Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 28702 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 144(@200wpm)___ 115(@250wpm)___ 96(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28702 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 144(@200wpm)___ 115(@250wpm)___ 96(@300wpm)
“You shouldn’t be some man’s secret, Emma.”
Whoa. That’s not what I was expecting him to say. His words suck all the air out of my lungs. It takes me a second to get my footing. I’m normally quick on my toes, but it seems Vincent can really knock me off-kilter. Comments like those aren’t going to help with the not falling in love thing.
“Not even a dirty one?” I sink my teeth into my bottom lip. I can’t believe I said that. I’m not half bad at this flirting thing. Then again, I’ve always been a girl that goes for what she wants. I've just never wanted a man before.
“I don’t know if I can keep you a secret.”
“You let me handle that,” I say. I can’t help but smirk. “My bedroom is the first door on the left.”
“What—” His words are cut off when I slap him right across the face.
“Clemson! Are you serious right now?” I shout, stepping back from him. My body wants to rebel and plaster myself back against him.
“Roll Tide!” The whole bar erupts into a chant, drowning out the music for a second.
“Best you remember where you are, boy.” I wink before I turn and stroll away from Vincent, leaving him standing on the dance floor. It takes everything in me not to glance back at him.
“Vincent!” Frank stands up from his chair and shouts at him, motioning for him to get his ass back to the table. “Are you in that much need of excitement that you want to start a bar brawl? What did I tell you before we even got to town?”
Vincent reaches up and touches his cheek where I smacked him. He’s fighting a damn smile. “To not bring up—” He stops before he says the word Clemson. It’s the biggest college football rivalry around. It’s clear where our town stands. “Roll Tide.” He levels me with a heated stare that shoots straight between my thighs.
“Hey, you ready?” Melody asks, standing from her seat.
I glance down to see the screen of her phone and realize why she wants to leave. Her blood sugar has spiked, and she needs to take her insulin. I don’t know why she hides her diabetes from everyone. Actually, I do. Her mother is an asshole that made her think it was always such a bother growing up. The last thing Melody ever wants to be is a bother.
“Yeah, let's go.” I hook my arm into hers. “See you boys at home. Don’t stay out too late.” I make my words sound teasing, but I lock eyes with Vincent.
We’ll be under the same roof tonight, and he knows which bedroom is mine. I’ve already learned that the man can move without making a sound. Hopefully he puts that set of skills to use tonight.
CHAPTER 9
VINCENT
Emma has been gone for a half hour, but it feels like a year already. I glance at my watch and stretch. “Fuck, I’m tired. Must be all that traveling.”
Frank furrows his brow. “Traveling. You’re saying traveling made you tired?”
“You know how it is. When you’re not the one at the wheel, your body gets out of sorts.”
“It’s nine. No one is tired at nine. Not babies, not teens, not thirty-year-old jet pilots.”
I bust out a large, jaw-cracking yawn. “Must be some category of people that get tired at nine. Whatever that category is, mark me down.” I push up from the table and throw a few bills down. “It’s not for the owner. It’s for the wait staff,” I say before Frank tells me my money is no good here. “And anyone else who wants a round.” A light bulb turns on. I draw out a few more bills and wave them in the air. “Hey guys, drinks are on Fra—Biscuit! He got his bonus and wanted to share!”
The crowd descends with cheers. Everyone wants to pat Frank on the back, some vigorous enough that it nearly knocks the pints over. Amongst the commotion, it’s easy to slip away.
Newkirk is a small enough town that everything is within walking distance. A quick one-mile jog from the bar and I’m outside the Charles’ ranch home. The house is set up like most one-story units with the living quarters on one side and the sleeping quarters on the other. The master bedroom is at the back of the house. Emma said hers was the first on the left, which meant it faces the street. Climbing out of her window would be easy enough physically, it’s the getting caught part that’s the problem. There isn’t much by way of ground cover. Anyone walking down the sidewalk would see you, and her neighbors have a clear view of the front yard except for the one large oak tree providing shade for the entrance.
I walk around to the back and check out the master. Blue light leaks through the sides of the shades. There are faint sounds of clapping and then some game show music. The parental units are watching television.