Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 117201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
“One weekend has already passed us by,” he said, his focus very intent on her mouth. “Are we going to make plans for the next one?”
“Who? Me and my bodyguard?” she murmured.
“That’s me.” He looked her up and down. “I’ll guard it well.”
“Better than you guard your goalie?” she managed choppily.
“Yes. And that’s saying something, considering I’m a beast on defense.” He dragged his bottom lip through his teeth, a low sound leaving him. “I’m a beast everywhere, Tallulah.”
“Oh. Everywhere.” Her pulse was going to beat out of her veins. “Like offense?”
“Nah.”
“Hmm.” Her core tightened so much that her voice went up an octave. “You’re saying it’s time to start our adventures. I learn to let loose again while we prepare you for the dating scene . . .”
Their mouths inched closer. “Name the time and place.”
She ransacked her mind, searching for the reasons she shouldn’t tilt her head back and see what happened. But all she wanted to come up with were reasons she should.
It’ll boost his confidence with women! He’ll realize he’s still got it!
Really, not kissing him was kind of selfish, no?
Well aware her reasoning wasn’t sound, she felt the slightest brush of his lips against her forehead and all manner of sense went out the window. She dropped her head back, inviting him with searching eyes. He made a gruff sound of hunger, propped his hand on the wall above her head, wet his mouth and leaned down slowly—
“Tallulah!” Lissa called, her bedroom door busting open.
Burgess and Tallulah jumped apart like two guilty teenagers, Burgess spinning around, snatching up a rag and pretending to mop the counter down. Meanwhile, Tallulah was frozen in place. “Huh?” Wake up. “Yes?”
“Dad, why is your shirt off?”
A line hopped in his cheek. “I . . . spilled something.”
What a coincidence. Tallulah’s common sense had spilled out of her ears.
Did she honestly just agree to nightly massages?
Why was she looking forward to the next one?
Oddly enough, the anticipation didn’t only stem from the joy of having skin-to-skin contact with a man who made her feel safe. She looked forward to talking to him. That latter seemed to be a bigger problem than the former.
“Oh.” Lissa was halfway across the living room. “Can you come do the lines with me? I think I’m pronouncing the words better now.”
“Sure, of course.”
“I think Tallulah has homework, kid. I’ll do them with you.”
“Oh! Okay.” Visibly shocked, Lissa stayed still for a moment, before dashing back to her room. “Come on.”
Burgess set down the rag and dropped his head forward for a few beats. Then he turned to leave the kitchen. But not before stopping beside Tallulah and letting out a jagged exhale in the space above her shoulder. “Just want to mention that I’m happy to give, not just receive. In fact, I fucking love giving, Tallulah.”
She blinked up at him, shock spearing down to her toes. “Excuse me?”
“Massages.” He winked at her. “I’m talking about massages. What did you think I meant?” Then he continued on his merry way, whistling. Whistling. “See you tomorrow.”
Tallulah stared after her giant roommate/employer as he entered his bedroom and emerged wearing a shirt, vanishing into Lissa’s room a few seconds later. And she wondered what in the heck she’d just gotten herself into . . . and possibly a lot more concerning . . .
Why she didn’t want to get out of it.
Chapter Thirteen
Muscle strain.
That’s all.
Burgess had a strained muscle in his lower back.
He’d expected the doctor to walk in after the series of X-rays and tests to tell him he’d fractured a vertebra or torn a ligament. The diagnosis was nothing that serious, though. Strain he could deal with. Strain wasn’t a career ender.
Until the moment the doctor said those two magical words to him—“muscle strain”—Burgess had no idea of the ton of bricks he’d been carrying around on his shoulders. Holy fuck. His back still ached like nobody’s business, but knowing he wouldn’t require some bullshit surgery or a magic concoction to numb the pain, the relief made him feel like a new man. And there was no better timing than finding out the day before the Bearcats season opener.
He had Tallulah to thank.
Instead of being in the dark and worrying that a single hit was going to put him down for the count, confidence was already beginning to flow back into his veins.
Although, his former confidence had definitely begun its triumphant return last night in the kitchen when his au pair had very nearly jumped his bones.
Hard as it was to admit, Sig was right.
It paid to go shirtless.
Burgess slid off the doctor’s table, both of them laughing over the way it groaned beneath his weight, and reached out to shake the man’s hand. “Thanks for the great news, doc. I appreciate you seeing me on such short notice.”