Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 22751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
"Yeah, I have a lot. In my past and now with the women at Farrow Haven. All I can do is hope they open up to me and tell me how to help."
Emotions well up in my chest, and I nod again, scared to speak, knowing my voice will crack. I go back to cutting the veggies to distract myself, and after that, we fall into easy chatter.
We talk about how he came to work at Farrow Haven, and he tells me that he boxes for exercise with Maverick, who is married to Juliet. It’s nice listening to him speak, especially when it’s about his parents. I can hear in his voice how much he loved them.
"You really think we'll lose power?" I ask before taking a bite of the pasta he prepared for us.
The sun has set, but the moon is giving off enough light against the snow that it’s bright outside. It’s getting thicker by the second, and I can't recall us ever getting this much snow before.
"Probably. The house is nice, but it's still older. I have a generator, but I need to get a real one."
"A real one?"
"My generator is mobile and will last for a while, but the duration of power outages is unpredictable. It’s advisable to delay turning it on. The newer ones can be built in and connected to your home. When the power goes down, they come on by themselves, and they only need a little oil to keep them going."
Why do I think it might be fun if we lost power? My silly girl thoughts imagine us both having to share the living room for heat.
"What happens if the power does go out?"
"We’ll see how long the heat can hold up, but we might end up in front of the fire." As if on cue, the lights overhead flicker. He must take my surprised reaction as panic because he leans close and puts his hand on my back. “Are you okay?"
His hand rubs up and down, and I feel my muscles relax under his touch. I didn't know that I was so tense before, but clearly he notices everything.
"The dark can be scary when I’m somewhere new," I admit. I hadn't thought fully ahead about being without electricity. My mind went straight to food and warmth.
"I'll light candles,” Wynn offers, and I nod. Candles can still be spooky, but I keep that thought to myself.
"I prefer when you say it, instead of nodding."
"Oh, sorry. I’m not trying to be rude."
"You're not at all, and you don’t have to apologize. I like hearing you speak." His soft smile makes my insides warm.
"My father would not agree." I snort a laugh, and the hand on my back pauses. I didn't really think about what I was saying before the words came out. I try to play it off and pretend it’s not a big deal. "I was only teasing."
"But were you?" Wynn’s eyes are sharp as they see right through my usual façade.
Well, shit. "I suppose not. I guess it’s nice to hear you say that since I've been stuck with only my father for the past few months."
"Don’t worry. You're not going to have to deal with him." The edge of anger in his tone should probably scare me. Especially coming from a man that is so much bigger than my own father. Somehow there’s only comfort in Wynn’s words. "Finish eating, Kate."
I pick up my fork, not minding the order. Not when it's coming from Wynn. It's different, and I'm not sure why. All of his actions have been to protect me, so I can only hope that I’m putting my trust in the right man.
CHAPTER
SIX
WYNN
“Kate, wake up.” My words are hushed, but she still jerks up in bed like I’ve rung an alarm. “It’s okay, the power went out a little while ago.”
“Really?”
She blinks a few times like she’s disoriented, and I suppose she is. She’s been asleep in my bed for a few hours while I was on the couch. After dinner I told her to take a bath and get in bed while I cleaned up. I love how she instantly stood and obeyed me. There was something inside me that got off on taking care of her, and clearly she likes being taken care of.
“Come lie on the couch in the living room so you can stay warm. I’ve got the fire going.”
“Okay,” she agrees and pushes the covers off of her.
The moon is bright and streaming across the bed. It’s giving off enough light that I can see she’s wearing one of my shirts to sleep in. When I look lower, I notice the shirt has ridden up around her stomach. She doesn’t realize she’s showing me her pretty cotton panties as she scoots out of the bed. My heart hammers against my chest at the sight and my cock begins to swell. When she stands, the shirt falls into place, but the image of it is burned into my brain.