Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 107965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 540(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 540(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
“That can be arranged, too.” Trevor winked.
“That I do remember,” Axe chimed in. “I remember begging him to do it to mine so I could look like my big brother.”
I needed to put a stop to this. “All right. Enough of this reminiscing, if you want to call it that. We should get back to work.”
After about a half-hour of my brothers and me working together while February “helped,” she let out a screech.
“Ow!”
I ran to her. “Are you okay?”
“I dropped this damn log on my foot. Not sure how it slipped out of my hands.”
My brothers surrounded her.
She sat on the ground, holding her left foot as she looked up at us, her cheeks turning red. “This is mortifying. At least I wasn’t wearing open-toe shoes.”
I removed her shoe and sock and examined her foot, wiggling each of her toes gently. “How’s this feel?”
She sighed. “Good. I think I’m gonna live.”
I smiled. “Maybe you should rest for a bit.”
“Okay,” she said as she put her shoe back on.
This wasn’t her thing. Which was fine. She didn’t need to have beauty, business smarts, and be a freaking lumberjack.
Just when I thought she was safe, the pile of wood she’d been leaning against collapsed, nearly taking her down with it.
“Oh goodness,” she cried. “I’m a walking disaster today, aren’t I?”
I needed to end this. Now. “How about a change of scenery?” I suggested.
“Yeah, before she kills someone…” I heard Axe mutter.
“Why don’t we go for coffee? I’m getting a caffeine headache anyway.” I rubbed my temples, pretending to soothe the pain. “We got a fair amount of work done.”
“Okay…” She shrugged, seeming a little defeated.
The two of us said goodbye to my brothers and headed to a local diner.
We each ordered a slice of apple pie to have with our coffee.
This was a much better environment for Feb. I admired her beautiful profile as she gazed out the window. The sunlight streaming through caught her eyes just right.
“What are you thinking, Red?”
She moved her gaze to me. “It’s so good to be out and about in the daylight here with you.”
“I forget how rare that is. Not anymore, though.”
“I’m so lucky to experience this world away from the hustle and bustle. To have a reason to be here.” February frowned. “I don’t want to go back tomorrow.”
“So don’t.” I rubbed my thumb along the mug. “Stay for a bit. You must have vacation days?”
“I do, but it’s a bad time.”
Of course it is, you idiot. She’d been away from work long enough when she was at Sierra. She must have tons to catch up on. “Right. Sorry to assume it would be easy to take time off.”
A glimmer of hope crossed her face. “Although, people do get sick unexpectedly, right?”
“Sometimes they do. Yes.” I smiled.
“Maybe I’ll stay one or two days.” She nodded. “I have to think about it.”
“I’m happy you like it here,” I said.
“I like you. That’s first and foremost.” She grinned. “But yeah, I feel at peace here. I didn’t get a feel for what life in Meadowbrook was like before—aside from that time you took me to the fair. In some ways, being outdoors with you today did more for my mental health than the entire stint at Sierra.” She shrugged. “Even if I wasn’t very helpful.”
“While you won’t be constructing houses anytime soon, I still loved spending time with you.”
“Your brothers are funny.”
I rolled my eyes. “They’re something, all right.”
“You’re lucky to have them.”
I nodded. I definitely realized that.
February took a bite of her pie. “What’s next on our agenda?”
“I don’t know. Did you have something in mind?”
“As I mentioned, I want to get a feel for your normal routine. What would you normally do after a day of work?”
Probably shouldn’t admit that first on the agenda would likely be taking a shower and whacking off. “I’d head home, get out of these clothes, then make something hearty to eat after working up an appetite all day. Maybe rub Oak between the ears for a while on the couch.” I winked. “But you know, today I only have an appetite for one thing. Can you guess what it is?”
She licked her lips. “I might have an idea.”
“What do you think about letting me spread you open tonight and making you come only with my mouth? For starters, of course.”
Her face turned red, and I felt her foot move against my leg. Her eyes flickered with desire. I fucking loved getting her hot and bothered.
“Is that my answer?” I murmured.
“That’s a resounding yes.” She grinned.
On the way home from the diner, we stopped at Margie and Joe Reynolds’ grocery store to pick up a few things. It was a mom-and-pop establishment that had been around as long as I could remember. Whenever I needed odds and ends, I went there instead of the bigger supermarket. We gathered ingredients for the stew I planned to make for dinner.