Total pages in book: 15
Estimated words: 13664 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 68(@200wpm)___ 55(@250wpm)___ 46(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 13664 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 68(@200wpm)___ 55(@250wpm)___ 46(@300wpm)
“Easy,” I rumbled, going back to rocking her. “I’m okay, sweetheart. I’m extremely careful when I’m working. I promise.”
“A-accidents ha-happen,” she hiccuped.
Fuck, I knew that, but I never wanted her to fear for me like that. We were all extremely careful, and we always had a spotter on the ladders. We had safety precautions in place, and we did everything by the book. In the four years since we’d been in operation, we’d never had an accident.
I wished there was something I could’ve said in response, but anything I wanted to say would have been a lie, and I never wanted to lie to her.
“How does a hot bath sound?” I asked her, running my hand over her hair. “We can soak in it. Maybe it’ll help relax you.”
She nodded. Still holding her and with her still wrapped around me, I scooted to the edge of the bed before standing, carrying her to her en-suite bathroom. After settling her on the counter, I began running water in the huge garden tub, pouring in a lavender-scented bubble bath and Epsom salt. Once the water was high enough, I walked over to her and pulled her naked body back into my arms, carrying her over to the tub.
“I love you,” she whispered once we were settled in the tub. Her face was buried in the crook of my neck, and she sounded sleepy, but I knew her words weren’t a lie.
I squeezed my arms tighter around her, my heart just about beating out of my chest like it wanted to shove itself into hers. “I’ve loved you since the moment I laid my eyes on you, Cecily,” I rumbled.
She pressed a tender kiss to my throat, letting silence settle around us. But it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was soothing.
And holding her like this… It was everything.
She was everything.
Cecily narrowed her eyes at me as I maneuvered a ladder for Seb to climb up. Normally, I would be the one going up, but after her nightmare, I didn’t fucking dare. I would not stress her out and make her worry over me like that.
“You better not be going up that fucking ladder, Adler,” she hissed, her knuckles white from her grip on her coffee mug.
“Ooooh,” Elliot sang, looking between the two of us. I turned my head, glaring at him. “Trouble in paradise?”
“Fuck off, Elliot,” I growled. He arched his brows at me, holding his gloved hands up in surrender and backing away. Thankfully, he knew the signs of me not being in the mood and knew to back off. I looked back at Cecily. “I’m not, sweetheart. I promise. Seb’s going up.”
She relaxed and turned on her heel, walking out onto the patio. She didn’t have to go to work until about twelve, so she was probably heading out to read.
And to discreetly keep an eye on me for a few hours. I knew her better than she thought I did.
“What was that about?” Beau asked, glancing at Cecily’s departing back before settling his gaze on me.
I grunted. “She had a nightmare that I fell off a ladder and snapped my neck.” Silence fell over the room we were working in, all of them looking at me in alarm. I blew out a harsh breath. “So, until she can breathe easier, I can’t go up on the ladder. That cool with everyone?”
“Yeah, of fucking course,” Remi instantly said, shaking his head. “Shit, brother, is she okay?”
I nodded. “She will be.”
But still, I couldn’t get that horrified scream out of my head. It would always be there, warning me to be extra careful while working, even if only for her sake.
Eight
Adler
Life was…blissful, really. Cecily and I stepped into a routine together, and I had basically moved into her house at this point. I worked Monday through Friday, and Saturday, while she was at work, I did my books at the clubhouse and chilled with the guys. On Sundays, Cecily and I spent the day together, and occasionally, one of the guys would fire up the grill, and we’d join them at the clubhouse.
Today, unlike our usual Sundays, was a shit show. Her air conditioning went out in the house overnight, and we woke up sweating like pigs. It felt like we were on the verge of heat stroke. She was getting pissy, and I was seriously contemplating throttling her neck.
“Why won’t this fucking work?!” Cecily yelled, losing her patience with the fans she had going. Her hair was thrown up in a messy bun, and strands were sticking to her sweaty skin. She looked hot as hell, but she was driving me up the fucking wall.
“Alright, that’s fuckin’ enough,” I growled, storming over to her. She slapped her hands on my back with an outraged yell when I shoved my shoulder into her stomach and lifted her over my shoulder without breaking my stride to her bedroom.