Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 131459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 526(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 526(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
“You’re worried I’ll shut you out again,” he deduced.
“Of course I am. I’ve wanted you for years. I have you. I had a day of that, and it hurt.”
Christ, he did to her what Genny did to him.
Tom tightened his arms around her.
“I won’t shut you out again,” he promised.
“I know, because I won’t let you,” she replied.
He stared at her.
I know, because I won’t let you.
Simple.
Perfect.
Precisely what he needed.
Finally, Tom allowed his hand to move. He tucked her hair behind her ear so he could cup the side of her head, open them up to the world.
He did that because with what she said, he knew they’d be safe in it.
Or at least he felt safe there.
“You’re magnificent,” he whispered.
“Thanks,” she whispered back. “You’re pretty awesome too.”
“If we didn’t have to get ready to go to this meeting, I’d demonstrate some more pretty awesome.”
“Baby, when you come when your dick is in my mouth.” She shook her head as she rolled her eyes. “Glorious. There is no better show on this planet. I don’t know if I can take any more awesome this morning.”
He chuckled and through it said, “Bullshit.”
She grinned widely at him and replied, “Totally.”
That was when he kissed her.
He did it a long time.
And after, they got out of bed to get ready for their meeting.
But Tom did it feeling lighter than he had in years.
He also did it thinking his Mika wasn’t only magnificent.
She was a miracle worker.
* * *
Tom was uncomfortable, sitting in Jamie’s large office at his personal conference table.
He was this because he was watching Hale, and he saw Hale was not the same.
He was comfortable.
Completely.
All his life, Hale had been active.
He was an athlete, and a good one, specifically baseball, but he didn’t have much interest.
Skateboarding was more his thing. Being out with his buds at skate parks, taking risks, doing tricks.
This, however, was mostly about being away from the adults in his life.
His father never had much interest.
His mother was a piece of work.
So it was skateboarding, to the point when he was fifteen, Hale quit playing baseball altogether and spent most of his free time when he wasn’t with Tom and Genny with his friends and his board.
Furthermore, anytime he could, and this accelerated when he was able to drive, he was at the beach, surfing. Or he was in the hills, hiking. He begged to go to summer camp. Then, when he got old enough, he begged to be a counselor at that camp.
In the end, he made a career out of working with troubled kids in the out of doors before he inherited billions.
Now he was wearing a custom-fitted, gray Prada suit, and he looked like he grew up at Corey’s knee, making deals to take over the world.
This didn’t sit well with Tom, partly because he feared this type of life would lure Hale when it was not who he was, partly because he feared Hale hated it, but was burying that to get the job done, but bottom line, he was unhappy.
They each had individual bottles of Perrier, glasses of ice and lemon and lime slices in a small China bowl, as well coffee cups filled with an excellent Ethiopian blend, and there were two silver trays on the table. One covered with slices of rustic bread topped with a crumbly cheese and fruit, with an alternate of thin toast covered in slices of avocado. The other held miniature Danish.
Tom didn’t partake.
He’d had a breakfast of French toast fingers Mika made him that he ate under the baleful glare of Teddy, who was wearing another stylish outfit, perfectly turned out at nine a.m., prepared to and giving Mika a full briefing of everything he’d been doing since she’d been gone, everything she might need to know for the now…and beyond.
Through this, Teddy made no bones about showing his disapproval that Tom was in pajama bottoms and a tee and looked as brilliantly sucked off as he was.
Mika, he could tell, thought this was hilarious.
Tom did his best to ignore it, a task which wasn’t that hard, considering her French toast fingers were superb, and he was still recovering from the spectacular orgasm she’d given him, and the even better talk they’d had after.
“Enjoy the food made by the groceries I had brought in,” was Teddy’s farewell, uttered like he’d personally scoured the length and breadth of New York City to make sure they had milk, bread and eggs.
Tom lifted a French toast finger in salute. “Your toil is very appreciated.”
Mika snorted as she swallowed her laugh.
Teddy’s eyes bulged.
Mika waited until she was back in the kitchen after walking him to the front door before she burst out laughing.
Cadence was, by this time, at school.
Now, they were being shown Jamie’s generosity as they waited for Jamie’s investigator to arrive.