Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 70171 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70171 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Very, very rare.
I wasn’t sure what it was.
I wanted to go out on a date. I just had a lot of trouble getting interested. And staying interested.
It was also why I was the only virgin left out of my three sisters. Even my baby sister had found someone to rid her of that pesky piece of tissue.
“Now what are you thinking about?” he asked.
“Dating,” I told him, semi telling the truth. “About how my sister set me up on a blind date that I’ll have to cancel when I get home.”
“Why will you have to cancel it?” he asked.
I grimaced and crossed my arms over my chest.
“I didn’t want to go on it in the first place,” I admitted. “I told her I would because she practically begged me. But now, I have a legitimate excuse not to go.”
He snorted. “If you don’t want to go, you shouldn’t have to go, no matter if your sister wants you to go or not. Making your siblings happy all the time is impossible, anyway.”
“You sound like you have advanced knowledge in that particular subject,” I said, hearing the engines start.
My breath hitched, and he reached out absently and caught my hand, seemingly unaware of what that did to me.
He had no clue that the moment his hand touched mine, my heart started to race. That I was clutching it for more than just because I was scared.
“I do,” he chuckled, picking his voice up and turning slightly to me so that he could be heard over the engines. “I have a big brother who’s also on the police force with me at Kilgore, and a big sister.”
“And they tell you what to do and what not to do?” I asked curiously.
“Not anymore,” he admitted. “When I was younger, I tried to please them. But now, not so much. My big brother was pissed that I left instead of staying to ride out whatever the fuck was going on with the accident. When I chose to leave, I knew that he was pissed.”
“I’m not sure what it matters whether you were here or there,” I admitted. “I mean, if you’re off without being paid…”
His mouth kicked up at the corner. “I’m a constant disappointment to my brother. I’m in my forties now, and the man still treats me like I’m that fifteen-year-old punk kid who disappointed him on a daily basis.”
“You don’t look like you’re in your forties,” I admitted. “And your brother is always going to be worried about you. That’s what my dad tells me, anyway, when my sisters interfere in my life.”
He sighed and tightened his hand when the plane started to move.
My breath hitched.
“Thank you,” I whispered, knowing that he would understand what for.
He winked at me. “It’s no hardship. I won’t let go until you’re ready.”
And he didn’t. He held my hand for the next couple of hours. And it was only as we were separating to our rides—him to his long-term parking spot, and me to my mother’s SUV—that he let me go.
“Take care of yourself, Piper Mackenzie.”
I smiled at the man. “You, too, Jonah Crew.”
Chapter 3
My sexual preference is often.
-things you don’t want to hear about your sister
Piper
I smiled down at my dad, who did indeed look pretty banged up.
“You look awful,” I told him.
He grimaced and lifted his hand. “Luckily everything is sprains except for these two fingers. Sprained wrist, sprained knee, sprained ankle, and a sprained shoulder. Tore a ligament in my ankle, too, but they say that’ll be fine in about six weeks. Which is about the time they say all the sprains should be taken care of, too.”
I looked at the multitude of bruising, cuts, abrasions and other random injuries and shook my head.
“You’re lucky,” I said softly. “That could’ve been so bad.”
He grunted out an agreeing tone. “Give me a hug, girl.”
I leaned forward without missing a beat and wrapped my arms around my father’s broad shoulders.
“You scared the absolute shit out of me,” I admitted. “That was the scariest phone call I’ve ever gotten in my life.”
He squeezed me tight, despite, I was sure, it causing him pain.
“Sorry, honey. Wish I could’ve spared you that phone call. I know getting them while you’re gone sucks,” he said, squeezing me just a little tighter before letting me go. “You’re here now, though. How does it feel to be free?”
I grimaced. “Like I should’ve stayed.”
He laughed. “It’ll feel like that for a while, I’m sure. But you had a solid reason for leaving. You don’t like to travel, and you did what you set out to accomplish. I’m not seeing anything that you should feel guilty for. Except for the fact that you forgot to sneak me in that milkshake I asked your mother to stop for.”
I grinned. “I actually had it in my hand, about to bring it in, when she took it and threw it into the trash.”