Total pages in book: 190
Estimated words: 181992 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 181992 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
“Not yet,” he said, pinning me with a heated, meaningful look that promised all sorts of pleasure and made my hormones a little dizzy. “I fully intend to wreck you in it.”
A flush of warmth bloomed in the pit of my stomach.
“But not until you have two rings on that finger.”
Not until he’d closed our “deal,” he meant. “Are you going to wear one?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
A feeling of relief fluttering over me, I gave a slight shrug. “I remember you once saying you didn’t like to wear rings.”
“Generally, I don’t. But”—he narrowed his eyes—“you and I would have serious problems if you refused to wear your wedding band. I can be a selfish asshole, but I’m no hypocrite.”
Yeah, I’d never be able to describe him as “fair.” He could be as ruthless as any business mogul. But he had a deep sense of integrity and held himself to a certain standard—he avoided doing anything that seemed beneath him, as if refusing to disrespect himself.
“Come on, time for us to eat.” He turned away and headed for the door.
My gaze admittedly straying to his rather perfect ass, I followed him out of the room, across the landing, and over to the staircase.
As we descended it, he very briefly glanced at me over his shoulder. “So, what do you think of the place?”
“I like it.” It was bright. Airy. Elegant. Bigger than we’d need initially, but that wasn’t exactly a con. There seemed little point in requesting that we get a place elsewhere, particularly since I loved Oakengrove itself so much. “I could see myself living here.”
Reaching the foot of the stairs, he slid me a satisfied look. “Then we’ll move your things here the day after the wedding.”
“Why not before?”
He didn’t peer at me over his shoulder as he responded, “Because there’s no chance of us sharing a bed without me fucking you raw.”
My step faltered at the flatly spoken statement.
“As such, it’s best that you don’t officially move in until we’re married. Do you have a lot of things that will need bringing here?”
The way he so easily switched from making heated comments to asking casual questions was enough to unbalance a girl. “Not really. I don’t see the point in hauling all my furniture here when yours suit the place better, so I’d rather leave the bulk of it with Alicia—she’ll be buying my house.” It would mean she didn’t have to go through the trouble of furnishing it. “But there are some items I’ll want to bring.”
“There’s no lack of space here, so you won’t have a problem finding places for any of them to go.”
That was a fact.
He strolled into the kitchen and gestured for me to take a seat at the table. I guessed that he’d had someone set it for him, because I doubted he’d have personally gone through this kind of trouble. There was a soft white tablecloth, crystal glasses, stylish dishware, votive candles, and a small floral centerpiece. It was all set neatly, the two sides of the table symmetrical in their layout.
I wasn’t surprised that we weren’t eating in the dining room—the table there was long. Sitting at the small table here in the kitchen made the meal more intimate.
As Dax removed the covers from the plates, fragrant steam rushed up from my food to greet me. Taking in the sight of the chicken fried steak, cream cheese, mashed potato, and green beans, I glanced at him as I sank onto a chair. “Who told you this was one of my favorite dishes?” It was too much of a coincidence for him to otherwise have ordered it.
Placing the covers on the counter, he replied, “Brooks. He called me this morning to congratulate me on our engagement. He said you told him about it.”
“He was on my ass first thing demanding to know if we’d be going ahead with the wedding or not.” He was also devastated that he’d be unable to make it—he wasn’t able to get the time off work. Lifting my cutlery, I asked, “Can you cook?”
“Yes. My mother insisted all of us learn so she didn’t have to worry we’d live on junk food when we moved out.” He grabbed a bottle of red. “I know you’re driving, but you can have one glass, yes?”
I nodded. Even if I hadn’t been driving, I would have stuck to one to ensure my inhibitions behaved themselves. The kind of attraction I felt toward Dax was the type that could cause a person to give their hormones too much control if they weren’t careful.
After tipping wine into both our glasses, he took the seat opposite me. “Did you get started on the wedding preparations?”
“Yes, they’re well underway.” With the help of my team, I’d ironed out the budget and settled on an event concept. All the logistics of the planning were done, and I’d determined the timelines in addition to booking the venues. It was now simply a matter of securing vendors and negotiating with suppliers etc. None of which I told him, because I suspected he wouldn’t be interested in specifics. “Thanks for sending the guest list so quickly.”