Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 27182 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 136(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27182 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 136(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
I don’t know her name, her story, or why she’s here confessing about stealing a dog—but I know one thing: no man is getting near her again.
Not on my watch.
Not ever.
She blinks and then swallows. I know she feels it too. This unstoppable connection. This crackle of energy.
Her lips part slightly. My gaze drops to them. Pink. Soft. Kissable.
So fucking kissable.
The groan I make this time is loud enough for Henry to turn around.
He raises his eyebrows and smirks, giving me a look like he’s saying, ‘Can you believe this girl?’
No, Henry. I can’t believe it. This doesn’t feel like real life.
“I’m taking over,” I say as I run a hand through my hair on the way to the reception desk.
I’m ready to fight Henry to the death over this, but he looks relieved as he steps back, glad to be rid of her and her wild story.
“Good luck with this chick,” he whispers on his way back to the weight room.
“Thanks,” I mutter. I need all the luck I can get to make this angel mine.
I place my hands on the desk and stare at her. She’s even more stunning up close.
Her gorgeous brown eyes widen as she glances at my arms and shoulders. I’m wearing a tank top and my muscles are jacked from the workout. I hope I don’t look like a monster to her. I know I can be intimidating to men and women.
“Yeah, so…” she says, squeezing her eyes shut and shaking her head like she’s trying to reset her thoughts. “I was trying to explain to your colleague that some men are after me.”
I grit my teeth so hard my jaw aches.
Stay cool. Stay calm.
I’m fighting the urge to slam a pen and paper in front of her while demanding their names and addresses.
I’ll make sure they’ll never threaten her again. I’ll make sure they never breathe again.
“And… um… why are they after you?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.
My heart is pounding so hard as she tells me everything…
CHAPTER FOUR
Lucy
“I know it sounds crazy,” I say with my voice all wobbly, “but I swear, Cutter chose me. He hated it there. They made him be mean but he has such a good heart. He’s a total sweetie. He didn’t deserve all that.”
I hope I’m winning this man over, but I have no idea. He’s just staring at me with those intense dark eyes. I’m not sure if he wants to throw me in jail, throw me out the door, or throw me over this desk and ravage me. His face is unreadable. His very gorgeous, very sexy unreadable face.
My pulse is racing as I desperately try to make this hot police officer see why stealing a dog was the only rational choice.
“He was cold and shaking all the time,” I say with my voice getting all high-pitched and crackly. “They never let him inside, even through the winter! And you should see how much he loves to curl up on the couch and cuddle. His cuddling game is legendary.”
Those sexy lips curl up into a half-smile. It gives me an ounce of courage to keep going. Maybe I can win him over. Maybe I can get some sort of protection here.
“Any kind, reasonable person would have done the same,” I say, squeezing my hands in and out of fists all nervous and guilty-like. “I didn’t even really steal him if you think about it.”
His eyebrow raises as he looks at me skeptically. That look on him is really freaking hot.
“Not technically,” I quickly add. “I just… opened the car door and he jumped right in. It was his choice really. I was just an innocent bystander.”
“Who cut the fence and drove the getaway car…”
I swallow hard but he’s grinning. I might have won Mr. Hot Cop over for the moment.
This man is incredibly intimidating. I must have caught him mid-workout. That would explain all the manly grunts and clanging weights coming from the room in the back. Plus, he’s wearing a tank top that his giant arms are busting out of instead of a police uniform. His biceps and shoulders are covered in sexy ink and the tattoo on his left side continues up to his thick, muscular neck. I have to keep telling myself to stop staring at this man in awe. I keep getting lost in his breathtaking eyes.
I love his size. He’s massive. I bet I don’t even come up to his big bearded chin.
And that beard—don’t even get me started. Full and neatly trimmed, like he could chop wood all morning and then take your grandma to church right after.
This man is a mountain of muscle and male authority all wrapped up in slow, deliberate movements and a stare that makes it very hard to breathe properly.
I bet his girlfriend doesn’t have to worry about goons following her around. Someone like him would twist Angelo into a pretzel for even daring to look at his girl. Man, that girl is one lucky chick. I hope she knows it.