Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 103356 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103356 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Fuck. He hated seeing her like this. She seemed so deflated. As though there was little of the old Lilac left.
He wanted to know how that had been beaten out of her . . . and how he could fix it all.
“I have trouble eating,” she whispered.
This wasn’t the place for this conversation, but he wasn’t telling her that. If she needed to talk to him, then he was here for her. Always.
“Why, baby?” Was it a body dysmorphia thing? Did he need to get her a therapist?
“It . . . I . . . I was never allowed to eat whatever I wanted. There was a strict diet I had to follow when I was growing up. I didn’t eat sweets or bad fats and few carbs. Everything was a bad or good food.”
Fuck.
Even he knew that wasn’t a good thing. And no way for a child to be raised.
“Your parents decided that?”
“Um. Not exactly. My mom died giving birth to me and my dad, well, he had a lot going on, so I was raised by a very strict woman. I called her Mrs. Jansen.”
“You had to call someone who raised you by their last name?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “She really was an awful woman. Well, to me. She loved my brother. She constantly praised him. He was handsome, smart, well-mannered. I was chubby, ill-kept, and ill-mannered.”
“That bitch!”
She startled, then looked around her. “I need to get back to work.”
“You’re on a break, remember?”
“I can’t . . . I don’t think I can eat this.”
“Would it help if we went out the back?” he asked.
She gave him a surprised look. “Um, yeah, it probably would.”
“Hey, I can have good ideas sometimes,” he told her.
Lilac’s eyes grew wide as he picked up her food and then held out a hand to help her down.
“I didn’t mean . . . I wasn’t trying to imply . . .”
He couldn’t stop himself from grinning as she stumbled over her words.
“You’re a rat, Tanner Malone.”
“A rat, huh? No, I think I’m more of a puma. Lying in wait, watching, ready to attack. All sleek, sexy, and beautiful.”
Her mouth dropped open. “You need to be careful or you’ll need a neck brace.”
“For what?” he asked in confusion.
“To help carry around that huge head of yours,” she commented.
“Ha-ha,” he said. But he secretly loved that her sassy side was peeking out.
She finally slipped her hand into his, and he couldn’t help but frown. “You’re cold.”
“Oh, I’m always cold. It’s fine.”
It wasn’t, though. He was really concerned about her. They walked out into the staff room. “I don’t know if you should be out here.”
“Baby, I go where I want.”
“See what I mean? Giant ego.”
He just grinned and placed her food on the table. She sat and he picked up a chair, moving it around to sit next to her. Grabbing a piece of chicken, he brought it to his mouth, then blew on it.
“What are you doing?”
“Making sure this isn’t gonna burn you.”
She blinked at him. “Seriously?”
“Uh, yeah. Why is that hard to understand?” he asked.
“Well, no one has ever . . . I mean . . . I don’t need you to do that.”
“Didn’t think that you did. I want to do it.”
“You’re a strange man, Tanner Malone. One minute you’re easygoing and fun. The next you’re all stern and bossy. One minute you like me, the next you don’t, then you do again.”
“That’s just the mystery of Tanner Malone,” he told her, holding piece of chicken to her mouth. “Open for me, baby.”
A blush filled her cheeks.
“Ooh, what are you thinking about right now?” he teased.
“Nothing.” She bit down on the chicken. Probably so she didn’t have to answer him. But he didn’t care. She was eating and that was a win.
“Hmm, I’m not sure. I think you were thinking about something else. Like, maybe you were thinking about opening your mouth so I could place my —”
“Tanner!”
“Finger into it.” He fed her another fry. “Why, Lilac, what did you think I was going to say, you naughty girl?” He leaned into her. “Did you think I was going to say my cock?”
With a groan, she rested her forehead on the table. “Dead. I’m dead.”
“I sure hope not. Would make it less fun to tease you.”
“Can you please leave and maybe not ever come back so I don’t have to remember how embarrassing this was.”
Something about those words hit him hard. “That’s one thing I won’t do. I won’t ever leave and not come back.”
Ouch.
Double ouch.
Sitting up, she looked over at him. She let all the sorrow she felt fill her face. “I’m so sorry I did that to you, Tanner. I don’t think there are enough sorries to make it up to you, but I want to try.”
He eyed her for a long moment. “You can start by eating a bit more dinner.”