Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 66497 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66497 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Yowch.
But in a good way.
“You can put them in by yourself?”
“No, I’m bringing big trees. I’ll grab a few guys to help.”
He was standing so close. His big, hard body gave off heat and power. I could feel it against my skin. His sheer size made me feel vulnerable and safe at the same time.
Mac is too big for this house, I thought to myself. My house was small, sure, but it felt absurdly tiny at the moment. It felt like a closet.
Not a walk-in closet either, not that I’d ever had one. I’d gone from college, to a tiny New York City apartment, to my Granny’s tiny hundred-year-old cottage in the middle of nowhere.
So yeah, not a lot of giant closets in my past.
I took a shaky breath, annoyed that it even sounded shaky.
You are not smooth, Sussy. You are totally lacking in smoothness.
It felt like Mac was pressed up against me, even though we weren’t quite touching. Like he was trying to get as close as possible. And he hadn’t even moved an inch.
I licked my lips, looking away.
“Thanks for doing this. I know you don’t have to.”
His generous lips widened into a smile. There was something predatory about it. Once again, I was struck that he wanted something more from me. Sex. He wasn’t being shy about it, though he wasn’t being pushy either.
I couldn’t imagine a guy who looked like Mac being short on willing women. Still, the vibe was there. I wasn’t making it up. It wasn’t my overly-active imagination.
For example, you constantly talk to yourself.
Mac wasn’t being aggressive about it, but he definitely wanted to dip his hand in my cookie jar.
Not yet, Sussy. He might still surprise you.
I felt completely safe with him, I realized. I had pretty good instincts when it came to people. I’d avoided all kinds of problems when I lived in New York because of it. If a street suddenly seemed too dark, I didn’t walk down it. Even if it took me blocks out of my way.
Mac wasn’t a dark street. He was… intriguing. Oh, yeah, I was definitely very, very intrigued.
I stared at his throat as he tipped his head back and drank deeply. He had a five o’clock shadow. I wanted to reach out and touch it, scratch it like he was a big ole cat. The man was enormous. Of course he could drink the full glass in one gulp.
I watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down. It was hard to look away from. The truth was, it was mesmerizing.
You need to get out more, Sussy. David would understand if you started dating. He’s been gone for years now. Maybe sign up for one of those dating websites?
The truth was, I probably did need to get laid. Just like my best friends from college, Jill and Jessica, always told me. I might not be twenty-four anymore, but a woman has needs. And I wasn’t old. Not yet. I wasn’t even thirty yet, and already a widow.
Why not just take this brute up on his unspoken offer? a sneaky voice whispered inside my head. He would be more than happy to do the job.
“Anything in here I can help with?” he asked, wiping his mouth.
I nodded and took the empty glass. I turned back and he had a funny hopeful look on his face. I cleared my throat and pointed to the kitchen window.
“It’s leaking. Just a bit. But they all seem to. This one is the worst.”
He stared at me as if disappointed by my answer. Then he gave me a rueful smile and scooted past me to get to the window. Time seemed to stand still as his body brushed mine. All of mine.
If I had been wearing pearls, I would have clutched them.
I tried to ignore Mac and his insanely well-built body as he contorted, checking all my windows. I calmly packed seeds and made labels, fully aware I was going to have to double-check all of my work. I was extremely distracted.
And warm. It was very warm in here. A thin sheen of sweat was on my body. And his. Mac’s muscles were literally gleaming as he measured and tapped things, looking like he knew what he was doing.
Focus on your work, Sussy!
He cleared his throat, and I looked up at him, brushing the hair out of my eyes. My crazy, wavy mop, as I’d always thought of it. He was staring at me with a hungry look in his eyes.
Shoot, am I supposed to offer the man dinner?
“I need some more wood. I think we should replace these altogether, but if you want to save them, I need some specialty stuff from the hardware store.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“So, do you want to?”
My heart started hammering in my chest.
“Do I want to what?”
“Save them? Or replace them?”