Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 97724 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97724 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
I want to lose myself in her. Fuck her so hard that she’ll forget anyone who came before me, then I want to talk to her for days.
“Thank you,” I say.
“For what, exactly?”
“Saying yes. I’ll make sure you won’t regret it.”
Her smile lights up the whole room, but then a car door slams out front, signaling the first of her class to arrive, and cueing my time to leave.
“I’ll see you at seven.” I lean in to kiss her cheek and breathe in her soft lavender scent before I pull away and walk to the door.
I have to go get ready for a date.
Because she finally said yes.
At seven on the dot, I pull up in front of the house in a neighborhood I don’t know all that well. It’s a newer subdivision with larger lots, so she’s not close to her neighbors. A wrought iron fence, at least eight feet tall, surrounds the property, and she even has a gate and cameras. Her security system is impressive.
When I press the button, there’s only a slight pause before Skyla answers.
“It’s Beckett,” I say to her.
“Drive on through,” she replies, and the gate swings open, allowing me to pass.
The house isn’t huge. My farmhouse likely has more square footage, but Skyla’s home is newer, and I can see it’s well taken care of, with tulips blooming along the side of the porch and shrubberies perfectly groomed.
After parking, I walk up to the front door and ring the bell. I hear Riley bark only once as if he’s letting his human know someone’s at the door.
And when said door swings open, my jaw drops.
Skyla’s dressed casually, but that doesn’t mean she’s not dressed to kill.
And kill me she just might.
Her jeans fit her waist and ass perfectly, and her soft pink sweater falls off one shoulder, showing me creamy white skin and even more freckles that I want to trace with my tongue.
Her hair is loose and straight, falling almost to her waist.
But those alluring eyes currently taking a tour of my body hypnotize me.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” I breathe, unable to hold the words in, and Skyla’s gaze snaps up to mine. Her cheeks darken as she bites her lower lip.
“So are you,” she whispers before clearing her throat and turning her attention to Riley. “I prefer to take him.”
“Of course.” I’m glad I thought ahead about her mountain of a dog. “I called ahead and made sure he could come with. We’re just going to Old Town Pizza, and Heather, the owner, said it’s no trouble at all for him to join us.”
Skyla blinks up at me. “You included Riley in the reservation?”
“Well, yeah. I noticed that you take him everywhere and that he sometimes wears a service-dog vest, so I thought you’d want him along.”
“Wow, thank you for thinking of him.”
“It’s no trouble. He should fit in the back seat of my truck.”
“Why don’t we take my SUV?” she asks, pointing toward the garage. “I bought it just to accommodate this big boy. Don’t worry, you can drive, so it still feels like a proper date.”
I grin at her and nod. “So I’ve brought you over to the real date side.”
Skyla laughs that infectious laugh and leads me through her house to the garage where her vehicle is. We get Riley situated and climb in, then I start it up.
“This is a nice car,” I comment as I push the seat back to allow for my long legs.
“I like it. Without the dog, I don’t need anything this big, but my boy weighs over one hundred and fifty pounds, and he needs something comfy.”
The gate opens for us, and I drive us through, surprised that I feel so comfortable driving her vehicle. I wonder if some men might take issue with her request, but I’m quickly figuring out that I’ll do anything to accommodate this woman’s needs.
Including calling Heather about Riley.
“Have you had him long?”
“Riley?”
“Yeah. He’s a great dog.”
“Thank you.” She grins back at the enormous canine. “I’ve had him for about a year now and can’t imagine my life without him. Do you have any dogs at the ranch?”
“I don’t have one right now, but my manager, Brad, has a lab named Sadie. She had puppies last year.”
“You didn’t snag one?” she asks. “You seem like the dog type. Riley’s taken with you.”
Here’s to hoping his owner is just as taken with me by the end of this date.
“No time for a puppy right now. I hope you like pizza.” I frown over at her once I’ve parked. “I should have asked.”
“Are there people who don’t enjoy pizza?” She grins and moves to open the door, but I stop her.
“Wait for me.”
Pushing out of the car, I walk around and open her door, reach across her to unbuckle her belt, and take her hand to help her out of the tall SUV.