Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 154037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 770(@200wpm)___ 616(@250wpm)___ 513(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 154037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 770(@200wpm)___ 616(@250wpm)___ 513(@300wpm)
“I know, Raven. I know.” She paused for a second, then asked, “Are you still with Otto?”
“Yeah, I’m going to stay here with him for a couple days until I find a place of my own.”
“Okay, good.” Silence passed between us before she whispered again, “Are you sure about moving out?”
“Yeah. I think I am.” I fiddled with a loose thread on Otto’s comforter, contemplating before I asked, “Can you not say anything about this to my brother? I’d rather be the one to break it to him.”
“Of course, but you know the second I get off the phone, he’s going to demand to know how you are.”
“Tell him I’m officially blind.”
She giggled. “Can’t you just strike that memory from your mind?”
“Well, I’m still hoping the bleach helps.”
“Oh my God, stop,” she choked.
“I will never let you live this down,” I goaded, then softened. “Seriously, I’m so happy my brother has you and you have him. Please don’t feel bad or worry about me. I’m actually…excited about this.”
Also terrified, but I didn’t need to tell her that.
“I’m glad.” Her voice was full of support.
“Don’t get too comfortable, payback is coming, bestie. You’re the one who’s going to have to figure out a way to distract my brother once I tell him I’m moving out.”
“Impossible.”
“Oh, I’m pretty sure you can work your magic.” I let the innuendo wind its way into my voice.
“I might have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
“Clearly, you do.” I chuckled before sincerity weaved into my voice. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”
“Yeah, talk to you tomorrow.”
I ended the call and let my phone drop to my lap. I sat there for a couple seconds, absorbing the events of the day.
Finally, I exhaled the tension, stood, and headed back out into the main room.
I wondered if there would ever be a time in my life when I didn’t lose my breath when I looked at him.
Otto was in the kitchen, larger than life, stirring something in a pot.
A pillar in the middle of the room.
Powerful to the extreme.
As if he could single-handedly hold up the roof.
Conquer every threat.
When he felt me hovering on the elevated platform, he tossed me one of his sexy, casual grins from the side. “How’d it go?”
“That was Charleigh. I didn’t talk to River.”
Amusement tugged the edge of his mouth up higher. “Chicken.”
“I am not a chicken,” I scoffed. Okay, I was totally, one hundred percent a chicken.
I might have been twenty-five, but River had never stopped treating me as if I was twelve. It was going to take a lot to break free of that.
Maybe I’d just write my brother a note.
Then he could tear it to shreds and toss it in the air and stomp around like the hothead he was, blow off some of his overprotective steam, then we could have a rational conversation about me moving out.
“You sure about that?” Otto asked as I angled down the three steps.
I headed for where I’d left my drink on the island, and I picked it up and took a sip of the spicy concoction.
“What are you talking about? You know I’m as confident as they come.” I popped out a hip, and Otto turned from where he was at the stove.
Mischief ridged those lips that never failed to make my thighs quake, and he started edging for me with a gleam in his eye.
I could already see what was written all over him, and a vat of excitement dumped into my stomach as he approached.
Still, I was backing away, ready to play, setting my drink aside and pushing my hands out in front of me. “Don’t you dare, Otto Hudson.”
I wasn’t fast enough to dodge him when one of those tatted hands darted out and he poked me in the side. “Chicken.”
Squealing, I turned on my heel and started to run around the island.
The jerk knew I was crazy ticklish.
He was right behind me. My heels were definitely not working in my favor, and I wobbled and tried to stay upright as I skidded around the other side of the island.
Otto’s heavy footfalls echoed behind me, and one second later, he was wrapping both arms around me and lifting me off my feet before I could prepare myself.
He pinned my back to his chest.
To his hard, packed, chiseled chest.
Those massive arms locked tight around me.
I squirmed and kicked like I wanted to get away when I would have preferred to stay right there for the rest of my life. “Put me down, you big brute.”
He held me with one arm and started tickling me with the other. I shrieked and thrashed, and one of my heels went flying off my foot and toppled to the floor.
He had the nerve to bock at me like he might have been playing around with Nolan.