Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 114284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 571(@200wpm)___ 457(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 571(@200wpm)___ 457(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
“You can explain to your hubby that you know Lane’s little secret,” I told Macklin. Then I finished my water and tossed the bottle in the recycling bin. “I’m out, fellas. You have a nice evenin’.” I ruffled Macklin’s hair as I passed him, much to his squawked dismay and my entertainment, and then I closed the distance between Walker and me and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.
But that wasn’t enough. He held me steady and slipped his hands up to cup my face before he rested our foreheads together. His absolute calm fucked with the reeling mayhem in my head, and part of me wanted to ease back right away. There was a…a…a discomfort of sorts in being handled. Until I noticed he wasn’t trying to go all Dom on me. He just sensed my unease, maybe.
I let out a breath and closed my eyes.
“Text me before you go to bed,” he murmured. “Let me know how everythin’ went.”
I nodded minutely.
What the fuck was it with this man?
“And take it easy on the road.” He pressed his lips to mine in a warm, unhurried kiss.
I had no choice but to shove the rattling distress out of my head. Or maybe he was the one who shoved it out. Either way, my thoughts slowed down. I took a deep breath and kissed him once, twice, and a third time, feeling much better.
The bastard knew the effect he had on me. He smirked softly as I backed off, and I could only shake my head. Jesus fucking Christ, he was lethal.
I made my way out of the—
“Hey, Ty?”
I tapped the doorframe and looked over my shoulder to Macklin. “Yeah?”
He smiled. “I’m looking forward to falling in love with my husband through your eyes too.”
I…I had nothing. How did one respond to that? The gravity of such a statement—it nearly floored me. During our week in the sun, I’d registered an insane intensity between Walker and Macklin, and to have even a fraction of that aimed at me was something I didn’t know how to process.
Unable to form a damn word yet, I walked over to him. I gripped his chin, dipped down, and kissed him on the forehead. An unfamiliar warmth fell over me, and it was all this kid. What he’d said spoke volumes of his character.
“I’m lookin’ forward to gettin’ to know you better,” I replied quietly. “We’ll talk soon.”
He nodded and smiled that cute smile.
Whew.
Those two men. Hell.
I ducked out of the kitchen before they could put me through another wringer.
Time to grab my jacket and head back to town.
CHAPTER 8
Ty Madison
Maybe I did need a vehicle in DC too. If I was gonna make frequent trips out to Mclean, I couldn’t keep using the company car. Bringing my truck home from Florida was not gonna happen, though. That gas-guzzler belonged in the bush, not in a city traffic jam.
The snow fell quickly, and the windshield wipers worked even faster.
In fifteen minutes, according to the GPS, I’d be outside Lane’s building in Arlington.
It wasn’t too late, thankfully. I’d be there shortly after nine PM.
My phone lit up with an incoming call just as I drove past a tow truck. I’d imagine more than one car had skidded off the road in this weather. Marina’s face appeared on the screen, a photo Ma had taken a couple summers ago. Back when shit was good and I wasn’t about to become a grandpa.
I accepted the call from “Baby Girl Offspring” and put her on speaker.
“How’s Mexico?” I asked.
Please don’t be the bearer of bad news. I fucking beg you.
“Hey! It’s so beautiful here—but let’s talk about something much more important,” she replied excitedly. “Like, holy fuck, did Lane grow up.”
I groaned internally and cursed not-so-internally.
There we fucking had it. Marina had gone to school with Lane. That was how he and I had somehow met.
“Where’s the picture from?” she asked curiously. “Did you take it? Where did you run into him? If it’s recent, it must’ve been in Florida. He looks like he just came out of the water, and I know y’all just had a snowstorm ride your behinds up in DC.”
“Good Christ, stop ramblin’, girl,” I bitched. “Go on like that and my grandchild won’t get enough oxygen.”
Marina let out a loud laugh. “Yeah, because that’s how that works, Daddy. Fuckin’ genius.”
Aw, girl still called me Daddy sometimes. That shit made me smile.
Lane called you Daddy too.
I wasn’t smiling anymore.
Fuck.
“Are you gonna answer my questions?” she pressed.
I snorted. “Like anyone could fuckin’ remember ’em all.” But I reckoned I had to give her something. Goddammit. I blew out a breath and eased back into the slow lane. “I guess I discovered we run in the same circles. And I was sure I recognized him, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out where I’d seen him before.”