Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
That thought should have filled me with relief.
Yet, somehow, all I felt was a sort of overpowering sadness.
What the hell was that about?
CHAPTER TWELVE
A
The rest of that night went off without incident.
Without me getting her all hot and bothered with fictional and not-so-fictional words and actions.
Mostly because she hauled her sweet ass up the stairs with Val right behind her, then locked herself in her room to avoid me.
And the feelings she was clearly getting about me.
If I were being honest, that shit wasn’t one-sided either.
I wanted her.
Of course I did.
All I could think about was getting my face and fingers and cock between her thighs again.
And the fucking sex book wasn’t helping.
I’d read a little bit of everything over the years, but had to admit that I’d always skipped the romance and erotica sections.
Why, though, was the question I had been asking myself since I picked it up and gotten sucked right in.
The fucking aching cock and balls from the many, very detailed scenes, though, was less than pleasant.
And when I took my cock into my hands it wasn’t the characters I was thinking about anymore.
It was Hope.
That tight ass of hers offered up to me, begging to be slapped. Her hair wrapped around my hand.
Her tight walls holding onto my cock as I slammed into her.
I’d returned the goddamn book the day after I’d checked it out, but the thoughts were still clinging to me.
Probably especially so because Hope was avoiding me like I was carrying some sort of viral plague.
Sure, it was a big house. And, yeah, she could have just so happened to be at a different end of it each time I was somewhere.
But I wasn’t stupid.
She was actively trying to stay away from me. Because she knew if we got close again, that shit was gonna progress.
I was just coming down from getting changed when I heard sounds outside. Barking, and something else, too. A female voice.
I ran down the last few steps and flew out the back door to find Hope standing there, a bright yellow tennis ball in her hand, and at least six of my dogs with their fronts down, and asses up, tails wagging, waiting for her to throw it.
“You ready? Are you?” she asked, doing that little sweet sing-song voice chicks did with dogs, one I couldn’t have imagined coming out of her.
When she got a small chorus of barks, she cocked back, and sent the ball flying.
“Thought you didn’t like the dogs,” I said, watching as she stiffened, then tried to relax, before turning.
“I never said that,” she insisted, chin jerked up.
“Think they’re just growing on ya, and now you’re trying to make up for being standoffish before,” I said, hanging back even if everything in me wanted to move forward, to grab her, to slam her back against the tree a few feet to her side, yanking off her panties, and slamming inside of her.
“Fine. Maybe,” she said, shrugging. “They were all whiny and pent-up inside from all the rain this morning,” she told me. “They needed to run that energy off.”
Normally, that would be my place. But I was busy getting myself ready to intercept whatever the fuck was going on with my shipment later that night.
Alone.
Because I didn’t know who the fuck to trust anymore.
It wasn’t that I’d never done a mission alone before. There was plenty of that shit when I was just a lackey on someone else’s payroll. Someone disposable, easily replaceable.
The stakes were higher now.
I had a whole organization to take care of.
Ones who had been loyal from the jump, even if I was looking at everyone sideways for the time being.
“It’s good,” I said, looking at her. “They like you,” I added as they came bounding back, one with the ball, the rest hopeful to get the next one.
“It seems like they like everyone,” she said, tossing the ball. “They’re well-socialized is what my cousin would say.”
“They are,” I agreed. It was important. Especially if they were going to be used for security. You didn’t want a mean all the way around dog, just one who could be mean when they needed to be. “Until they’re not,” I added, looking off at the edge of the property.
“Have you ever had someone break in?” she asked.
“Yep.”
“Did the dogs… kill them?” she asked, cringing at the idea.
“Not what they’re trained to do,” I said, shaking my head.
“What are they trained to do then?”
“Maim. Keep ‘em cornered until I can come handle shit.”
“Like a police dog, I guess,” she said, tossing the ball once more. “You’re heading out?” she asked, looking at my all-black clothes.
By the way her gaze lingered, I wondered if she could see the holsters. At my hip. My ankle. Under my arm.
I’d grab more than that once I got to the port.