Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 222(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 148(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 222(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 148(@300wpm)
Charlotte laughed. “Thank you for having me.”
“Next time, tell your parents where you are, and that way I don’t have to be the bad guy.”
Doc didn’t say a word as they walked to the main front door, and they stood together, watching them leave.
Maeve smelled amazing, like cinnamon and chocolate, two of his favorite flavors. She held her hand up and waved toward Nancy.
It was still freezing outside and she turned toward him. “You know, if you don’t want to go dancing, you don’t have to. Nancy kind of put us on the spot there, and I get not wanting to tell your ex no, or anything like that.”
“I’m happy to take you dancing, Maeve. I’ll pick you up at seven.” He handed her the mug, and she took it.
There were two dimples in her cheeks, and he had an overwhelming urge to kiss her, but he held himself back. Dancing first.
Maeve waved him out, and he couldn’t help but look back toward her. Standing in the doorway, he knew she was lonely. He hated to see her like that.
Doc paused at his bike and then turned toward her. “I don’t suppose you want to watch a movie?” he asked. “They’re partying at the club and I’ve got a headache, and I can’t be dealing with their shit.” It wasn’t a total lie.
“A movie? What do you want to watch?” Maeve stepped away from the door, and he smiled.
This was good. This was progress, he thought, as he stepped over the threshold. There was no way he could leave her with her looking so damn sad. He never realized how lonely Maeve was. She’d been there for her sister at every stage of her life. But, no one was there for her.
Closing and locking the door, he kicked off his boots and followed her into the sitting room. “Pick whatever you want to watch,” he said.
He didn’t much care for movies or TV shows. They bored him, but sitting with Maeve made up for it.
Chapter Two
At seven on Friday, Maeve had been ready for a good thirty minutes for Doc to pick her up. It wasn’t officially Valentine’s Day. That had been a few days ago, but the bar was celebrating it on Friday, for all the couples who worked or couldn’t enjoy a special day. It was also a day for fun, and to enjoy dressing up, which is what she did. Only this year, she wasn’t wearing a costume, just a lovely red dress that shaped around her breasts toward her waist and flared out at the hips. The dress finished at her knees, and she refused to wear tights. Instead, she settled on some cute red heels that went with the dress.
She curled her long hair and put on minimal makeup as she was sporting red lips. To make her lips pop, she couldn’t go full on with her eye makeup. Everything had to be subtle, including her blush. She felt pretty.
Eden messaged her early in the day, asking how she had been. Her sister didn’t know she wasn’t at work. She didn’t want her cutting her honeymoon early to spend time with her. She was fine and happy.
There was still plenty of work for her to do, but she knew it was getting too much. All she did was work. Over Christmas, when Razor and Eden had been wrapped up in each other, she focused on new products. Her life was nothing but work—something she promised herself it wouldn’t become. This is what happened to her parents, and she didn’t want to be the same.
The door rang, and she got to her feet, as she’d sat on the sofa waiting for Doc to arrive.
He stood on the doorstep, and he didn’t disappoint. Leather jacket, black pants, white shirt, hair slicked back. He looked dangerous. She tried not to notice him. Doc was older than her by a good ten years, at least. It could be even longer, but she didn’t care. Young boys or men her own age did not appeal.
In her thirty-two years of life, she had two boyfriends. That was it. The first had been a disaster. The moment he lost his virginity to her, he’d cut and run. She had been an easy lay for him, which irritated her.
She met her second boyfriend on one of her jobs. They were together for over five years, and in all that time, he made so many excuses to never visit her. They didn’t spend holidays together. When they did meet up, it was always in a hotel room. She was busy, so was he, and yeah, she’d been young and hadn’t put it all together. She was the mistress and he had a wife and five kids. Yep, that one sucked—and she discovered that when she went to visit him one Christmas, only to find him putting up decorations with his kids and kissing his wife. She felt like she’d been sucker punched.