Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 154595 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 773(@200wpm)___ 618(@250wpm)___ 515(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 154595 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 773(@200wpm)___ 618(@250wpm)___ 515(@300wpm)
“Don’t even joke about that,” he told her. “No diets. No missing meals for any reason. And no wearing black.”
“Uh . . . wait. What?”
“You heard me.”
“No wearing black?”
“Yes, I don’t like it on you.”
“I don’t think you get to dictate what I wear, Gray.”
“Sure, I do. That’s exactly what you agreed to before.”
“I said that you could choose my clothes sometimes. That I liked the idea of not having to make all the decisions all the time. But a blanket ban on wearing black is kind of insane . . .”
He cupped her chin. “No wearing black. I don’t like it. You wear gold and purple or any other cheerful colors you want. But no black. It’s not you. And I won’t have it.”
33
A ban on black? Seriously?
He definitely had a one-way ticket to Looneyville.
Lucky he was so cute.
“You didn’t look like you,” he insisted again. “You were a shell of yourself. Like the real Maeve was trapped inside, unable to get out.”
“But I . . . I looked nice. They even said so in the article. Sophisticated. Glamorous.”
“But you aren’t those things. Sit forward and then tilt your head back so I can wet your hair.”
“Wait. Are you saying I’m not sophisticated and glamorous? Pretty sure I should find that insulting.”
He gave her a frustrated look. “Don’t mean it like that, girl. I’m saying you were hiding behind that dress. Pretending to be someone else. Like a doll. Pretty on the outside, but with no soul.”
That was . . . incredibly profound. And unexpected.
And she found herself nearly tearing up.
“I like you the way you are,” he muttered. “With your love of gold and purple and velvet. Hell, I’d have taken you out in that butt-ugly teddy bear suit before I’d take you in that dress. But it wasn’t really the clothes. It was the look on your face. Like you weren’t really there.”
He’d thoroughly wet her hair by now and grabbed some shampoo. She moaned quietly as he massaged her scalp.
“Take it that feels good?”
“Oh, yes. Immy took me to a hairdresser right before that photo was taken. She massaged my scalp like this. I moaned then, too. Which was slightly more embarrassing since everyone in the salon heard me make a sex moan during a massage.”
“You’re never going to a salon again.”
“Grumpy Bear, you have got to stop giving these stupid orders.”
“Stupid orders?” he asked in a low, warning voice.
“Uh-huh. Just keep massaging.”
“Now, who is bossy? And it’s not a stupid order, girl. No one gets to hear those moans except me. From now on, I’ll do your hair.”
She had to giggle at that. “You will?”
“Uh-huh.”
“It’s okay, big guy. That was my first and probably last trip to a salon anyway.”
“Really? I thought women always got their hair done at salons?”
“How many women do you know well?”
He grunted. “Put your head back, I’ll rinse out the shampoo.”
She tilted her head back and he was careful not to let the water run down her face.
“Why hadn’t you gone to a hair salon before?”
“I don’t know. There was never a reason to. I cut my hair or a friend did. Wasn’t like I had the money.”
There was silence as he worked the conditioner in.
“You’re surprisingly good at this,” she told him. “If the whole bodyguard-to-a-criminal-overlord doesn’t work out you could probably get a job as a shampoo boy.”
He scoffed. “You’re the only person whose hair I want to wash.”
“Aww, you say the most romantic things.” He actually did, without even realizing it. Which made it more romantic in her mind. “Can you hand me the razor?”
“You need to shave your legs?”
“Uh-huh. I’m starting to get hairier than Squish.”
“I’ll shave them.”
“Um, what? Nope. I can do it.”
“Told you I want to do everything for you, girl.”
So he had . . . but she’d been planning on shaving all over.
All. Over.
Like he was going to leave you alone in the bath? And were you really going to shave your pussy in front of him?
Maybe that could wait until tomorrow in the shower.
“And if you want to get your hair done in a salon, you can,” he grumbled. “But I come with you.”
She turned back to look at him with a smile. “It’s all right. I don’t think I’ll ever need to get my hair done.”
For some reason that didn’t make his frown lessen. Silly man.
Maybe he needed some lightening up. She grabbed Mr. Doodle Duck as Gray moved around to get a clean towel. When he turned back, Mr. Doodle Duck jumped out of the bath then squirted soapy water right in Gray’s face.
He stood there, gaping down at her in shock as she burst into giggles and slipped right under the water. Her head submerging.
Can’t breathe.
Frozen. Can’t move.
Can’t breathe.
Suddenly, she was pulled from the bath and lifted in the air until she was held tight against a chest. He lightly patted her back.