something wrong. When they got on the witness stand, they really looked guilty. Then every juror automatically questioned anything that came out of their mouths.
Mack wasn’t one of the bad guys. Grey was sure of that.
And their instant connection? He had to trust his intuition on that as well. He’d never felt this strongly about anyone in his life. When his last relationship broke up, Grey had taken a step back from dating. He knew he wasn’t finding the one who would make his life complete in all the right ways.
A sound behind him made Grey turn around. Mack stood apprehensively behind him. “Hey. Did you get unpacked?”
“I figured I’d live out of my suitcase for a while. Just in case you decide I need to get out of here quickly.”
Grey studied his face. “If that makes you feel better, perfect. I’m not planning on you going anywhere. Are you hungry?”
“Whatever that is, it smells amazing,” Mack said in a rush. “Armando’s was the best meal I’ve had in a while. Ramen gets old.”
Cringing at the thought of that salty mix, Grey nodded. “I have a recipe for a salad using those blocks of noodles. That’s the only way I love that stuff.”
“Oh! I’ve tried that. It has those little canned oranges in it and almonds,” Mack said. “That is good. I’ve never made it. I’m okay with simple stuff—grilling, ramen, microwavable stuff.”