Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 90315 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90315 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
“No, I was recruited.”
Okay, now I’m extra intrigued, so I shift even more in the seat and rest the side of my head against the headrest. “Tell me more.”
“I’m not much of a talker.”
“You’re doing great.” Without thinking, I reach out and brush my knuckles down his arm, from his shoulder to his elbow. “You can do it. I know you were in the army. Did you go in right after school?”
“I enlisted, yeah.”
I glance down at his hoodie, which I’m still wearing. “How old is this?”
“Old as fuck. I think I got it during one of my first years of enlistment.”
I love the way it smells. I hope I never have to wash it.
“I’m not giving it back.”
“You can wear it while you’re here. I don’t mind.”
“No. You misunderstand. It’s mine now.”
He lifts an eyebrow, glances over at me, and then nods. “I figured. Women have a habit of stealing a man’s clothes. Anyway, I enlisted right out of high school. Went through all the fucking training for Ranger school, which is pretty much designed to make or break you. It didn’t break me.”
“I’m not surprised at all.”
“By the time I got out of the army, I was a second lieutenant.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“I was an officer. One day, I got a call from Bishop, and he asked me to apply. And here we are.”
He glossed over quite a bit there.
“You’re badass, big guy.”
Gideon takes a turn, and a few minutes later, we pull up to a big home improvement store, and he shuts off the engine.
“You’re with me,” he says. “But wait for me to come around.”
Doing as I’m told, I wait for him to walk around the vehicle and open my door, and then I slide out next to him, bumping into his chest.
His hard wall of a chest.
I seriously need to settle my hormones, because he’s made it clear that he’s not interested, and I’m in danger of making a complete fool of myself.
He takes my hand in his, leads me into the store, and grabs a cart from the corral, and then, to my shock, he places me behind it, then stands behind me, his hands bracketing mine on the handle, caging me in.
“Are you serious right now?” I tip my head back to look up at him.
“If someone wants you, they have to go through me.”
You’d think it would feel awkward to walk like this, but we find a rhythm and make our way through the store. Gideon only leaves me long enough to grab things off the shelf and throw them in the basket.
The rest of the time, his front is pressed to my back. His hands are mere inches from mine. I can feel his breath on the top of my head.
All that combined makes me shiver again.
“Are you getting sick or something, Rebel?”
“No, I have a sexy man pressed against me. It’s a physical response.”
He stills, and then mutters, “That fucking mouth.”
We’re silent as we check out, and when he pulls the vehicle around to have lumber put into the back of it.
Before he starts the engine to pull away, he slides his phone out of his pocket and taps the screen.
“What do you want to eat?” he asks me.
“The burrito, the quesadilla and chips, queso, and all the good stuff.”
“Basically what I got before.”
“Yes, please.”
“That’s a lot of cheese. Will you be okay?”
I kind of love that he’s asking. “Worth it.”
He nods and taps his screen some more, obviously placing an online order, and when he’s finished, he starts the truck and drives out of the parking lot.
“You know, I thought I’d miss my electronics.” I really need to fill this awkward silence. I basically just admitted that I think he’s the sexiest man ever and my body craves him, and all he could do was swear and ignore me.
My ego has never felt so good.
“You don’t?” he asks.
“No. I mean, yeah, I’d like to check in with Chelsea. I’m sure she’s freaking out.”
“She was told that you’re on a press tour in Europe.”
I stare at the side of his face. “Seriously?”
“Yes. You don’t have reliable cell coverage where you are, and you’ll be in touch when you get home. That part isn’t a lie.”
“But what if she needs me?”
“She’s an adult, Lena. She’s fine.”
You don’t know her like I do.
“Anyway, aside from texting Chels and speaking to my parents once in a blue moon, there’s not much I miss. I never did look at the news much, and I don’t have social media.”
“Good. It’s a fucking cesspool and a good way to get hurt.”
Blinking over at him, I huff out a laugh. “How do you really feel about it?”
Gideon parks in a space with a number and then taps his phone again. When the delivery kid comes out with the bags and makes his way to my side, Gideon pushes out of the vehicle and intercepts him, shaking his head.