Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 139088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 695(@200wpm)___ 556(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 695(@200wpm)___ 556(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
“Like I’d thank her or something.”
I let him go only to arch back to look at him and grab hold of his head in both hands.
“This isn’t you,” I stated.
“I know.”
“If it has to be us who takes off, then it’ll be us who takes off,” I said.
His eyes warmed, and he too took an arm from around me so he could run the pad of his middle finger down my hairline. He watched it go while I watched a lot of cruel and beautiful things warring in his eyes.
The beautiful won out and he said, “It won’t come to that, gorgeous.”
“I hate you have to deal with this,” I bitched.
“I know. It won’t be for much longer.”
“We got rid of Cheyenne, and now we might have to get a restraining order on your mom.”
“If we have to, we have to. Then we’ll move on.”
I blew out an annoyed breath.
He watched me.
Then he repeated his question of, “Eggs or muffins? Or something else?”
“I love you,” I replied.
His lips tipped up. “I know.”
“I want one of Willow’s cupcakes for breakfast, so I’m good until I get to work. What do you want?”
He grinned. “One of Willow’s cupcakes. I’ll come into work with you and get one of the guys to come get me when my shift is on.”
I let him take my weight as I tipped my head back further and went up on my toes.
He took the hint and kissed me.
It was again wet, sweet and thorough.
“Shower?” he asked when we were done.
“You betcha,” I answered.
We didn’t break and go to the bathroom.
He cupped my head, pressed my cheek to his chest and gave me a very hard hug that lasted a long time.
“Say it again,” he whispered.
I knew exactly what he needed.
“I love you.”
I felt his chest expand with the big breath he took.
He let it out.
And then we went to the bathroom.
After our shower, while getting ready, I told Knox about my convo with Dream.
It kind of sucked to share that me and my sister were coming together while he and his sister had broken apart, but I didn’t think he’d want me to keep it from him.
He didn’t react badly.
But of course.
He interrupted my makeup regime by getting off the toilet lid he was sitting on while listening to me, and he gave me a hug.
During this time, he shared that Shaw had gone to get my car last night, so we didn’t have to worry about swinging by the storage units to retrieve it.
These guys thought of everything.
It wasn’t until Lan hit The Surf Club to pick up Knox (and get a coffee from Tex and one of Willow’s sugar cookies from the case) and he told me he’d catch a Lyft, come back, have a late lunch and hang with me until my shift was over, that I realized his shift that day was ten to two. He’d spent two and a half hours at the bar at SC drinking coffee, eating a cupcake, doing shit on his phone and gabbing to the girls when we had time.
If he came back after his shift, he’d be hanging around for an hour and a half, probably doing much the same.
Which meant it wasn’t until after he was gone, I realized my man did not want me to walk to my car and get another unwelcome visitor and have another distressing chat.
Even in figuring this out, I didn’t fight him on it.
Like The Kevster said, a man had to do what a man had to do.
However, being stymied by Cheyenne in discussing getting a message to Gypsy, and then that message being delivered direct from Knox, with Byron in his corner with his laptop, I got another idea.
So I made him a dirty chai and headed his way.
When he saw me coming, he seemed wary.
Since I was no way going to tease him about his talents in feeling a bitch up, I just smiled at him, set his mug down and slid in a chair opposite him.
“I’m not gonna hand you shit about dating my sister,” I assured.
He relaxed and reached for his dirty chai.
“But I am going to ask for a favor,” I carried on.
His eyes came to me over the rim of his cup.
Yeah, he was kind of cute. Not my gig, but with all I knew, and what I saw, I was totally feeling him for Dream.
“This isn’t an Angel favor,” I said. “It’s personal. And it doesn’t have to be secret.” I was making this up on the fly, but it didn’t need to be secret, since whatever he learned I was going to tell Knox because that was the whole point of asking Byron to look into her. “It also isn’t a priority, because I know you’re busy saving the world and such.”