Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 34426 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 172(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34426 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 172(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
Her gaze softened. She kissed his chest right above his heart. “You might think you aren’t good with people, but you’ve been perfect with me, Moose. You say it’s been so long since you’ve cared about anyone, but you clearly haven’t forgotten how to use this strong heart. Maybe you just needed someone to care about you before you could let yourself care back.
Her words stopped his breath. “I know you said it earlier, but it might take me some time to wrap my head around the idea of you caring for me.”
“You’ve been on your own so long you seem to have forgotten what an amazing man you are, Moose. Of course, I care about you. It’d be impossible for me not to.”
CHAPTER TEN
“HE’S LATE.” MOOSE stood beside the flowing creek with his arms crossed and the scowl she now found charming gracing his face.
“Yeah.” Daisy sighed as she scanned the wooded area she’d chosen to meet Ricky. They’d grown up not far from here—a short trek through the woods to a pleasant-enough neighborhood. As kids, they’d come out here after school to catch frogs and lizards when they needed a break from their parents arguing. Well, Ricky would catch them, and Daisy would beg him to set them free.
The evening was warm and comfortable. They had about an hour of sunlight left, and the beauty of the evening made her wish she and Moose were taking a hand-in-hand stroll through the woods instead of meeting her brother to take possession of stolen illicit drugs. If Moose weren’t with her, she might have chickened out and bailed on this endeavor.
Maybe you should tell him that.
“Thank you for coming with me,” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I don’t think I’d have the courage to do this without you. Your presence gives me strength.”
He stared down at her in wonder as though her words barely registered. This man was so starved for affection and appreciation it made her want to remind him all day long how incredible he was. And spend all night long showing him in a different, non-verbal way.
She’d been over the moon when he told her about his childhood, even though her heart broke for a young, lonely Moose.
He cupped her face. “You underestimate yourself,” he whispered before taking her lips. As with every time he kissed her, she lit up inside. Standing outside beneath the late afternoon sun with the birds chirping and the creek babbling nearby, she lost herself in the moment.
“What the fuck?”
Daisy jerked out of Moose’s arms so fast she stumbled. He steadied her, then drew her to him, anchoring her with an arm around her waist.
“Who the fuck is this?” Ricky stalked across the underbrush, stopping about fifteen feet away from them. Thankfully, he looked much the same as when she’d last seen him, maybe a bit scrawnier but not the skeleton she’d feared.
“Ricky,” she said as she wiped her thumb across her kiss-dampened lips. “This is Moose, my frie—”
“I’m her man,” Moose said at the same time.
Daisy choked on her saliva. Ricky wouldn’t like that, even if the stamp of ownership thrilled her. He had a short fuse and a hot temper that easily ignited when he felt challenged. He’d be no match for Moose, and the last thing she wanted was to have to break up a fight between the two men.
She tapped Moose’s hand on her stomach, and he took the hint, releasing her. “How are you?” she asked as she stepped toward her brother.
“Fine.” He kept his suspicious gaze on Moose.
“Hey,” she said. “Ricky, look at me.”
Her brother’s attention finally shifted to her. Thank God Moose trusted her enough to let her take the lead. Or maybe he sensed Ricky was a time bomb waiting to explode, and pushing would only bring him closer to detonating.
“What?”
“Moose rescued me last night.” Had it only been one day? Felt like she’d known him forever. “Buster was going to hurt me.”
Moose cleared his throat, making her huff.
“He was hurting me.” She pointed to the black eye and cut on her cheek. “Moose stopped it. I owe him my life. You owe him as well. He was also with me this morning when I found my house had been vandalized. This man’s held me together while I dealt with the problems you created.”
Ricky’s eyes narrowed. His hair had grown to a shaggy mop since she’d last seen him. They had the same blond locks, but his eyes were a deep shade of blue, whereas hers had always been more aqua. He was thin, as usual, but not sickly as he’d been in the past. He shaved his face and wore what she expected of him—jeans and a black hoodie. The backpack on his shoulder probably contained the drugs they came for. The only thing that gave her pause was how his eyes darted, never seeming to stay focused on one spot for long. Then again, bad people were after him, so the vigilance wasn’t uncalled for.