Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 57943 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57943 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
While they were doing that, I decided to pick out something for Lia to wear tonight. I knew she’d only really packed clothes for work in her bag. Luckily, the sexy outfit she’d planned on wearing Saturday night was draped across the dresser. I grabbed it plus the impossibly high-heeled shoes as well. There was no way this outfit was going to waste.
After the window was repaired, I locked up and headed out. There were a few more errands I needed to run before picking up Lia. I couldn’t believe I’d be seeing my dad again for the first time in many years. It was going to be awkward to say the least. At least Lia would be with me and we could just bail if things got weird.
At five, I walked into Lia’s work wearing a dressy pair of jeans and a button-up shirt. Dad always liked people to dress for the occasion. The look on her face was priceless when she saw me coming towards her desk.
“Lia, I think there’s a little drool on your face,” I teased with a wink.
This brought her out of her blatant ogling and into the present. She stuck her tongue out, causing me to laugh.
“Girl, you DO need a tissue to wipe that drool. And get one for me too,” sassed someone from the corner. The cute black girl sashayed over to me before sticking out her manicured hand. “I’m Anj, short for Anjel. Don’t ever think about calling me Anjel unless you want to see my horns.”
I laughed at her and shook her hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you formally.”
She grinned at me. “You better treat my girl right or there’ll be hell to pay. I don’t care how fine you are.”
I winked at her. “Oh, I’ll treat her right.”
“Mmmmhmmm. Damn right you will,” she agreed with a hand on her hip. She was on a roll.
Lia finally interrupted our banter, asking what was in the bag I was carrying.
“I brought you a change of clothes for dinner with my dad tonight,” I told her, handing her the bag.
When she peeked inside, she blushed. If I had to guess by the look on her face, she might have been remembering our date.
After she left to change her clothes, I heard Ben call for me from his office. When I stepped inside, he asked me to close the door. The serious look on his face had me worried.
“So Lia tells me there is a man named Sam giving her all kinds of trouble?” he asked.
I sobered up quickly, thinking of everything he’d put her through. “Yes, and I intend to catch that motherfu—bastard in the act,” I growled. “When I do, that will be the end of it and it won’t be pretty.”
Ben nodded at my declaration. “Take care of my girl, Mr. Reeves. I’m holding you personally responsible. She’s the daughter I never was able to have. You can see how much she means to me, so please don’t let anything happen to her. As long as she’s here, I can protect her. You take care of the rest.” He pulled out a nine-millimeter handgun and set it on the desk in front of me.
I stared at the gun for a moment before taking it and sticking it in the waistline of my jeans, pulling my shirt over it. “You have my word,” I promised, meeting his eyes with mine, which showed the conviction I felt.
“Good,” he sighed in relief, effectively ending the conversation.
CALE STEPPED OUT of Pops’s office with a grave look on his face, causing me to frown. When he saw me, though, his face lit up as he smiled.
“Let’s get out of here, babe,” he growled as he looked me up and down. He walked over to me, putting both hands on either side of my face and bent over, planting a kiss on my lips.
My heart ignited in a rapid succession of beats, and I grabbed his head and pulled him in for a longer kiss. He tasted like mint and Cale—the perfect flavor.
When we broke apart, he looked into my eyes with a smoldering look of his own and whispered, “You look fucking hot and I would love nothing more than to rip those jeans off you and ram the shit out of you across your desk.”
My cheeks burned, but not with embarrassment. I nearly convinced myself that it was an excellent idea if it weren’t for Pops sitting in the office in the other room.
After we got in his truck and were heading down the road, he spoke up. “Lia, I am warning you that dinner at my dad’s may not be rainbows and butterflies.”
I nodded and grabbed his hand, understanding that the relationship was a strained one to say the least. When he’d texted me of our plans tonight, I’d been nervous for him but also excited that he wanted to share this part of his life with me.