Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 131651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 658(@200wpm)___ 527(@250wpm)___ 439(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 658(@200wpm)___ 527(@250wpm)___ 439(@300wpm)
“Just follow Kit inside. She’ll show you around.” He throws me another scary sexy look.
“Yeah! Come on, the grand tour only takes five minutes.” The little girl smiles brightly, bouncing on her heels.
“Okay, nugget. Let’s go.” I look back at Holden again, the way he hoists the stuffed bags out of the trunk without a care in the world for his injury.
His muscles ripple.
So yeah, maybe it’s a good thing I’m going to miss seeing that after all. I can’t start blushing again right in front of Kit.
She leads me up the inclined paved path to the front door and we go inside.
“This is the hall,” she says so flatly I almost laugh.
Inside, it’s a vibe. Dark wood, soft neutral walls, low light, comfortable and well organized.
Just what I expected from the outside.
The house feels austere and impressive, but real and lived in, too.
There’s a lovely stone fireplace in the living room, a small study or office, and a dining room with wide windows.
Upstairs, there’s the master bedroom, Kit’s adorable bedroom decked in pink, and a spare room painted green with a fluffy white bed.
“Here you are,” Holden says, ducking into the guest room with my bags. There’s a fireplace here, too, one of those electric ones that’ll have fake flames when you switch it on.
“This is nice,” I say, spinning around to take it in. “Super nice. I’m a little jealous of the wallpaper with the pink shells in Kit’s room, but this will do.”
“Don’t forget to leave a review. Five stars.” He snorts, looking adorably awkward as he braces a hand against the doorframe and looks around, probably with new eyes.
I’m impressed at how effortlessly homey it feels.
“We don’t get a lot of company these days. This room hasn’t been used in years, not since—never mind.” He stops abruptly, walking past me to set my bag on the bed. “My room’s just across the hall if you need anything.”
“Oh, yeah. Kit showed me.”
How convenient. Barely a wall away when I wake up with wet panties.
I swallow awkwardly.
He hovers over me a second longer before he ducks back through the door and plods down the hall.
I sink down on the bed for a long second, just processing today’s insanity.
This still feels like a waking dream.
At least the mattress is a cloud. But I’m holed up in Holden’s guest room.
And what was with that weird hesitation?
It’s probably just been a while since he had a woman staying under his roof, I guess.
I can’t help wondering about the former Mrs. Holden Verity, whoever she was.
He’s barely mentioned her—except to make it viciously clear he isn’t married. There was violence behind the words.
Why? Did he have a life with her she betrayed?
Did she live in this cute house and sleep in this bedroom?
Probably not, I tell myself. She’d have slept in his room, I’m sure.
Man, I need to stop.
My blood feels like cold coffee, melancholy yet humming, as I start unpacking, moving methodically. Nothing about this feels real.
First, we were attacked by thieves in ski masks like some bad thriller movie, Holden blazing after them like a wolf, so feral, hell-bent on saving us as much as the Hera Egg.
Then the bathroom.
That bittersweet, molten glint in his eye.
That bulge.
That man’s dickprint is going to haunt me for weeks.
Go ahead and laugh.
Seeing him half-naked and wanting after chasing them with fury has officially wrecked my head.
It’s too much and it’s made me reckless, and the last thing—the very last thing we need—are self-inflicted errors.
He took me in with my little treasure to do his job. Not an invitation to ruin his life by crawling into his bed and—
Yeah. No.
If I can’t check my inner art ho and her stupid, selfish fantasies, figuring out where the Hera Egg belongs will be the least of my problems.
I’m going to go certifiably crazy here.
Welp, I was right. Crazy.
I wrap my hand tighter around the warm coffee mug, watching the flickering light from the sun gleaming in as it sinks in the distance.
The faucet drips slightly and Holden leans over to switch it off.
Did I just lick my lips? Seriously.
I take another rushed sip of coffee and almost choke.
If only he hadn’t sent Kit away with her friends tonight.
Now, I get why he did it. Honestly, being in a house full of two jittery-ass adults after an attack by total strangers probably wasn’t doing her any favors.
Holden wanted to get her mind off it. He couldn’t do that with us hanging around, just waiting to discuss the situation again.
So yeah, I get it.
The trouble is now it’s just Holden and me. Alone.
And he’s dressed casually in a house that whispers at me to let my shields down.
He’s opted for sweatpants—a crime against humanity on most guys—but on him…
Do not look at the way they hang on his hips.