Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 102185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
I climb out the window, landing on soft grass that can’t be native to this part of Texas. Only rich people could afford this luxury in the hot hill country. It’s nice to land my feet on, though. When I turn around to duck and dash to the front of the house where I left my truck parked last night, a little boy—shirtless, jeans with a buckle too heavy for his waistband, boots on, and riding a hobby horse—rounds the corner.
His horse comes to a halt a few feet ahead. Blue eyes shine from the short distance as he stares in my direction. But it’s the familiar hat that’s too big for him sitting on his head, and a gasp behind me that pulls my attention back to the window. Leaning out through the opening with her knuckles whitening as she grips the frame, Cricket says, “I can explain.”
The kid doesn’t react to her, so I turn back to find him still staring at me. What the fuck do I do? “So I hear you like baseball?”
“Oh Jesus,” Cricket sighs behind me.
CHAPTER 22
Cricket
Griffin sends me a look with “help me” spelled out loud and clear in his eyes.
Fortunately, Judy comes to the rescue. On the heels of Jacob when she rounds the corner, shock widens her eyes as they volley between me and Griffin, who’s holding his boots in front of him like they’d be able to hide him from being seen. I just slept with the man and know damn well those boots aren’t hiding much on his build. “Um . . .” Judy starts, covering Jacob’s eyes with her hands. “Let’s go to the park, Jakey.” She scoops him into her arms despite his desperate wriggles to free himself as he yells about a “naked man” in the yard, much to my horror and embarrassment, and scurries back the way they came.
“Griffin, come back,” I whisper-yell to the back of Griffin’s head. When he looks at me again, he does not look happy. That makes two of us, bud. “Get in here.”
“Back through the window?” He doesn’t bother whispering at all.
“You’re lucky I don’t have neighbors.” I wave him over, as panic is getting the best of me. “Come back in through the window.”
Standing straight up, he thumbs toward the front of the house, and asks, “I can’t use the door?”
“No. They’re going to be out there in a minute. I can’t have you crossing paths.”
“Crossing paths again, you mean.”
“Semantics.” I back away to give him space to climb back into my bedroom. When he doesn’t come, I dip back out. “Griffin?”
He sighs with a shake of his head as he returns to where I’m waiting for him. “This is a first,” he grumbles, dropping his clothes and boots in through the opening and hitting my floor with a thud.
“Well, if it matters,” I say, pacing away from him to the dresser to pull out a pair of shorts to quickly slip on, “this is not how I saw it going either.” I turn back to see his progress. “I’m winging this, too.”
Securing his hands to the frame, he lifts, showing off those incredible arm muscles of his, and works the rest of his large frame in sideways to land on his feet. As soon as he clears the opening, I shut the window, lock it, and lower the shades as if there are spies outside. “Get dressed.”
“Figured that was the next step, but thanks.” He grabs his jeans, shoving a leg through while eyeing me. “A bit demanding, don’t ya think?”
“Um, maybe this is another day at the beach for you, but my three-year-old just saw a naked man outside my window. So forgive me if I’m in panic mode right now.” I take a breath because I need one to calm down. “I’m sorry.”
Chuckling enough to rock his shoulders but not make a sound, he grins. “Don’t be.” With his jeans hanging open at the top, giving me a nice peek of the trail that disappears into his underwear, I grin. God, I’m brazenly wanton around him. This is what he does to me. He makes my mind and body go wild with intention. Taking hold of my upper arms, he bends his eyes so he’s level with mine. “Panicking won’t help us. We have a minute to think, so we should come up with a plan. Unless you already have one?”
“I don’t have one.” I put my finger over my mouth so I can hear the scuffle of Judy and Jacob heading down the hall to the front of the house echoing off the wood floors. I hustle toward the door and start to open it.
“I thought you would have all your bases covered,” he says in a lowered voice. “Seems to be how you roll.”