Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22697 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22697 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
“You came here as a child? Me too.” I couldn’t help wondering if the two of us could have crossed paths back then.
“Sure did. My siblings and I would eat until our stomachs ached,” he said with a smile, but this time there was no twinkle in his eyes, only sadness lurking there.
“Not fond memories?” I asked, sipping my coffee and then regretting my words as they sank in. It wasn’t my place to pry into his past. Who knew what kind of childhood he’d had. I knew better than anyone that not all parents were loving. Not all childhood memories were worth saving.
“I just miss my sister.” His eyes trained out the window, he seemed to be lost in memories. I knew that look too well. I’d been spending my entire adult life trying to escape my past.
“I can’t believe you ate three servings. Where do you put it all?” I tried to change the mood, offering him an escape from the dark or lonely place his mind had wandered off to.
“I’m a growing boy. What can I say?” He moved his gaze from the window to me.
“I’m impressed and disgusted.”
He smiled at me, and once again I saw the light come back.
“So, can we now call this a date?” He leaned in, whispering to me across the table, “Cause I really want to do it again, but next time I’d like to pick you up and pay like my momma taught me.”
I found myself giggling at that way he had of lightening a mood instantly.
“Yes, I think I would like that.”
C H A P T E R F I V E
Arkin
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d wonder if I had a stalker.” An easy grin tipped her lips when she spotted me headed for her across the coffee shop.
Barely 7:55 on Thursday, and there I was, freshly showered with an armful of fresh-picked peach roses, all for her.
“If I were stalking you, you’d know it.” I passed her the blooms over the counter.
She giggled, soft and sweet and enough to send zaps of energy into the air between us. “At least you’re the kind of stalker who lurks in your car and attacks my potential harassers.”
“Clearing my path, that’s all.”
“Path of destruction?” She untied her apron, tucking it under her arm.
“Just gettin’ rid of all the foolish bastards who think they have a shot at a kind soul like yours.”
My words seemed to strike her, ending our easy banter in favor of a small cloud of emotion.
“Sorry. I probably started this all wrong.” I grinned sheepishly, holding the front door of the coffee shop wide so she could exit and then turn to lock it behind her. “I’d love to take you out for something to eat and hear about your day.”
She arched one eyebrow, my words seeming to rattle her again, before a soft smile crept up her cheeks. “Every thought in my head is yelling at me to say no to you, Arkin Broderick.”
I swallowed the lump of anxiety leveraged in my throat.
“But—” she tucked her nose into the blooms and inhaled “—there’s something about you…” She shook her head, bemused. “I just can’t force the word no from my lips when you’re standing across from me with that smile, fancy leather shoes and all.”
I rocked back and forth on my feet, a very new pair of dark-wash jeans covering my thighs and those Italian leather things. I leaned in extra close, fingers moving a wisp of her hair from her cheek. “Since you brought ’em up our last date, figured that meant you liked them.”
Her blush deepened a lush crimson shade, the color of a ripe fall fruit. “Pretty quick to own that date word, huh?”
She seemed uneasy again, and my mind was running away with me looking for ways to make her feel a little more comfortable with me. I didn’t know why I was drawn to her like I was, why she’d constantly lingered on my mind since our first meeting, or why I had the persistent sense of protection when I was with her.
She was hesitant, like a newborn bird, and every part of me was aware that she needed tenderness from me before anything else.
“I’ll take what I can get with you.” I resisted pressing a kiss to her pillowy lips, pulling away and regaining some of that control that’d been wavering. “I’m happy to take you to Reggio’s again, but if you’re up for a little adventure, I’ve got another plan.”
Her eyes moved from her car back to me, as if she was warring with herself. “I have to work in the morning, early.”
I nodded. “Not a problem. Early bedtime tonight. Got it.”
She finally nodded. “Should I follow you?”
“Well, the place I had in mind is a little more rugged than the Toyota can take.”