Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
When the food came, my eyes rounded at the sheer amount of it that sat between us. Derek laughed, but his eyes were just as big. “Maybe six was too much?”
I laughed. “I envision barbecue leftovers for the rest of the week.”
“At least,” he agreed and dug in. With the food as a perfect barrier between us, conversation flowed freely and easily. “Damn this is really good. Try it.” He held a piece of brisket between his thumb and forefinger up to my lips for me to taste. “Don’t be shy,” he teased.
I rolled my eyes and held my breath, then leaned forward to take the meat from his hand, which was impossible to do without brushing my lips against his fingers. “Damn, that is good.”
Derek stared at my mouth and moaned, the sound was low and masculine. Entirely too sexy. “Yeah…”
Time for a hasty diversion. “Everest said you’re building a recording studio?”
He blinked and nodded slowly. “That’s the plan. Construction has already begun, and should be done in the next few weeks. Are you worried about the noise?”
“Not at all, just curious. Will the music have the same sound as a regular studio?”
He grinned. “Yes. Plenty of artists have home studios these days because you can record whenever you want, which comes in handy more than you might think.”
“I get some of my best thinking done in the wee hours of the night, so I get it.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded. “I haven’t been a traditional farmer for years, so I imagine it will take some time to get used to the early morning schedule.” I still stayed up too late, because no amount of exhaustion would quiet my mind until it was good and ready.
“If not a traditional farmer, then what?”
“Mostly vertical farming, but other methods to minimize land use without decreasing crop output. I worked for agricultural companies to find ways to increase crop yield without destroying the land or adding too many chemicals to the crops.”
“Wow, so you’re a proper smarty, then?”
I laughed. “You could say that.”
“Smart as hell and beautiful? I can see that you chose to become a farmer to avoid all the men beating down your door to become husband number three.”
His words shocked a loud laugh out of me. “Yeah, sure. That’s totally why.”
“Guess it was just dumb luck that I wanted a lot of land with a place to build a studio.” He sat back, his expression was so confident it was almost cocky.
“I don’t know Derek, it could have just as easily ended up with you buried on that land somewhere.”
“Good point,” he murmured. “Check, please!”
I laughed. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid now?”
“Me? Definitely not. But now that we’re stuffed with barbecue, I think it’s time to dance off a few calories.”
Dancing? My body pressed up against Derek’s under dim lights? Alcohol flowing through my veins? “Or maybe a nice, sedate walk?”
Derek laughed as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.
Chapter 16
Derek
“Come on Bella, you’re not afraid of a little dancing are you?” My words were meant to tease her as we stood on the edge of the dance floor, especially once I realized she was genuinely worried about it.
She stood a little taller, her delicate shoulders squared, her chin tilted up defiantly. “No afraid, no. I love dancing, but I haven’t done it outside my kitchen in ages.”
I bumped her shoulder and smiled. “Think of it like homecoming or prom, just get out there and strut your stuff.”
She turned to me with those big brown eyes that were so full of emotion, and swallowed. “I didn’t go to homecoming dances. Or prom. Who would ask the girl with dirt under her fingernails and hay in her hair?”
I kicked myself once again for the jerk I’d been back then, the guy who made her doubt her self-worth. “I always thought it was kind of cute, that you were so preoccupied with whatever book you were reading to even notice there was hay in your hair. Or that you’d left a few sugar cubes in your pants pocket.”
Her cheeks pinkened even under the dim lights of the dance club. “There’s no need to rewrite history Derek. I know who I was back then, and I know what you thought of me.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” I told her and clasped our hands together before I tugged her out onto the dance floor. I refused to let another moment pass where Bella thought she was undesirable, so I led her to the center of the floor and moved with her until her body started to relax. The first two songs that played were country songs, and surprisingly the line dancing relaxed her. She smiled wide as she mentally counted the steps and her laughter was contagious when she missed a step or two.
“I haven’t done that in forever!” And she didn’t slow down when the third song, the country version of the cha-cha slide, started up. “Okay, I’ve got this one,” she said, determination thick in her voice. Bella nibbled her lip as she listened to the instructions the first time around. By the third go round, she was loose and free, enjoying herself fully.