Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Seth comes back with the pizza and sets it between us on the slatted patio table. The smell hits me right between the eyes, and my stomach growls loudly. He slides the box open and hands me a slice, then collapses into the chair beside me with his own slice.
“This might be a deal breaker.” He glances over at me with a playfully serious look on his face. “Do you eat the crusts or leave them?” he asks, cocking an eyebrow.
“Eat them, obviously.” I take a bite and moan shamelessly, doing my best porn actress imitation. “Good call on the extra cheese.”
“Extra cheese is a must.” He grins, watching me in a way that causes my girly parts to wake up and sing. “I like watching you eat.”
“You’re a weirdo,” I say through a full mouth, but it comes out more affectionate than anything. “My weirdo.”
“That’s right.” He leans over and runs his nose up the side of my neck, sending shivers shooting down my spine. “And you’re all mine, Sassy Pants.”
I don’t taste a bite of the pizza after that.
After my second beer, I blurt, “So, you know all about my family, but I don’t know anything about yours.”
He goes quiet, thinking. The sunset paints gold across his jaw. I want to kiss the sauce off his mouth.
“My family is one of the old money Silver Spoon Falls ‘families’,” he air quotes.
I blink. “Oh.” I wasn’t expecting that at all.
He shrugs. “I grew up a lot like you. Private school in Austin. Full ride to UT Austin for Business.” He stares at me while I absorb this information. All the signs were there, so I shouldn’t be so shocked. The fancy house and expensive cars should’ve told me he isn’t a struggling mechanic. “But I wasn’t happy,” he adds quietly. “I just didn’t know how to change things.”
I wait. It’s obvious he doesn’t tell people this. “So, what happened? Why aren’t you running a tech startup and living in a massive mansion in Dallas?”
He picks up his beer, staring into the bottle like it might give him answers. “My parents died in a plane crash when I was twenty-three. My bullshit finding myself days were over, and I had to step in and run the show.” His jaw works. “I sold the house, set up a charity trust, and put the rest into a savings account. When the owner of the local tire shop decided to retire and put his shop on the market, I jumped at the chance. I combined my love for cars and my business degree, and the rest is history.”
A long silence. I want to say something intelligent, but all I can manage is, “That’s… a lot.”
He shrugs, looking at me like he’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. “I know you’re trying to live a normal life without all the craziness that comes with your background.” He takes my hand in his and brings it to his mouth for a soft kiss. “I want to reassure you. I live off what I make at the shop. I left my family’s influence behind at their gravesite. Now, I live the way I want. And I want to live the rest of my fucking life with you.”
There are so many thoughts zinging around my mind, I can’t even formulate an intelligent response. “Sounds like a plan to me,” is all I freaking manage as we finish the pizza.
The sky overhead shifts from sherbet to black velvet, shot through with a thousand stars as we stare out at the quiet Texas night.
He nudges my knee. “What did you want to be, before all this?”
“Honestly? I wanted to be the CFO of a startup. I even have the business degree to back it up, but no one takes me seriously.” I smile so he knows I’m joking, even if I’m only half joking.
He’s silent for a long time. “You should come work with me.”
I stare at him. “I don’t know the first thing about cars.” Heck, I had no idea Sparkie was on her last legs.
“I’m serious,” he says. “The shop’s outgrown me. I’m barely keeping up with payroll and invoicing, and don’t even get me started on the tax returns. I want you to be my partner.”
It sounds like heaven. “You’d trust me with your baby?”
He leans in and kisses my jaw, soft as a prayer. “I’d trust you with my goddamn life. And now, it’s our baby. You can start tomorrow.” Happiness flows through my soul. “Then I can see you all goddamn day instead of watching the clock, wondering when I’ll be able to get home to you.”
“I love you,” I blurt out before I’m able to stop myself.
His hands slide around my waist like he’s claiming territory he’s been eyeing for weeks, pulling me into him with a grip that’s fucking possessive. His chest presses against mine, hard and unyielding, and I can feel the heat of him through my shirt like he’s already burning me alive. He leans down, his breath hot on my lips, and I’m drowning in the scent of him—cologne, beer, and something raw, something male.