Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 22991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 115(@200wpm)___ 92(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 115(@200wpm)___ 92(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
“Not a hookup exactly, just a…well…um…” She glanced up to see me scowling at her.
Gwynne gasped. “Oh, sorry. You probably don’t want to talk about it right now. That’s okay. We can talk later once you are on your way to Snow Valley. When are you going to be headed that way?”
“I’m not sure,” Laurel hedged, avoiding eye contact with me.
My temper began to rise when she didn’t tell Gwynne that she wouldn’t be leaving. I stalked over, stopping right in front of her.
“Listen, Gwynne. Um. I have to go, but I’ll call you as soon as I know my plans.”
“Okay, well…I’ll talk to you later. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes, I’m just…um…I have to go. Bye!” She ended the call with a fake, bright smile on her face.
“What the fuck, Laurel?” I growled. “A hookup?”
“I didn’t say you were a hookup,” she argued weakly.
“But you knew that’s what she would think when you hung up, and you didn’t correct her.”
“I…” She screwed up her face in frustration. “I didn’t know how to describe what we are, Hayden. We haven’t exactly talked about that, defined what we are.”
“You’re mine,” I stated, thinking that was enough of an explanation. “And what the hell do you mean, you’re not sure when you’ll be leaving?”
She jumped to her feet and planted her hands on her hips, glaring right back at me.
I had to force myself not to focus on the way her tits bounced with each of her choppy breaths and the fire lighting up her green orbs. She looked fucking magnificent, but I couldn’t get distracted by how sexy she was until I’d made her understand that she wasn’t fucking going anywhere.
“I have a job,” she snapped. “Places to go, things to do.”
I took a step closer, leaning down to close the gap between our faces, bringing us practically nose to nose.
“You are not going anywhere,” I seethed.
“That’s not your decision.”
I narrowed my eyes. “It sure as fuck is if you’re talking about leaving.”
Laurel sucked in a frustrated breath, then shouted, “You might be in charge in the bedroom, but you aren’t in charge of my whole life. You don’t get to decide what I do next.”
Crossing my arms over my chest I looked pointedly at her flat stomach.
My jaw locked, and I gritted out, “I do when you’re pregnant.”
Laurel gasped, and shock registered on her pretty face. “P-p-pregnant?” she stuttered. “I can’t be pregnant.”
I smirked. “Of course you could, baby. I’ve been fucking you without protection for the last four days straight.”
Gently but firmly, I grasped her chin and held her still so our eyes were locked. “Every chance I got.”
Laurel tried to shake her head, but I was still holding it, so she just stared at me as she absorbed what I’d said. “Every chance…wait.” Her jaw dropped, and she double blinked. “You…you’ve been trying to knock me up?”
“Now she gets it,” I murmured.
Her brow furrowed, and she bit her bottom lip for a second before asking, “Why would you want to get me pregnant?”
I gently cupped her face and got lost in her green pools. “Besides the fact that you’ll look sexy as fuck walking around with a baby bump and will be an amazing mother?” I cocked my head to the side and admitted, “I wanted to make sure you didn’t argue with me about getting married.”
Laurel didn’t say anything as she considered my reasoning. Then her mouth turned down, and she scowled at me. “You’ve been trying to get me pregnant to trap me into marriage?” she accused.
My voice and expression were completely unapologetic when I answered. “You bet your pretty little ass.”
Laurel gasped, clearly outraged. “That’s…that’s so…so NEANDERTHAL…ish!” She yelled the last part, clearly distressed over it, so I bit back my smile.
Instead, I just shrugged. I had zero regrets.
She yanked at my hands, and I let her take a few steps away, sensing that she needed a little space to process.
After a few minutes, she raised her gaze to mine, her teeth practically chomping on her bottom lip. Finally, she put her hands out to the side. “Why?” she whispered.
My brow furrowed, I was confused for a second, until I realized what she was asking.
“Why do I want to marry you?”
Laurel nodded.
“I would think it was obvious,” I muttered. I’d told her countless times that she was mine, and I wouldn’t let her go. Didn’t she understand how much I loved her?
She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “You’ve talked about the future, I guess. But you haven’t exactly asked me to stay.”
In a millisecond, I was standing in front of her again. I wrapped my arms around her and gazed at her with a soft smile.
“You’re right, baby. I should have just come right out and told you. I love the fuck out of you, Laurel. I won’t ever let you go. A baby and a ring on your finger might ensure I can keep you, but they’re just a perk of loving you.”