Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 137144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Harvey moved over to the couch, drawing her with him, and then sat down with a groan. “Christ, this thing is as hard as rocks.”
Lily sat next to him and tried to make herself comfy. “I guess we might be able to soften it up.”
He huffed out a breath. “I think I should have paid more attention to what was going on here. I just figured that my taste was obviously crap so I’d leave her to it.”
“I think you've got great taste,” she defended.
Harvey turned to grin at her. “Yeah, that's because I chose you, so of course you think I have great taste.”
She let out a surprised giggle.
His shoulders relaxed. “It's kind of cold in here, isn't it?”
Lily grimaced, glancing around. “ It's very beautiful.”
Harvey cupped her chin, turning her to face him. “Come on, you're talking to me. You don't need to sugarcoat things. It's cold and a little scary. I'm almost afraid to touch stuff.”
“Harvey, you own everything in here. Of course, you can touch it.” But that had been very similar to her own thoughts.
“Come on, let's go explore the rest of the place. Maybe it has some personality in the toilet.”
She let out another surprised giggle. At least she was laughing. And as they moved through the rest of the house, his comments on the different rooms made her laugh even more, the tension leaving her.
Maybe, just maybe, this was all going to work.
Lily stared at the fridge. Why was this blasted thing so damn temperamental?
It had two layers of doors. You had to open the first layer to get into the shelves that she could see, and then the second layer to get into the back stuff. But do you think she could get that first layer open? She attempted again, but only managed to pull open the entire thing once more.
With a groan, she slammed the door shut, and then kicked the fridge.
Pain slashed her toes, and she let out a cry of pain, grabbing her foot with both hands as she hopped around the kitchen.
“What is it? What happened?” Harvey raced into the kitchen and stared over at her. “What's going on?” He was staring around the room as though searching for whoever had harmed her.
“The fridge attacked me.”
“What?” He gaped at her.
“The fridge hates me. It attacked me, and it hurt my toe. I think it might be broken.”
“The fridge attacked you, and your toe is broken. Did you kick the fridge?” he asked.
“Yes, because it's mean.”
Walking over, he grasped hold of her hips and lifted her onto the kitchen island.
Grasping hold of her foot, he examined her toe, pressing it and getting her to wriggle all of them. “Well, it doesn't seem to be broken.”
“No thanks to the stupid fridge.”
Yes, she knew she was acting crazy. But it seriously felt like the appliances were conspiring to get her.
“What happened?” he asked as he put his hands on countertop on either side of her hips.
“I can't get that front door part of the fridge open,” she complained. “Whoever designed that fridge is a freaking sadist. They have to be to cause this much pain to people.”
“So you couldn't open the front part of the door and thought the best idea was to kick the fridge?”
“It sounds crazy when you say it.”
He just shot her a pointed look.
“I thought it would make me feel better,” she muttered.
“And how did that turn out for you?” he said, his lips twitching.
“Not very well,” she admitted.
Harvey bent over so his face was hidden from her. Oh, no. What had she done? Had she insulted his fridge? Was he upset by that? What could she do to make it better?
His shoulders started to move. Oh, hell. He was really upset. She was an idiot. Maybe he was attached to that fridge.
And then a burst of laughter filled the room, and she realized he wasn't upset. He was laughing.
She gaped down at him. She didn't think she'd ever heard anything like that come from him. Lily stared at him in amazement for a long moment, and then she started giggling herself. It was pretty ridiculous, but that wasn't why she was laughing. She was laughing because she loved how happy he sounded, how relaxed.
In that moment, she realized that she actually made him happy. It wasn't just about wanting her. It wasn't just about needing to protect her, or keep her safe, or take care of her. He was happy.
And so was she. Perhaps for the first time in her life.
He straightened up and wiped his eyes with his hands. “Sorry, baby. I shouldn't laugh. Not when you've hurt yourself.”
“No, no, it is pretty funny,” she said. “I get it. I'd laugh too.” She giggled as he grabbed an ice pack from the fridge.
“Last night, I tried to turn the jets on in the bath, and they sprayed water right in my face. And I seriously thought the vacuum cleaner was trying to attack me this morning. I think your house is out to get me.