Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 121728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
She grinned through the welling tears.
“And,” he continued, “just so you know, Val, my mother and Finn aren’t the only ones who love you.”
Her grin fell flat and all the air fled her lungs. “What?” she whispered in surprise. Shock.
Delight.
Maybe it wasn’t too soon. Did he feel the same way as she did? Somewhere along the way in the past few weeks, did they fall in love with each other without even meaning to?
Did their simple arrangement—with some amazing benefits—turn into something more and unexpected?
“I said, my daughter, my mom and the damn cat aren’t the only ones who love you.”
Yes, yes, yes! It did! But if he wanted to be a smart ass, two could play at that game. “Who else does?”
She pinned her lips together to avoid grinning like a damn fool when his Adam’s apple rose to the top of his throat, hung there for a second, then dropped back into place.
He mumbled something.
She turned an ear toward him and tucked a finger behind it. “What?”
His nostrils flared as he pulled in a deep breath. When he released it, the word, “Me,” hung in the air between them.
Good lord, she had to work for that. Since she did, she would make him work just as hard.
“Well then,” she began, “does that mean we can we have sex later? Once Val is asleep?”
His brow pulled low. “Are you ready for that?”
She raised a hand to frame one side of her face. “If you don’t mind staring at this messed up mug. I mean, I guess we could do it doggy style so it’s not distracting.”
His mouth dropped opened for a second, then a burst of laughter escaped him. “Thank you for wanting to spare me that horror.”
“Well, you know, I have to get it however I can get it.”
His eyebrows rose and the corners of his eyes crinkled. “Face down, ass up?”
“Isn’t that a song?” she asked.
“Sure is. By 2 Live Crew. And, of course, now those lyrics will be stuck in my head for the rest of the day.”
“You can sing them to me later while we do it.”
“I look forward to doing it with you whether you’re face down or face up. I’ve seen a lot throughout the years in my career. Your face isn’t the worst of it.”
She laughed. “Aren’t you the sweetest?”
“But seriously, can we get back to what’s important?”
“Sex isn’t important?” she countered.
“It… For fuck’s sake, of course it is! But I just told you I love you and you didn’t say it back.”
“After the compliment about my face not being the worst thing you’ve ever seen, I’m rethinking my feelings about you. And, by the way, you didn’t actually say you love me directly, you circled around it like bath water circles a clogged drain.”
“Then let me make it clear. Sloane Parrish, I love you. Please stay.”
Well, that was direct and to the point.
Warmth filled her belly and filled her heart as she stared at the man declaring his love for her. “Sadie’s story might be a tragic one, but it brought us together. And while I’m devastated about the path my sister has taken, I’m thankful she brought you into my life.”
“That’s an awful lot of words to tell me you love me, too.”
She shrugged. “Let me simplify it, then. I love you, too, Owen Decker. And I would love to build a home and a family with you.”
Wrapping a hand around the back of her head, he pulled her closer so she could meet him halfway when he planted his lips on hers in a very long, very thorough kiss.
“Yes,” she breathed when it ended. “I need a lot more of that. You’ve been holding out on me.”
“Not by choice.”
She fluttered her eyelashes. “Are you saying I’m irresistible?”
“Well, you do have a great ass. Now that I think about it, maybe you will find yourself face down later.”
“Your command is my wish.”
“That’s backwards,” he informed her.
“Not in our case.”
He shifted in his seat like an antsy four-year-old. She braced herself for whatever was about to come next.
“Now that we got this all straightened out… I need to give you something.”
Holy shit, if he pulled out a ring, she was going to die right there in his bed. It was one thing to finally admit their love for each other, it was quite another to get engaged so quickly. But she wouldn’t say no if—
He pulled a folded sheet of paper from his back pocket and shoved it at her.
Her gaze fell to it. “What’s that?”
“Proof.”
With a shake of her head, she grabbed the paper. But she didn’t look at it, since she’d lifted her eyes to his in question. “Of?”
He gave her wide eyes, clearly telling her—without actually saying it—she should stop asking questions and read it for herself.
With pursed lips, she unfolded it and skimmed the contents. What she read had nothing to do with any kind of engagement but was tied to a serious commitment. One that required loyalty and trust.