Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 28576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 143(@200wpm)___ 114(@250wpm)___ 95(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 143(@200wpm)___ 114(@250wpm)___ 95(@300wpm)
I frowned. “Why didn’t Deeanna do it?” Deeanna was my assistant manager. She was married to one of our prospects and had been working at Liquid Silver as a bartender. When I took over, I promoted her. She was a hard worker, reliable, and trustworthy. So I was surprised to hear that she wasn’t around to help. Breaker was probably going to kick my ass for making Ireland work in her condition.
“Janine gave her the same flu,” Ireland admitted with a grimace. “She was here and determined to stay, but I was afraid she’d pass out or end up in the hospital, so I called her man and had him force her to go home.”
“Fucking hell,” I muttered. I’d just brought Layla home, and I was going to have to basically ditch her in my apartment while I worked. Fuck.
“Relax, Rom,” Breaker chimed in. “Erin is filling in at the bar. Scout and Cat are handling the management shit. All good. Go be with your woman.”
“Thanks,” I said to them both…meaning it a little more to Ireland because…Midnight Run. Damn.
After they left, I finally took Layla up to my apartment above the bar. It was a decent size, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms—soundproofed to preserve the occupant’s sanity—but I'd start looking for a new place tomorrow. I didn’t want my pregnant wife living above a bar. And I intended to get my ring on Layla’s finger and my baby in her belly as soon as possible.
I gave her a quick tour—there wasn’t much to see since I’d been living at the clubhouse until six months ago—then got her settled on a couch in the living room with a blanket and the TV remote. “I’m going to grab us some dinner from the kitchen. Put on whatever you want.”
As I moved to the door, I glanced back and saw her looking around curiously. “You can snoop all you want, gorgeous. Unless it’s club business, I have no secrets from you.”
Her answering smile was soft and sweet, making me want to taste her mouth. So I got my ass outta there before I skipped dinner in favor of the bed. I needed to feed my girl so she had plenty of energy for the rest of the night.
I returned with burgers, fries, and a salad for each of us, and we ate while we watched a sitcom that caused Layla to burst into laughter frequently. The sound sent pleasure streaking through me, straight to my painfully hard dick. I would have been surprised at my body’s reaction to her laughter, but I’d quickly learned that everything she did and said turned me on.
Luckily, the show had distracted me just enough so I didn’t obsess over the little sounds of delight she made. And my jealousy of her fork as it slid in and out of her mouth. I barely held on long enough for her to finish her meal.
Once I’d discarded all of the trash and taken care of the dishes, I returned to the couch and dropped down on one end. Layla was curled up in the middle and I wrapped my arm around her, hauling her over so her side was plastered against mine.
Her head fell back, and I gazed down into her dark-brown pools. They were bright with a happy glow, but desire also burned in them. Seeing her need turned the rest of my control to ash. I picked up the remote from the coffee table and shut off the television before grasping Layla’s hips and shifting her over to straddle my lap.
I cradled her face in my palms, and my eyes roamed over her features. “Know you don’t quite believe me yet, but you are, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I want you to know that about yourself, but I also like that you don’t notice the way other men look at you.”
Layla’s skin flushed, and she licked her lips, making me groan in anticipation of tasting them again. “Could you…um…would you show me?”
My brow furrowed, not quite sure what she was asking. “Show you the men who are drooling after you?” Not a fucking chance in hell.
“No, um…” Her gaze dropped to my chest, and her face heated even more. “Show me how beautiful you think I am?”
A wicked grin spread across my face. That I will abso-fucking-lutely do. “You asking me to fuck you, baby?”
I loved how adorably shy my question made her. But the flare of hunger in her chocolate orbs when her eyes lifted to meet mine again convinced me she was ready for more.
“Yes,” she breathed.
8
ROM
“Hold on, gorgeous.” My hands moved to her ass, and holding her firmly against me, I waited until she locked her arms around my neck before surging to my feet. The door to my bedroom was across from us, and I ate up the space in a few long strides.