Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 121460 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121460 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
“It’s an honest question. I mean, I’m feeling a wee bit inadequate after seeing that.”
“Shut up.” I shoved it in the box, slamming the lid back on. “You can’t just come in here and start nosing around in my things.”
“Why? Do you have more sex toys lying around I should know about?” He peeked under the bed. “I’m surprised they’d fit with that thing taking up so much room.”
“I’m going to kill you.”
He stood up, chuckling. “Don’t be embarrassed, Roe. Masturbation is perfectly natural, even if your choice of toys is not.”
“You’re a bastard.”
Brodan’s laughter filled the caravan as I grabbed the suitcase out of his hand and threw open the small wardrobe. I pulled clothes off their hangers and tensed as Brodan hovered near my back.
“Is that all you’ve got with you? Where’re the rest of your clothes?”
“These are all of my clothes,” I gritted out between clenched teeth.
He grunted, sounding agitated.
Embarrassed, I turned to glower at him. “Not all of us are made of money and can afford a house-sized wardrobe filled with clothes.”
Those pale eyes locked onto mine. “I’m not judging you, Sunset.”
The nickname tore through me. “Brodan—”
“I should have been taking care of you,” he said with gruff self-reproach.
I stiffened. “I take care of myself. And anyway”—I turned to the closet—“I’m not yours to take care of.”
There was a moment of silence and then I felt his heat score along my back. His breath tickled my ear as he leaned in, scattering goose bumps down my spine. “You’ve always been mine to take care of. And today is the day I stop failing at it.”
“Got the boxes!” Mac called from the other end of the caravan, and I let out a breath as Brodan moved away.
It took less than half an hour to pack up my life, and I think I found that more depressing than anything. Ultimately, I let Brodan and Mac move me out of the caravan, because I knew they were both right. Living there in the cold autumn had been miserable, and I could only imagine winter would be horrendous.
Trying to exorcise Brodan’s words to me in the bedroom, I followed them in a bit of a daze, driving my car out of the park and down the country road toward the center of the village. I parked in the allocated parking spot behind the row houses, and because there was no back door, I walked around the building to Castle Street where Brodan and Mac had parked out front of the cottage.
Touring the row house, I decided I didn’t care if the whole situation was a sting to my pride. The cottage was lovely. It was comfortable and inviting. The front door led into the sitting room, with the staircase against the wall directly opposite the entrance. A wood burner (heaven!) sat in the corner of the living room, and of the two dark, worn leather sofas, one pointed toward the fire, the other toward the huge TV mounted on the wall. An actual television. It felt like forever since I’d had one of those. There were tartan cushions and throw blankets, footstools, and a battered wooden coffee table.
A doorway at the back of the room led into a small kitchen. It had been renovated and was very modern with sleek white cabinets, white tile flooring, and a gray quartz countertop. Lovely. A door off the kitchen led to a small downstairs bathroom.
Upstairs was a tidy guest bedroom and a primary bedroom. The main bedroom wasn’t massive but cozy. An original fireplace must’ve been used by the prior tenants because there was ash in the grate and a basket of fresh firewood next to it. A fire in the bedroom too? This really was heaven. The bed took up most of the space, and the frame was made of solid dark oak. A pile of decorative cushions over plump, luxurious pillows made me want to dive right into it.
Yup, definitely worth my pride, I decided as I signed the tenancy agreement. I knew for a fact Mac and Arro were charging me way less rent than what the place was worth. That stung, too, but I was also incredibly grateful and told Mac so. He shrugged uncomfortably. “By Arro, Arran, and Brodan’s account, you’re family. We take care of our family.”
Emotion clogged my throat, and I met Brodan’s searching gaze.
“I told you,” he said quietly. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make this right.”
Trepidation filled me. “The cottage is lovely, Brodan, but you must know that it’s not enough. I can’t be bought.”
“I know that.” His gaze moved to Mac.
Mac gave him an abrupt nod before informing me, “There’s some food in the fridge, some milk. Here are your keys and my number.” He held out said keys and a card. “You give me a shout if you need anything.”