Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81076 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81076 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
She tips her head back, showcasing faint white puncture wound scars—scattered across her skin from behind her jaw to near the center of her neck.
I try to hide my horror but clearly do a shit job of it.
She laughs softly as she lets her hair fall back into place. “It’s okay. I don’t remember it, at least consciously. I was barely two. All I remember was being in the hospital after and how much I loved getting all the popsicles I could eat. The nurses were really sweet.” She shrugs and resumes petting the cat. “But, ever since then, I’ve been scared of animals.”
“Was the dog put down?” I ask, imagining the only thing worse than being attacked by a vicious dog would be being forced to continue to live with the animal afterward. Not that it was the dog’s fault, but once a animal’s that far gone, it’s often too late for rehabilitation.
She shakes her head. “No, but the authorities took him away and made Dad get rid of the other dogs he was training for the fights. I don’t remember much about that, either, but Mom later told me he was real pissed about it. He blamed my brother for letting the dog out. Screamed at him for hours. It was sad all around. For everyone, Mordor included. Who knows what kind of dog he might have been if he’d been treated well.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through all that.” I bring my hand to her back, rubbing my palm gently up and down.
“It’s okay,” she says.
“It’s not okay. I want to punch your dad in the face.”
She laughs softly. “Same. I mean, not anymore, but there were times in the past when I was really mad at him and at my mom. But now, I’m just grateful for the life I have. And for Gram. She loved Aaron and me enough to make up for all the bad times when we were little.” She looks up, her brow furrowed. “I should text her and tell her I love her. Even though I’m still pissed about the newspaper thing.”
I brush her hair from her forehead. “You don’t have to. She knows you love her, and it’s okay to be angry, even with the people we love most. I’m pissed at someone in the McGuire clan on a regular basis.”
She arches a brow. “Really? Why? For being too warm and supportive and wonderful?”
“For being nosy and intrusive and not respecting my boundaries,” I say. “Not to mention bossy. Bossiness is in the DNA and really fucking annoying. Even my younger siblings feel like they have the right to boss me around.”
She grins, a mischievous light in her eyes. “Really? Bossy? You don’t say.”
“Yeah, bossy,” I say, knowing exactly where she’s headed.
“Have you um…looked in the mirror lately, perchance?”
I fight a smile. “No, I haven’t. Someone had their clothes spread out all over the bathroom floor, so I couldn’t get to the mirror above the sink. That’s why I was changing by the front door.”
The mischief in her eyes takes on a sultrier edge. “My clothes were not on the floor. They were in the shower.”
“And spilling out onto the floor,” I say, my focus dropping to her full lips.
“Maybe the tiniest bit.” Her face drifts closer to mine. “Like…two inches. Maybe three.”
“It’s a lot more than two inches,” I whisper.
“That’s what all the guys say,” she says, summoning a startled laugh from my throat. “Sorry,” she adds. “The dirty stuff just comes out when I’m with you. I can’t help it.”
Cupping her cheek, I murmur, “That’s not dirty stuff. I could show you some dirty stuff, Nora Boudreaux.”
“I would really like that Matty McGuire,” she says. “I’d like it a lot.”
I lean in, a breath from kissing her in a way I haven’t before. I’ve never kissed her in private, in a place where the kiss doesn’t have to stop…if we don’t want it to. And I really don’t want it to.
I should. This isn’t what’s best for either of us.
But right now, with her sweet smell swirling through my head and the need to comfort her, preferably with my mouth all over her body, pumping through my veins, I find I’ve lost my will to resist.
Unfortunately—fortunately? Hell, if I know anymore—Clyde decides to help me out by emitting a horrendous belch before vomiting on Nora’s lap.
“Oh no,” she says, lips pulling away from her teeth as she glances down at the warm, sour mess. “Oh, you poor thing. Do you think he has a virus or something? Should we take him to the emergency vet?”
I shake my head. “I’m not sure where we’d find one open anywhere close to here. And I think he’s okay. Probably just stressed out from all the drama.” I gather the cat gently in my arms. “But I’ll make some plain white rice to mix into his food. Hopefully, that will calm his stomach.”