Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
And yet, the truth was there was something about him that intrigued me in a way I wasn’t sure I’d ever experienced before. I really wanted to know what made him tick. He clearly wanted me but hated that fact. He’d had some weird thing against me from the start, but he also watched me and did kind things like telling me I was great when he knew I needed to hear it, and he’d asked me if I needed a ride home.
And the way he’d taken me in the storage room? That definitely made me even more interested in this man who was so calm and collected in some ways but wild in others. And, ugh, of course I wanted to sleep with him again, but none of those things meant I liked him.
My stomach growled, and Seth playfully rolled his eyes at me. “Come on, let’s go make breakfast.”
We made chocolate-chip pancakes together, which was my specialty. Afterward, Seth had some studying to do, so he went to the library. There was work I needed to get done as well, but I felt antsy, this pent-up energy sizzling beneath my skin. Maybe it was some sort of high from performing, I wasn’t sure, but I knew I couldn’t sit at the computer right then.
I showered, dressed, and put on light, toned-down makeup before taking off. I had no idea where I was going, but eventually found myself at the park where I’d seen Dane and Hailey before.
It was a cloudy, foggy Portland day, and there weren’t many people there. I went over to the swings, because it didn’t matter how old I was, there was nothing like swinging. The weather got to me sometimes in the months when it was gray a lot. This felt like one of those days, so I pulled up Grindr while I sat on the swing, thinking about finding someone to take my mind off things. It didn’t take long before I realized I wasn’t in the mood, so I closed the app, pushed off the ground, and swung.
Maybe I should have felt silly, but I didn’t. I took joy in these sorts of small things and figured other people would be much happier in their lives if they did too. Did Dane ever do something simple like swing? When he wasn’t with Hailey, I meant. Somehow, I didn’t think he did.
Closing my eyes, I went as high as I could, enjoying the cool air nipping at me. I didn’t know how long I was there before I heard, “Desse!”
I opened my eyes to see Hailey running toward me. Dane stood still behind her, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his threadbare jeans. He had his head cocked to the side, looking at me, his eyebrows pinched together like I was dancing on an elephant rather than swinging.
“Hey, little one!” I stopped and stood, shocked when she ran to me and wrapped her arms around me in a hug. Oh, my heart melted. I totally got why she had Dane wrapped around her finger.
“Did you come to see us?” she asked, and I looked over at Dane. He shrugged as if to tell me I could answer however I wanted.
“I sure did. Surprise!”
“Yay!” Hailey giggled.
“I know, I’m fun, right?” I asked her, and Dane shook his head, though a small smile teased the corners of his lips.
“Yes! You’re fun, isn’t he, Unca Dame?”
I was definitely interested in how he would respond. He still had his hands in his pockets, but he’d come closer.
“Aren’t I, Uncle Dame?” I added, and damned if his cheeks didn’t turn a light shade of pink. It was cute as hell, damn him.
“Yeah, he’s fun.” His voice was tense, like he hadn’t wanted to say it, but he also hadn’t wanted to let his niece down.
“Thank you.” I curtsied before turning my attention to Hailey. “Here, let’s get you on the swing.”
“I can do it.” Dane stepped forward, but I shook him off.
“I want to…if that’s okay?”
His forehead wrinkled again, his brows pulling together, but he said, “Yeah, of course.”
I lifted Hailey on the swing and began to push her. She giggled and babbled about all sorts of things as I pushed her. “…and I like your makeup!” she exclaimed.
“Thank you. I really like doing it.”
“Can you paint my face too?”
I totally would, but I didn’t know how Dane or Hailey’s mom would feel about that, so I looked at him, where he leaned against a pole, his blue eyes intense as he looked at me. What was going on in that head of his? I couldn’t figure him out, and the way he was looking at me, I didn’t think he could figure me out either. I was an open book, though. All he had to do was ask.