Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 35040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
“So, nothing to worry about?” Cyrus asked.
Lost Creek seemed to be a magnet for fucking trouble. Cyrus was always waiting for problems to escalate. His parents had warned him that shit could evolve quickly if he wasn’t careful, and that was why he kept his feet firmly on the ground and took every incident seriously.
He didn’t want to lose the town. He couldn’t remember what it was like prior to the Reapers taking the town, but he certainly knew what it was like now. Being able to protect that girl today was an absolute necessity.
“We’ll see,” Daniel said. “For now, all we’ve got to do is wait.”
With that, Cyrus said his goodbyes and made his way over to the building where Willow would still be hard at work. He was tempted to go and get more coffee, or at least a cinnamon roll, if Willow had eaten the two.
Entering the secure room, he saw Willow was on her feet, and she moved toward him.
“Thank God,” she said, and threw her arms around him. “It was real, wasn’t it? That wasn’t just some test you guys had given me. That was like real real?”
He wrapped his arms around her and couldn’t resist putting his face against her neck and breathing her in. She smelled like vanilla. It was a scent he really enjoyed. Cyrus had waited a long time to hold her in his arms.
This seemed surreal to him. He’d waited a long time—too freaking long—and just holding her, he knew he wasn’t going to waste any time in claiming her as his own.
****
“You didn’t eat them?” Cyrus asked.
Willow laughed. “No, you brought them for us to enjoy, and I wasn’t just going to eat them myself. Now, if you’re asking if I was tempted to eat them all, that is a whole other story.”
She loved watching him laugh.
After they ended their hug, she wasn’t sure if it extended longer than was appropriate. She had never hugged a guy before. Not even kissed a guy. It always made her laugh that she wrote such elaborate, in-depth sex scenes and had never been touched by a man.
“I can’t guarantee the coffee is going to be good,” she said, and took a sip of her own. “It’s not bad, but you’ve got to actually like cold coffee.”
“I drink it iced from time to time.”
She waited as he took a sip, and then handed him the wrapped cinnamon rolls. There were grease stains on the packet from where it had been sitting for the last few hours. The cold cinnamon roll was still as delicious as before. One bite, and her mouth was still watering.
“Damn, that is a good cinnamon roll.”
“They are good, but you know, my mom’s were amazing.”
“They were?”
“Yeah, they were, and her lasagna.”
“Don’t say any more, I know how good your mom’s lasagna was. Trust me, I would have happily eaten it all to myself.”
This made her happy.
“Yeah, she was a damn good cook.” She laughed. “She would often say I would miss her for her cooking.”
“Are you okay?” Cyrus asked after a few moments.
“Yeah, I’m good. I know it’s crazy but she got me ready to handle it all. We knew it was coming, and she wasn’t afraid. Or if she was, she didn’t show it. I think she was ready.” She laughed. “She would often say that was why Dad had to leave so soon. He was going up there to get everyone in tip-top shape for her.”
He saw there was still sadness in her eyes.
“She was a good woman and your dad was a good man.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I know Mom adored you. She would tell me I would have to snatch you up before anyone else did.”
“Consider me snatched,” he said.
Willow took a deep breath. “I’m ... uh, I’m not used to this.”
“I know,” he said.
“I know you haven’t dated, Willow. Trust me, in a small town, we all know each other’s business.”
Not all of their business. She had been able to keep it a secret about what she did to earn money. Not that there was anything wrong with writing erotic books. They had kept her entertained through some of the most painful times of her life.
She looked at Cyrus and it was strange as she wanted to tell him so badly. It was her little secret, though, and she didn’t know how to blurt out what she did.
“Are you looking forward to going dancing tonight?” he asked.
“Yes, I am. I think after all this excitement, I’d like to go out.”
“What do you think then?” He pointed toward the screens.
“It’s ... good. I mean, I’m not going to say it is the most thrilling job on the planet, but I like it. I feel like I’m contributing to the town.” Especially after the last decade of feeling like she hadn’t done a damn thing.