Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 23115 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 92(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23115 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 92(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
I turn to Gareth, ready to say something. But that’s when I smell it. Smoke.
“Oh no!” I turn, and sure enough, the bacon is burning. “I’m ruining your breakfast!”
Gareth chuckles, takes a pot-holder from the drawer, and moves the pan to the back burner, away from me.
“Don’t worry. Pancakes and eggs will be fine.”
“No, I want it to be perfect,” I moan. “And without bacon—”
“Hey,” he says firmly, spinning me around to face him. I stare up into his commanding eyes. This morning, they’re sparkling with something new. Something tender. Something shiny. “Forget about the bacon, okay? Let’s make these eggs and eat. I’m hungry.”
His hand massages my back, and I feel my heartrate slowing. “Where’d you learn to sweet-talk like that? The police academy?”
He lifts my shirt, cups both of my breasts, and grins. “You keep talking like that, and I’m gonna take you in the back. And I won’t be gentle.”
Wow. His words come out like they were written for me. I never knew I had this submissive side to me. Never thought I would ever call a man Daddy. But Gareth brought it out of me. And I can’t imagine how many more things he has to teach me.
I finish making breakfast for him, and we sit down to eat, playing footsie like a couple of kids across the table. He still hasn’t put on any clothes, and as I chew my pancake, I can’t stop myself from admiring his physique.
What a wonder. It’s like he stepped out of a fitness magazine or was 3D printed to be the ultimate male.
“So what are you gonna do about Mister Bad Guy?”
Gareth almost chokes on his egg. “Mister Bad Guy?”
“Yeah.” I shrug. “That prick who came by last night. What was his name again?”
“Felch,” he grumbles. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.”
His face darkens, so I lean in and rub a hand over his chiseled thigh. “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to kill the mood.”
He looks up quickly, moves in, and kisses me. “You could never kill the mood, baby.”
Once we’re finished, I offer to do the dishes for him, but he refuses and gets up to help. “You know it’s a little distracting with you standing here naked beside me?”
He chuckles, sponging a plate. “You’re always distracting, Briar. Even when you’re just driving forty in a twenty-five.”
I burst out laughing. “Oh my God! You did not!” Splashing my hands in the water, I toss suds at him. They land on his face and chest, and before I know what’s happening, I’m on the floor beneath him.
He tickles me and kisses me all over with a new type of tenderness. Not the way he kissed me last night or this morning. The way you kiss someone when you mean it. The way you kiss a girlfriend.
And that feeling stirs my heart and causes tears to pool in my eyes.
Gareth is a whirlwind that came out of nowhere and changed my life forever.
We fall asleep in each other’s arms, Gareth’s enormous body covering me like a security blanket. And when I think about the trailer, about Mom and all the mayhem in my life, it feels so far away. Like it belongs to someone else.
I belong here now.
8
BRIAR
For the first time ever, I’m glowing as I step into the truck stop for my shift. That glow vanishes when Tony steps up to me, shaking his head. “You’re fired, Briar.”
My heart nearly stops. “Um, did I just hear you right? Because I’m pretty sure you just told me that I, your best employee by far, am fired?”
Tony is a rugged guy, and nothing ever fazes him. But right now, he’s sweating and looks like someone has a knife to his back.
“You are—er, were my best employee, Briar. But…I’ve got to let you go.”
“Bullshit!” I snap, my voice drawing the attention of all the men in here. Visions of electrical bills, water bills, rent, and school tuition, pile up in my head like a load of bricks. “I need this job, Tony! You’ve got no cause to fire me!”
Out of nowhere, Tony snatches me by the arm and hauls me into the back. For a second, I’m sure he’s going to slam me up against the wall. But he doesn’t. He stops, takes a breath, and looks at me with a vulnerability I’ve never seen.
“You’re right, Briar. I have no reason to fire you.”
“Well then, what the hell?”
Again, he shakes his head, wiping his brow with the back of his sleeve. “I don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into, but you’re in some seriously deep shit.”
My ears drum as my pulse starts to race. “What are you talking about, Tony?”
“The police captain came to see me today.” My stomach sinks. Felch. “He told me if I didn’t let you go today, he’d have the health department shut me down. Said they owe him a favor.”