Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
I opened the door leading to the room off the kitchen. I pulled on the string that led to the bare bulb overhead, but nothing happened. But I found a flashlight, and I turned it on, casting the light on the shelves. I saw a basket with a screwdriver handle sticking out of it and, pleased, I set down the flashlight, dragging over a small step stool and reaching up for the basket. I was about to step down when a sudden sound startled me.
“What the hell—” a voice growled. I twirled, gasping at the sight of Luke, holding a baseball bat high, ready to swing.
I stumbled, falling off the step, the basket flying from my grasp. My head glanced off the shelves, and I cried out as the metal connected with my skin, an instant throbbing headache starting. I shut my eyes as the floor rushed up to meet me, shocked when a set of strong arms prevented me from hitting the floor. I blinked up into a pair of confused, bright-blue eyes.
“What are you doing?”
“It’s hot,” I gasped, a wave of dizziness rushing over me. “Window.”
Then I blacked out.
LUKE
I was lying in bed, dozing, when I heard it. A noise coming from the kitchen. I sat up, listening, about to lie back when I heard it again. It wasn’t coming from the kitchen, but the back storeroom.
I heard the sounds of movement and items being shifted. I highly doubted it was Sammy. Why would she be poking around in a storeroom at midnight?
Was there a burglar? Had an animal gotten in?
Both seemed highly doubtful, but I had to go and check. Holding my baseball bat, I crept down the hall, looking toward the other end. The master bedroom and my office ran off the left side of the kitchen, while the two guest rooms ran off the right side, along with Rachel’s room. Sammy’s door was shut—or at least pulled closed. Another noise drew me toward the storeroom. I saw the beam of a flashlight moving, and I lifted the bat higher, wondering what I would be met with and what the hell they were looking for in the storeroom.
Nothing shocked me more than to find Sammy on a stool, holding a basket of gardening tools.
“What the hell?” I demanded.
My voice startled her. She gasped and swung around, the tools going everywhere as she pitched forward. I dropped the bat, grabbing her before she hit the floor but after her head smacked the side of the shelf. The sound of her skull meeting the metal edge sickened me.
“What are you doing?” I demanded, swinging her up into my arms.
She gazed up at me, dazed and confused.
“It’s hot. Window,” she muttered, then went limp in my arms.
Cursing, I carried her out of the storeroom and down the hall to the room she was staying in. I pushed open the door, noticing the temperature of the room. I laid her on the bed and hurried to the window, unlocking it and opening it wide, letting the cool night air rush in. Then I returned to the kitchen, grabbing an ice pack from the freezer and a wet cloth.
Back in her room, I ran the cloth over her skin. I had felt how warm she was as I carried her down the hall. Then I took the ice pack and wrapped it in the cloth, laying it on her head. A lump was forming on the skin, and I knew she was going to have a bad headache when she woke up.
I stared down at her, swallowing deeply. She wore a skimpy tank top and shorts—neither of them doing much to cover her or hide her from my greedy gaze. She was tiny but perfectly formed. Lush breasts filled her tank top, her nipples showing through the thin material. Her hips were rounded, highlighting the indent of her waist. I wondered briefly what it would be like to hold those hips. Watch her ride me. Suck those nipples into my mouth and flick them with my tongue as they pebbled and stiffened under my touch.
Jesus, I needed to stop thinking that way. Because of me, she’d fallen and hurt herself. Now I was having lustful fantasies about her?
“Get a grip, asshole,” I muttered to myself.
I shook my head to clear the thoughts and grasped her shoulders, shaking them gently. “Wake up, Sammy.”
She stirred, mumbling, and I let out a relieved breath. “Sammy,” I repeated. “Wake up.”
Her eyes opened, and she frowned. “Luke?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” I searched her confused gaze. “Are you okay? Do I need to take you to the hospital?”
She frowned. “Why would—” Her eyes flew open wider, startled. “Why are you in my room?”
“You were in the storeroom. I thought there was a burglar, and I startled you. What the hell were you doing in there?”