Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81581 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81581 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
“Oh.”
“Wear something casual. Jeans or something,” he says.
“And a bra?” I taunt, my lips turning up to give him a wicked grin.
His laugh is charming and it shaves years off his age. “Clothing is always optional when you’re around me. I may have to beat some motherfuckers down for looking but I’m not opposed to the idea, little quitter.”
He’s already turning on his heel and pulling the door open.
“Bye, Gray.” Hours ago I hated the very ground he walked on, and now, I don’t want him to leave.
“Bye, Violet.”
The day started out shitty but having Violet bend to my requests earlier certainly made it better. I’d also successfully managed to return her key while she showered. She’s already softening toward me. Soon, she’ll soften beneath me as she takes every inch of my hardness. I can imagine her pouty lips begging. Please fuck me, Gray. Oh God…
My eyes slam shut as my release spurts out in the shower against the slate-tiled wall. There was no way I’d be able to walk around with my cock at half-mast through dinner. I don’t like how my body responds as though I’m fifteen again and getting my dick wet for the first time. And yet, this is the most exhilarated I’ve felt in two decades.
I quickly dress, attempting to keep it casual. Dark jeans and a pale grey cashmere sweater. I’d told her to wear jeans but I’d love to see her in a dress. To slide my rough palm up her smooth, bare silky thigh and—
“Gray!”
I’m jolted from the hot-as-hell vision by the soft feminine voice on the other side of my bedroom door. Guilt sluices through me. I’ve been hiding from one of the few people in my life who matters anymore. Lying to her. Telling her I’ve been inundated with work.
Sauntering over to the door, I do my best to plaster on an easy smile. When I open it, I find the other part of my heart staring up at me with curious blue eyes. Kind, sweet, innocent. I’m everything to her.
“Gwen.”
The little sprite of a woman launches herself into my arms. She’s much shorter than me and only comes up to the top of my chest. Her wild chestnut hair has been somewhat tamed into a bun. Paint speckles her hair, and when she looks up at me, I see it’s on her freckled nose as well. “Work must have been a doozy. You never came home last night.” There’s a hint of accusation in her voice. Once again, the guilt floods through me.
I pet her hair and shrug my shoulders. “Just unexpected was all. How did you fare last night?”
She tugs away and plops down on the bed with a sigh. “It was lonely without you. I had to eat dinner alone. You know,” she grumbles. “A phone call would have been nice.”
I keep my expression impassive. It’s hard to call when you’re hiding under a woman’s bed. “I lost track of time.” Mostly the truth.
Her eyes narrow as she searches for answers. We’ve been this way for as long as I remember. Me, dutifully caring for her but never letting her see past my own barriers. I’m the man of this house and I intend on keeping my weaknesses shielded from her. Always.
“I thought maybe we could have dinner tonight and you know…” she trails off, her cheeks turning rosy. I know what she wants, but she won’t ask for it. She wants me to go there with her. I suppress the shudder that threatens to overcome me. Until she asks, I won’t offer. I don’t miss the love flashing in her eyes, pleading for me to give it to her.
I cringe at the very thought.
Absolutely disgusted.
“I actually have plans,” I lie. “Work stuff.”
When her bottom lip wobbles, I weaken. “What sort of stuff?” she questions, a slight pout in her voice that I’ve never been able to resist. “Maybe I could tag along.”
My chest tightens at the thought of Gwen and Violet in the same room. It’s too much. Too emotionally crippling. I scrub my face with my palm. “Another time.” My voice is gruff.
“You’re hiding something from me,” she declares as she rises from the bed. She stalks over to her favorite place to annoy me and plops down. Her legs are crossed as she attempts to decode the numbers of the lock that’s attached to the cedar chest. “Who is she?” she demands with her back to me.
“Enough of this, Gwen,” I seethe as I pace at the end of the bed. “We’ll spend the day together tomorrow. Just give it a rest.”
She gives up on the lock, like always, and stands. “I have a part of you inside of me. You seem to forget. It links us, Gray. Some weird kind of sixth sense. I feel it. Something is wrong. You’re hiding something from me. You promised you’d never do this to me.”