Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
She glances at me, gratitude flickering across her face before she looks away again. My instincts hum louder, more insistent, but I let the silence breathe.
Roxie usually radiates warmth. Right now, it feels dimmed. Guarded.
And that tells me everything I need to know.
“Look at me, Rox.”
She hesitates, then slowly turns her head. Her eyes search my face like she’s deciding whether to brace herself. I groan softly and drag a hand over my face, hating that the world gives her so many reasons not to trust anyone.
Time to show my cards.
“I’m not here to corner you or force you to spill all your deepest secrets,” I say. “But there’s something I want you to understand about us.”
Her fingers curl into the blanket, knuckles whitening slightly. I exhale and rub my palms over my thighs before meeting her gaze again.
“I know you haven’t known us long. And trust isn’t owed, it’s earned.”
Her lips part. Guilt flickers across her face. Fear. It makes me want to punch karma straight in the throat.
“But here’s something true,” I continue. “Something real. There’s nothing in this world I don’t trust Boone and Dillon with.”
She frowns slightly. I huff a humorless laugh.
“I mean it. If Boone bursts in here right now and tells me to jump out your goddamn window, I’d do it. No questions.”
A small, startled smile appears, and some of the tension inside me eases.
“It’s not because I’m stupid. Though Dillon would argue that,” I add.
She lets out a quiet huff, almost a laugh.
“I’d do it because if Boone says it, there’s a damn good reason for it. Same with Dillon. We’ve spent years building that kind of trust.”
I lean back on my hands, holding her gaze. “And here’s the thing, angel, we already trust you that way too.”
Her eyes widen slightly, but I keep going, steady and calm.
“We see how big your heart is. We see how you keep going even when you’re scared. You’ve told us things that tear you open, and you still do it. We see you, Rox.”
Tears shimmer in her eyes. She turns away, but I reach out slowly, giving her space to pull back, and rest my hand over hers where she grips the blanket. Her fingers tremble, but she doesn’t pull away.
“We trust you,” I say softly. “And we want the chance to earn your trust too.”
Her breath hitches. I rub my thumb gently over the back of her hand.
Her fingers turn, tightening around mine. When she finally looks at me again, her eyes shine in a way that wrecks me.
“I’m scared, Chance.”
“Of Caruso?”
She shrugs, a thin, watery smile tugging at her lips. “Of him, yeah. But mostly I’m scared of this. Of how I feel about you. All of you. It’s fast. It’s a lot. And it feels like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
My chest tightens. I shift closer and cup her jaw, thumb brushing softly beneath her cheekbone.
“It’s okay to be scared,” I murmur. “Hell, I’d be worried if you weren’t.”
She lets out a shaky breath. I rest my forehead against hers, holding her gaze.
“We’re not here because you need us. We’re here because we want to be. You’ve seen how we commit to the house, to the business, to each other. When we’re in, we’re all in.”
A tiny, hopeful smile curves her mouth. Her eyes soften just enough, and that’s hat’s all it takes.
I lean in and kiss her, slowly and carefully at first. Her fingers slide into my hair, and the soft sound she makes goes straight down my spine.
As soon as I feel her grip on me tighten, I stop being careful with her. I kiss her like she’s sunshine and I’m a dying, desperate plant. Her body arches into mine, her mouth opening to let me deepen the kiss. Our breathing becomes hot and uneven, her hands clutching at my shoulders like she can’t decide whether to pull me closer or hold herself together.
By the time we finally break apart, we’re both gasping like we’ve just run a damn marathon, our foreheads pressed together. I swallow hard, trying to rein myself in and only barely succeeding.
“You should go take a shower,” I rasp. “Get cleaned up. Dinner will be ready soon.”
She blinks, her eyes a little dazed and her lips swollen. “What are you going to do?”
I meet her gaze dead-on. “Probably hit the gym.”
She stands on unsteady legs and I can’t help but run my gaze over her, drinking her in wearing Boone’s huge shirt and those leggings hugging her calves. As I watch, she hooks her fingers under the hem of the shirt and pulls it over her head.
I forget how to breathe, but she holds my gaze steadily until she turns and starts walking slowly to the bathroom. I stare after her, my fingers digging into the edge of the bed until she pauses at the door and glances at me over her shoulder.