Total pages in book: 21
Estimated words: 19103 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 96(@200wpm)___ 76(@250wpm)___ 64(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 19103 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 96(@200wpm)___ 76(@250wpm)___ 64(@300wpm)
They start shouting questions at both of us, but his security tries to usher them back.
“Remember your manners, people. This isn’t some big city, and we’re in the middle of a cleanup here. There are bigger issues than my love for a woman who has shown me love and support for over two years, even when I’ve been a brute of a boss. Excuse us.”
He grabs his things, rounds his desk, takes my hand again, and leads us out of his office. The shocked reporters will be escorted out by his security. He turns to them again and says if you ever barge into my office again, I will have you all arrested and charged with trespassing.
We spend the rest of the day cleaning up any mess and having meetings with all the responders and committee members. They give us several looks when the mayor refuses to release my hand. I dip my head, ducking and blushing when people are nearby. “I won’t hide our relationship from anyone. It’s out in the open; there’s no reason to keep it a secret, and I’m not ashamed of us in any way. Please tell me you’re not either.”
My mouth drops open, and I stare at him, completely flabbergasted. “Of course, I’m not. There’s no reason for me to be ashamed at all. As far as I’m concerned, I got the better end of the deal. I’m dating a hunk, a former Navy SEAL, a mayor, and an amazing lover.”
“You forgot a man who loves you incredibly.”
“I can’t forget that.” Smiling up at him, he pulls me in for a deep, soul-stealing kiss. I melted into his arms, where I want to stay forever. We drive back to his property, and we cook together, making a fabulous dinner that feels like we’re a real couple.
“Today has been crazy,” I admit. We haven’t discussed what happened in his office or how far we crossed the lines. He said I was his, but what did that mean? “I probably should go home.”
“Why?”
“I live there.”
“Not for long. In fact, you should move in with me.”
“Do you think that’s wise?”
“Yes. We’re going to get married.”
“Not yet.” He frowns at my response as if it’s not good enough, but it’s just the truth. I want to be his wife probably more than he can even imagine, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to count my chickens before they’re hatched. He’s a politician, after all, and although we’ve known each other for a while, we never discuss our private lives.
“You’re not ready to marry me, are you?”
“It’s not that. You haven’t asked me, and we’ve gone from zero to full throttle in seconds.”
“Maybe it feels that way because I haven’t been straightforward with my admiration for you, but I swear it’s always been there. From the moment you stepped into my life. I have always had you work late on meaningless tasks to keep men off your calendar, even when I thought you had every right to date.”
“I thought you were just being a jerk on some nights when it could have waited until the next morning.”
“My emotions couldn’t. Especially at the Harvest festival when Jaime Torres tried to buy you funnel cake.”
“It wasn’t that serious.”
“Only I buy you funnel cake, Taylor. I’m kind of crazy about you like that.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Marry me. Make me the luckiest old man around here.”
“You’re not even old.” He’s almost ten years older than me. He turned thirty, and I’m twenty-one now. My birthday was just last month, and he bought me a beautiful, expensive messenger bag. It’s one I would never have bought myself because it was out of my budget. I use it every day for work.
“Yeah, but I’m too old for you.” I roll my eyes at him just as my phone rings. The same phone I dug out of his empty trash yesterday. “It better not be that piece of shit.”
“It’s my father,” I answered, voice just barely above a whisper. He hasn’t called me in a long time.
“Hello?” I say when I pick up.
“You disappoint me, Taylor. I thought you’d learn from your mother’s mistakes, but you’re no better than her.”
“What?”
“Screwing your boss. The fucker who forced me to leave town.” I’d heard rumors about it, but I never asked because I was glad that my father was leaving Sweet Temptation. Frankly, I didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth.
“Well, I could be like you and get drunk, nearly kill someone and then abandon the only family that cared while you piss away your money. For some damn reason, I thought you called because you cared about my safety. Do me a favor and lose my number.” I ended the call, unable to fight back the rush of tears that washed over me like the tidal waves that struck the beach last night.