Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44932 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44932 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
“There. I bet that’s better.”
She nodded and watched him open a drawer to pull out a hairbrush still in its packaging. Zale opened it. After discarding the plastic shell, he picked up a section of her long hair and ran the bristles gently through the lower half. When he had that section tangle-free, he started on another.
Zale never rushed or seemed bored with his task. Pippa relaxed as he proceeded to untangle the top section just as cautiously. Her scalp had always been tender. He didn’t hurt her at all.
“You’re good at that.”
He winked. “For a guy with no hair,” he teased.
She considered his military short hairstyle and said, “You have hair. It’s just abbreviated.”
“That word is longer than my hair.”
Her gaze met his. Her heart lurched in her chest at his twinkling eyes. Zale made everything better. Those dark eyes could be frightening when he was in protector mode. Now, they danced with humor and enjoyment of the smallest of things.
“Thank you for taking care of me.”
“You’re welcome, kitten, but caring about you is easy. Now, let me show you my patented braiding technique.”
In a short time, he had her wavy hair tamed into a thick plait at the back of her head. Holding the ends together, Zale opened the top drawer and considered the contents. He grabbed a small square dispenser of dental floss and ripped off a long piece. She held back her laughter as he wrapped it around several times before tying the white strand into a bow.
“Perfect!” he announced.
“You’re really good at what you do, aren’t you?”
“Good? Nah. I’m awesome,” he corrected her modestly.
That made her laugh out loud. “You are. Totally.”
A thought crossed her mind. “Did you get to finish your shower?” She scanned his body and yanked her gaze back to his face when she noticed his shaft displayed against the gray sweatpants. He obviously had not had time to pull on briefs under that thin fabric. If he’s that thick at rest…
“I can finish later if you’d rather,” he told her. “Need me to put on more clothes before dinner?”
“I won’t look.”
“I like knowing that you’re attracted to me. That blush is the cutest thing I’ve seen in a long time. You’re a beautiful woman, Pippa. May I kiss you, kitten?”
“Please.”
He braced his hands on the edge of the vanity on either side of her thighs and leaned in to press his lips to hers lightly. That was definitely not the kind of kiss Pippa had expected. She circled his neck with her arms and pulled herself closer.
“More, please,” she requested.
“So polite,” he praised and lowered his mouth to hers again.
This time he wooed her mouth into opening under his and deepened the kiss further by sliding his tongue into her mouth to taste her. Daringly, Pippa sucked on his tongue lightly as she slid hers underneath. His deep groan of enjoyment rumbled through her, igniting the desire building inside her. When he lifted his head after several seconds, they were both breathing heavily.
“You are going to be dangerous, kitten,” he growled as he looked down at her with a hungry expression.
“We could finish your shower together,” she suggested.
“Not going to happen.”
“Why?”
“You’re recovering from a traumatic event. When we make love, it won’t happen because you want to think about something else. I want you completely focused on us.”
Pippa wanted to argue with that, but he made complete sense. She nodded. “I want that, too.”
“So, we wait until we’re both ready. Now. I’m going to sit you on my bed with my tablet and you’re going to play a game or order a book to read while I make sure the soap is rinsed off.”
He lifted her from the vanity and carried her to the king-size bed. Pulling a modern, large iPad from his nightstand, he said, “My code is an L pattern,” and showed her how to open the tablet. As she leaned over the device, he bent down and kissed her head. “Be back in a minute, kitten. Don’t miss me too much.”
It only took a couple of minutes for the singing to resume in the shower. The temptation was strong to go peek into the bathroom. She could probably see through the clear shower panels from the doorway. Instead, she forced herself to choose an app. Opening a word game, she laughed as she instinctively hummed along with the song currently on the shower mock radio station Pippa decided to call Hot Soldier Daddy FM.
CHAPTER 6
Her fingers tightened on the tablet as he tried to take it away. He released the corner of the tablet he held and studied the enchanting picture she made. It hadn’t taken her long to fall back to sleep. He’d only been in the shower for five minutes. Turning, he grabbed a soft blanket from the chest at the bottom of the bed and spread it over her.