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)
“Please, can she go now?” I asked him.
He nodded his head once, his eyes not leaving mine.
She scrambled to get up, not making eye contact with anyone. We all stood there as she hurried toward the exit until Grissele turned to follow her, making sure she left.
“That was … a lot,” I said, not having the exact words for what had just happened.
“She deserved much worse.”
“No, she did not,” I replied, worried he was going to do something more.
He slipped his gun back into its holster and walked toward me. “She knew who she worked for. She’d signed the NDA. She knew how we handle business,” he told me.
“It was just some mean-girl bullying,” I said, shaking my head in exasperation.
He gripped my chin, and his eyes bored into me. “No, pretty girl, it wasn’t. It was disrespecting and abusing the woman I love. That’s a fucking death sentence.”
I blinked. There was so much wrong with that way of thinking, but none of it mattered. Not now. Not when he’d just said he loved me. I swallowed the lump rising in my throat.
“You love me.” My words came out breathlessly.
Deep down, I’d thought he did, but I had been so wired to believe that I imagined things I wanted to be true. I had been scared maybe he didn’t love me. Maybe it was just deep affection.
His lips slowly curled into a sexy smile. “Come on, sweet girl. Did you really not know that?”
I let out a shaky breath. “I … I thought you did—or I hoped you did. But you hadn’t said it.”
His eyebrows lifted slightly. “Ever think I was waiting on you? Maybe I wanted to be sure your heart had room for me too.” He caressed my face. “You loved my brother. My finding you, falling hard for you—there was no one else for me. Hell, I had never been in love. You are the first and only. I was waiting until you were ready to hear it.”
I hadn’t loved Crosby. I’d cared about him. I had needed the attention he gave me. I did love him as the father of this child he’d given me. But what I felt for Bane far exceeded anything I’d felt for his brother. I wasn’t sure I could say that though. Maybe he needed to believe his brother had been loved.
“I love you,” I told him. “I love you so much that it feels like I’m going to burst with it. You’re every fairy tale I never believed in. Every wish I didn’t know to make. I love you.”
His mouth covered mine hard as his arms wrapped around me, holding me tightly against him. I went up on my tiptoes, needing this. Him. Always needing him.
Forty-Three
Bane
I locked the office door behind me without taking my eyes off Halo. She loved me. I didn’t deserve it, but she seemed to continually give me things I wasn’t worthy of. Like her forgiveness.
“What are we doing in here?” she asked as her blue eyes scanned the room uncomfortably.
“There is something in here I need to give you,” I explained walking over to the desk for the paperwork I had told Adalee to print out earlier today.
“Why did you lock the door?”
I lifted my gaze from the desk to her uncertain expression. This was or had been Adalee’s office. She didn’t want to be in here and I couldn’t blame her. But I was going to fix that.
I picked up what I was looking for and went over to stand in front of her. I wanted to kiss every one of those fucking freckles and I would. But not yet.
Holding out the papers to her I smiled. “These are yours.”
She took it her eyes dropping to study what I had handed her.
“What… what are these?”
“Temporary for the moment but official. I have you a keepsake certificate coming that will be framed and you can hang it in your office,” I replied enjoying how damn cute she looked completely confused.
She looked up at me. “What is the Jockey Club?” she asked.
“That’s Slingshot’s registration although you’ll have to decide on his official name. Slingshot is taken. But he will remain Slingshot here. The other is your owner’s license and transfer of ownership.”
Her eyes swung back down to the papers in her hand. “My owner’s license?”
“Your owner’s license,” I confirmed. “Slingshot is yours.”
She sucked in a deep breath then lifted those eyes that owned me back to meet mine. “You gave me Slingshot?”
Taking a step closer to her I cupped the side of her face. “Pretty girl, I’d give you every fucking horse in these stables if you wanted them. But yes, I gave you Slingshot.”
A laugh bubbled out of her as she threw herself at me wrapping her arms around my neck. “Oh my god, Bane!” she cried.