Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
His hand cupped her jaw and lifted her chin to kiss her lightly before teasing her, “I’m used to being at least semi-hard when I’m around you, see you on our video calls, when we talk on the phone, or when a random thought of you pops into my head. You give Wilfred a workout.”
“Wilfred?”
An image of the battered book Beau had found in the parking lot popped into her head. Even Harper hadn’t suggested putting it in the lost and found. They’d known from the title alone what it was about—a romance between a Little girl and her Daddy.
After Beau read it, he passed it to Colt. He’d shared it with the girls. They’d all written their notes and thoughts in the margins, discussing it on paper rather than out loud to avoid others listening. Even then, they’d protected Beau from any hint of scandal. She’d searched for the author’s name at the public library, but they didn’t have any others written by him.
“You named your—your penis after the man who wrote that book?” she asked, aghast.
“Yes, it was a teenage boy’s joke at first. Over time, it seemed to fit. I understood myself a lot better after reading that book about Daddies and Little girls.”
She stared at him with her mouth open before asking, “Do all guys do that?”
“Name their cock? Some, probably a lot. I’ve never asked them. That would really make my band wonder about me.” Colt’s eyes twinkled as he looked at her. It didn’t take long for her to burst into delighted laughter.
“You!”
“Finish getting dressed, Harper. I’ll grab my duffle bag. I left it in the living room.”
“You were sleeping on the couch,” she pointed out.
“You called my name about midnight. I came in to make sure you were okay. I tucked the covers back around you. On my second trip in, I stretched out to make sure you’d fall back to sleep and decided to stay. Are you angry?”
“No,” she answered honestly. “I slept very well. I’ve been worried about the reunion and the fib I told about us. Besides, you slept on top of the covers. It wasn’t like you were all over me during the night,” she said, trying to be funny.
“Oh, I plan to be all over you, Angel,” he promised as he walked out of the room.
His voice drifted back to her. “I’ll just wait for you to be completely awake.”
That froze Harper in her tracks for a few seconds before she scrambled into jeans and a T-shirt before he returned.
“Want to show me around town today? I feel like a lot has changed since I left,” Colt asked a few minutes later. He lounged against the vanity in her bathroom as she put on her makeup, looking totally at ease.
“Of course. I bet you’ll find a few things have changed besides Murphy’s belonging to Rio now.” Harper tried to sound as if having a Nashville superstar watching her put on foundation was normal. Normally, she didn’t bother with too many products. The children didn’t care what she looked like, and their parents were too rushed trying to get to work to even look at her. When she poked herself in the eye with the mascara wand, he reached for her hand.
“You don’t have to put that on for me,” he said softly.
“You’re used to being around women who have makeup artists flitting around them. The least I can do is put on some makeup,” she said as she blotted the tears running from her eyes.
“You are beautiful just as you are. You also have a way more glamorous idea of what my life is like than is true. Let’s go get breakfast and we can compare lives. I spend most of my time with my band or alone when we aren’t out on tour.”
“That still sounds more exciting than being drooled on,” she joked. Her face heated and Harper knew she was blushing when his eyebrows quirked up in a silent message. “Drooling is not sexy, Colt Ziegler!”
“It could be,” he suggested, turning her away from the mirror and pulling her close. After a quick kiss, he stepped back as if she were temptation incarnate. “Come on, beautiful. I need coffee.”
“Coffee isn’t good for you.”
“I know. I still need some. Is that diner still open on Main Street? The one with the giant biscuits?” Colt asked.
When she nodded, Colt leaned over and picked her up, tossing her over his shoulder. Harper shrieked and grabbed onto his waist to steady herself. “I’m too heavy. Put me down, Colt.”
“You’re perfect and no.” Colt proceeded to tote her effortlessly through the house. He stopped and picked up her phone and his from the charger in the bedroom.
Harper looked down at the floor and back up as she bounced against his back, trying not to focus on his butt. Damn, he’d always had a great butt.