Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 102620 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 513(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102620 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 513(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
“Looks like we both came here looking for something.” He leans over and kisses my lips softly.
“What does your week look like?” He reaches for his glass of water, taking a sip and changing the subject.
“I have one client I have to finish for sure. I’ve already pushed her off once when I was moving.” I cut my own piece of chicken. “Then I want to go to the sheriff's station.” He looks over at me.
“For?”
“I want to know if they will share their files with me.”
“Baby,” he says softly, “it’s a twenty-five-year-old cold case. I don’t even think they have the file.”
“Well, I’ll find out.” I look over at him.
“Okay, fine, I’ll go with you.”
“What?” I ask him. “Why?”
“Because I want to,” he states, finishing his chicken. “Just tell me when you are going.”
“I don’t think that is a good idea.”
“And I don’t think it’s a good idea that you go to the sheriff, who from what I’ve heard—”
“You mean town gossip.” I finish my last bite.
“Whatever the fuck you want to call it. You are not going there by yourself, and if I find out you did, I’m going to turn you over my fucking knee”—I gasp—“and not in the good way either.”
“You did not just say that to me,” I accuse him, shocked.
He pushes away from the island. “Oh, I did, baby.” He grabs his plate. “Now, we have to get this cleaned up, and then I have to take you upstairs”—he puts his plate in the big deep sink—“and look at your whiteboard.” He uses quotation marks when he says it. “Then I’m going to make out with you. Then I have to get home. We start the barn project tomorrow, so I have to be there bright and early. Emmett is going to be a pain in my ass.” I’m about to say something when he holds up his hand. “If you mention me dating Lilah one more time…”
“I’m just saying, maybe he’s not keen on the fact you dated her either.” I grab my own dish.
“I kissed her once.” The thought makes the back of my neck heat.
“I know.” I put my plate in the sink on top of his. He steps forward and his hand grabs my hip. “Also, you kissed her twice.”
“And it was nothing like our kisses.” He pulls me to him. “With you, I kiss you and I never want to stop. I walk into the room, and I see you, and the only thing I can think is, when am I going to get to kiss you? Fuck, I look at you and all I want to do is be next to you.” I swallow down the lump that has somehow moved up from my stomach. “Think about that the next time you compare yourself to Lilah.”
“I’m not comparing myself to Lilah,” I defend myself.
“Good, you shouldn’t since you would win every single time.” He bends his head and kisses me. I think it’s going to be a soft kiss, and that is how it starts out. Then his tongue slips out of his mouth and touches my lips, and my mouth immediately opens for him. His tongue rolls with mine as my body melts into his. “If you don’t move away from me, I’m going to forget about cleaning up this kitchen.”
“I don’t know if I would be mad if we did that.” I wrap my arms around his neck.
“Baby, you just got this kitchen. It’ll take twenty minutes to clean it up.” He looks around. “If you want, you can watch me and think about things I’m going to do to you with my tongue.”
“You can’t say things like that,” I groan. “What if I get up after you leave and clean up?”
“Who says I’m leaving? Maybe I changed my mind and I’m staying.” I swallow when he says those words. “We aren’t going to be having sex until I take you on a proper date, but that doesn’t mean I can’t sleep over.”
“Who says I’m going to go on a date with you?”
“Baby,” he states softly, “Saturday night, you are going to get dressed up. I’m going to take you out to have dinner. I’m going to wine you and dine you, and then”—his voice goes lower—“then I’m going to bring you home and fuck the ever-loving shit out of you.”
“Fine.” I try not to smile. “If you put it like that, I’ll go out with you.”
He laughs. “Good. Now, are you going to let me clean the kitchen?”
“Ugh.” I push away from him. “You were the one holding on to me and not the other way around.”
“You always sass me.” He shakes his head, walking to the stove and grabbing the pot. “I might have to think about ways to fill your mouth.”
“Caleb,” I snap his name out and stomp my foot, “do you want me to clean up the kitchen naked?”