Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 57471 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57471 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
“Please?” The anguish in his voice made my heart squeeze in my chest.
I nodded. “Fine. Sure. I’ll be down in a minute.” This time, he stepped back and nodded just as I closed the door and slammed my eyes shut. I needed to be strong; I knew that. The pull Colton had on me was immense; he was a magnet that I would always be attracted to, and I needed to steel myself against that, against his allure.
You can be strong, Molly. No, you are strong.
I repeated those words over and over until I stood as tall as I possibly could, with my shoulders squared and my spine straight. I would look Colton in the eyes and listen to what he had to say without getting emotional. I would speak my piece, and then that would be it; we could both get on with our lives. Separately.
My legs buckled at the thought of living separately from Colton, at the idea, no, the reality of watching him start to date again. Fall in love. Get married. “No.” I couldn’t do that to myself. I wouldn’t. Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to let them fall before I spoke with Colton, so I squeezed my eyes even tighter until the urge subsided. A quick splash of cold water on my face, and I was as ready as I would ever be to face him.
Colton was down in the kitchen, making quick work of the dinner I’d left for him. He looked up at me and flashed an unsure smile. “Hey, thanks for coming down.”
I shrugged. “You wanted to talk.”
He nodded. “I did,” he said in a gentle tone, motioning for me to take a seat across from him at the table.
My legs felt like logs as I moved forward, dropping down in the chair as if all the life had been drained from my body. I watched him carefully, the play of emotions on his handsome face, the way his jaw clenched as if he was trying to hold back his emotions.
I love him.
The words entered my mind without prompting; it was just a visceral emotion, a constant realization each time I saw him, just how deeply I felt for this man. “Look,” I said finally, because the silence was getting to me the way it often did during long stretches of quiet. Strangely, it was never that way with Colton; being with him in the silence had been comforting. Until now.
“Molly,” he began, but I shook my head and pushed forward with what I had to say.
“No, I need to say this. I’m sorry for making you worry about Hunter like that, truly. But I thought you knew me well enough to know that I wouldn’t leave the ranch without letting you know. I was wrong,” I said softly, ignoring the ache in my chest. “But still, there was no reason for you to speak to me the way you did. I know I’m just an employee, but I’m a person, and I deserve respect.”
His hazel eyes were more brown and gold than green as they studied me carefully, his expression blank save for the way his jaw continued to clench. “You’re right; you deserve better than the way I spoke to you, and I am so damn sorry, Molly. It was just, shit,” he bit out harshly and pushed his plate away. “It’s not an excuse, but I was just so worried, and I reacted badly.”
“Okay. Glad we cleared that up.” I stood on shaky legs, ignoring my racing heart. Ignoring the urge to sit back down and fight for us, but what would be the point? Just like Travis, he didn’t really know me either.
“Sit down, Molly.” His voice was deep and commanding, a thread of something dark in his tone.
I froze and paid no attention to the twinge of arousal that ricocheted through my body at his commanding tone. Now was not the time to get turned on, even though that was a common occurrence in his presence. “We both have said what we needed to say.”
“No,” he growled. “We haven’t. Sit. Down. Please,” he added in a softer tone that seemed to have a tether to my legs because they bent easily, and once again I was sitting across from him, pretending my heart wasn’t breaking. “You’re wrong,” he said eventually, breaking the tense silence in the kitchen.
I blinked, feeling as if I’d entered the room in the middle of a conversation. “Wrong about what?” I rested my hands in my lap and tried to look as calm as I could, reluctant to show any hint of the riot of emotions that swirled in my chest and my gut, my head. My heart.
“I do know you better than that.”
I shook my head. “You don’t, and it’s fine. I mean, it’s not fine, but it is what it is. I work here, and there’s no reason you should know me any better than any other employee.” It was my own damn fault for thinking sharing a bed meant something more than some temporary, convenient fun.