Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 119(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 119(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
Throwing back my covers, I quickly make my bed, then pad into the bathroom and take a shower as frigid as I can stand. The freezing water pretty much kills all the lustful thoughts about Emery bouncing around in my head, thank God. After a brisk shower, I get dressed and head into the kitchen to make some coffee, ready to get my day started.
I’ve always liked the morning. The world is quiet and peaceful, and I can hear myself think. Especially out here in the woods. Standing at the sink, I eat a bowl of oatmeal, drink my coffee, and just enjoy the tranquility of the morning.
“Dammit,” I mutter.
My peace is shattered by the truck that rumbles into my driveway. Travis, the kid who works down at the market in town, is here with my standing order of supplies for the week. With a sigh, I set my bowl and cup down in the sink, apparently getting started with my day earlier than I’d expected to.
“Hey,” I say as I step outside. “You’re here early.”
“Good morning, Mr. Proctor,” Travis replies. “Yeah, Jonah wanted me to get an early start on deliveries today. It’s not a problem, is it?”
“Nah. As good a time as any, I suppose.”
I help him unload his truck, stacking all the boxes on my porch. Once we’re finished, he shuts the tailgate and leans against it, wiping his brow with a rag. I walk into my cabin, cut a check for the supplies, and then walk it back out to Travis, handing it to him.
“Gonna be a warm one today,” he says.
“Yeah,” I reply.
He stands up straight and is looking at something over my shoulder, a strange light in his eyes. I turn and immediately see what he’s gawking at. Dressed in short, tight shorts and a t-shirt that hugs her curves enticingly, Emery goes jogging by on the trail. When she glances over at me, the smile that had been forming on her lips instantly dries up. She turns away, puts her head down, and picks up her pace, quickly disappearing where the trail disappears into the woods.
“You know her?” I ask sharply.
“What? Me? Nah,” he replies. “She came into the store the other day.”
The way his eyes linger after her and the tone in his voice send a flash of irritation and possessiveness that cut through me like a scythe. I don’t like the way he’s looking at her.
“She renting a cabin from you?”
“Yep.”
“Huh. She told me she was staying down at the Pines,” he says.
“Guess not.”
“And I thought we shared a moment. I thought we kind of connected.”
Yeah, she lied to you about where she was staying. That’s a real strong connection there, kid. I want to say it, but don’t. I’d rather not extend this conversation any longer than necessary. I just want him to get back into his truck and get the fuck out of here—and to stop leering after Emery the way he is.
“Anyway, I think that’s it,” I say.
He tips me a wink. “I’ll tell you what, I’d love to share a connection with that fine piece of ass. Am I right?”
My jaw clenched, and my hands curled into fists at my side, I glare at him. “You really should learn a little respect, kid.”
He puts his hands up. “Sorry, man. I didn’t mean anything by it. It was just guy talk.”
“You should go now.”
His eyes slide to the woods behind me as if he’s trying to steal one last glance at Emery. I take a step closer to him, my eyes burning with anger. Travis licks his lips and then nods.
“Yeah. Sure, man. Whatever,” he says. “I’m going.”
I wait until his truck is rumbling down the road before I turn and stare at the woods behind me. I don’t see her anywhere, which I’m both glad and disappointed about. Once I’m sure Travis is gone, I carry all the boxes into my cabin, thinking about how I need to place a call to Jonah and let him know to keep an eye on his boy.
I really didn’t like the way he was leering at Emery, and it’s not just because I had a sudden and inexplicable flash of overprotectiveness. That’s part of it, of course. But there was something in the way he was staring at her that made me feel a little… uneasy. I don’t know Travis well; he’s only been working for Jonah for a few months, but the way he leered at her bothered me. A lot. There was just an unsettling vacancy in his eyes I didn’t care for.
As I’m putting my canned goods away, a knock sounds at my open door. And when I turn, I feel my heart lurch in a way I wish it hadn’t. Emery is standing in the doorway, her face flushed and dotted with sweat. I clear my throat and try to ignore the way her t-shirt, now heavy with her sweat, sticks to her skin, outlining her full, round breasts tantalizingly.