Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80314 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80314 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
“See you tonight.” I stop at her car and steal one more kiss before she slides into her seat, and she looks up at me.
“Let me know when you get your phone.”
“I’ll send you a text,” I tell her, and she nods once before I close her door. After she’s started her engine, I head around the hood of my truck, then wait for her to back out of the driveway to do the same.
I follow her out of the subdivision, and we both turn right, but eventually she turns off toward the high school, while I head to my place in the center of town. When I moved back here, I didn’t want to purchase a property or invest too much money, so I ended up renting a two-bedroom townhouse in the middle of town for a ridiculous amount in rent each month.
When I arrive home, I head upstairs to where the living room and bedrooms are. I don’t even have to look around to know my place is the opposite of May’s, which is warm, welcoming, and interesting. Except for a couch in the living room along with a large TV, and a king-sized bed in the master, there’s no other furniture. And unless I hire someone to deck out my house, there is no way I’d ever bring her here. My place looks like a crash pad, which is exactly what it’s been until now. Because until her, I honestly didn’t think this move would be permanent and figured I’d start searching for a place to settle after my dad was able to take things over again.
Now, with May in the picture, my whole course has gone off track, because I know without even asking that she’s settled here. And if I want to be with her, which I do I need to think about planting some roots.
Chapter 11
May
WITH SALMON IN the oven, rice cooking in the rice cooker, and asparagus sautéing in a pan on the stove, Cooper barks, and I walk toward the door after the bell rings, when I really want to run. Being with Aiden yesterday and then sleeping with his arms wrapped around me last night brought that feeling of warmth back to me, and all day, I’ve been waiting for my next hit of it like some kind of addict.
I go to the door and open it up, breathing a sigh of relief when I find that the bruises from yesterday have faded slightly along with the cut on his upper lip.
Without a word, he takes a step toward me and drops his mouth to mine, greeting me with a kiss that makes my toes curl as he walks me backward into the house.
“I’ve been waiting to do that all day.” His hand curls around my waist, and I whimper, leaning up on my tiptoes, wanting him to keep kissing me and never stop. When he pulls back, he doesn’t let me go. Instead, he bands his arm around my waist, pulling me flush against him so my chest is pressed tightly against his abs. “You’re cooking?”
“Yes.” I rest my palms against his chest, then lick my lips. “I made salmon. Do you eat salmon?” I ask, thinking I should have asked him that before I went to the store and got the stuff for dinner.
“I’ll eat anything you make.” His hand comes up so he can cup my cheek. “But you didn’t have to cook. I was planning on going out to pick something up for us or ordering in.”
“I like cooking,” I tell him, then look down at our feet when Cooper barks again, something that isn’t normal for him to do. Really, he hardly makes any noise at all, even when someone he doesn’t know comes over. When Cooper runs to the door, then back to me, I see a very pretty yellow lab sitting just outside the front door on the welcome mat, watching Aiden and me like he’s waiting to be invited inside.
I completely forgot Aiden mentioning earlier today that his friend had to work tonight, so he wouldn’t be able to keep his dog, and telling him to bring him over.
“Dozer, come,” he calls, and the dog lazily gets up and walks toward us, totally ignoring Cooper, who is sniffing and circling him like he’s never seen another dog in his life.
“Well, aren’t you pretty.” I squat down so Dozer and I are eye-to-eye, and as I rub his head, Cooper takes that as his opportunity to lick my face, reminding me that he’s right there too. “Do you like cats?” I ask Dozer but look up at Aiden, and he looks at his dog before shrugging one shoulder.
“He’s never been around a cat since I’ve had him, but since he’d rather sleep than do much of anything else, I doubt he’s going to bother Blue or Bella.”