Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 94513 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94513 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
When I lifted my gaze to look at her, she was frowning. What had I said wrong?
“What heater? In the house?” she asked.
I grinned and took my glass as I walked back over to the lounger beside the one where she had placed her towel. “The pool. It’s a heated pool. You can continue to swim during the fall and winter months.”
Her mouth made a perfect O shape as she turned to look at the water, as if she could see the heater in it. “How … nice,” she replied. “Very convenient.”
If we were going to make it three days with just us, she was going to have to lighten up around me. Right now, she was strung so tight that she looked rigid.
“Halo,” I said, and she swung her eyes back to me. “Relax. I’m not going to hurt you. Just thought since we are here alone, we’d keep each other company. Swim. Do what you would normally do.”
Her alluring eyes went from anxious to bewildered as she blinked. “Okay,” she replied hesitantly.
I took a drink and watched as she turned to walk toward the water. The ass view again. Yep, that was going to fuck with me. It would be best if I didn’t keep her company while she was dressed like that the rest of the time we had together.
She shivered as she stepped into the water, then moved down slowly until it covered her smooth, round cheeks. Thank God. I hadn’t been able to look away. At least I couldn’t see it now. While her back was to me, I adjusted my boner the best I could so that it wasn’t obvious.
Facing the truth that I was attracted to Halo was irritating. I had a mountain of reasons why I shouldn’t be attracted to her stacked up so damn high that even her delectable little body shouldn’t faze me. I had expected to loathe her or at least feel nothing where she was concerned. I’d thought her presence in my life would be a weight I had to bear for Crosby’s sake. His son’s sake.
But, fuck, it had taken less than a month of her living under my roof, and that wasn’t the case. Not even close. I wasn’t sure if I wished it were or not. Because the truth was, at night, when I held her, my soul was at ease. The void and agony that warred in my chest were gone. It was just her.
She took long strokes as she swam back and forth across the deep end.
What was it about her that was so different? Why was she so damn appealing? Other than the fact that she was gorgeous. There had to be more. Gorgeous women weren’t hard to find. Halo had something else. It had drawn Crosby in so deep that he had been ready to say fuck it to the entire family and move in with her. Than was clearly getting attached. The predatory gleam in his eyes when he talked about her and him using that goddamn nickname were the main reasons I wanted to plant my fist in his face.
Then, there was me. Counting down the hours every day until she was asleep in bed and I could hold her. I’d tried so many times not to go up there. To stay away and let go of whatever it was she was doing to me. Forget it. But the pull was too much. I fucking needed her. The silkiness of her skin, her warm body, the scent of strawberries—she was the only thing I’d found that gave me peace. The urge to destroy, rip through everything in my past, faded away when I was with her.
I’m sorry, little brother. I hope you understand. I’ll just have the nights. I need those. I swear that’s all. Once these three days are up, it’ll go back to the way it was. She is yours. I’m not trying to take her away. She’s just keeping me sane right now.
Twenty-Eight
Halo
Bane walked over to me, carrying a blanket. I watched quietly as he placed it over me, then took a seat further down the sofa.
He had eaten dinner with me after I took my shower. He asked me questions about what all I was doing at the distillery. When we were done, he’d suggested we watch a movie.
I wasn’t sure if I had entered an alternate universe or what was happening, but I didn’t want to leave it.
At first, when he’d followed me to the pool, I had expected him to tell me swimming or too much sun was bad for me. Just something negative and bossy. That was not at all what he’d done.
Pleasant Bane was throwing me off. I kept thinking he’d snap out of it at any minute and return to being an asshole.