Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 113272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
“No, that’s for young people.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. “We can pick you up and take you.”
The old guy swiped his hand through the air. “No, no, got no time for all that. Besides, I’m talking to a few real estate agents this weekend. About selling this place.”
“You are? Why?” Arabella asked in concern.
“My nephew thinks it could be a good idea for me to go into an assisted living apartment. I’ve been resistant, but with things happening around here lately, he might be right. It’s not right what happened to your place, girlie. And he’s worried it’s not safe out here. Won’t be selling through Valerie’s niece though. That girl is a menace. You talked to her yet?”
“No. I tried this morning. Thought I’d try again tonight,” she said.
“Next time I talk to Valerie I’ll be telling her just what I think of her niece.”
Hmm. Why wasn’t this niece answering her phone? Wasn’t it her job to take care of the rental house for her aunt?
Yep, the list of people he needed to look into was growing.
32
“I’m going out for a while,” Kellan said abruptly after setting his laptop to one side.
She glanced over from where she was working on her new laptop, getting everything set up.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
Even Eli looked up in interest.
“I’ve got a few things to take care of.” He walked over to her. “Go to bed when Eli tells you to and don’t worry.”
What?
Go to bed when Eli told her to? Was that really all he had to say? And did he think she was five?
She waited for something more, but he grabbed a jacket and his keys and with a nod to Eli left.
“Is that it?” she asked, realizing she sounded a bit shocked. “Is he not going to tell us where he’s going or when he’ll be back or even give me a kiss goodbye . . .”
“You might have to teach him how to do those things,” Eli told her.
“How do I teach him that?”
“Tell him.”
“Tell him? Just come out and say it?” Could she do that? “I don’t know.”
“It’s not rude to ask for what you need, baby,” Eli told her, coming over to pick her up before he sat with her on his lap. “If you don’t tell him what you want, how does he know? And while there might be times we can’t tell you where we’re going or when we will be back, you always have the right to ask and we’ll just tell you that.”
Well. She guessed she could do that. “I’ll try. He won’t get mad?”
Eli drew her head back and then leaned down to kiss her gently. “If he gets mad then I’ll kick his ass for you.”
Then he deepened his kiss as though he hadn’t just threatened to beat up his brother.
Men.
Would she ever understand them?
“How about I run you a bath and then you can relax before bed.”
“A bath? Bed?” she repeated.
“Yeah. I can run it for you then leave you alone.” He placed his hand around the back of her head and kissed her again. “Or I can help you bathe. Completely up to you.”
With how much kissing and touching they’d done today, she felt like her body was on fire. As though she had an itch she couldn’t scratch.
Although she knew exactly where the itch was.
Maybe if you had some private time you could take care of that.
She’d had been very little privacy today. They’d gone everywhere with her and it wasn’t like they had much room in the hotel.
But did she want to take care of it on her own? She’d never had much success with that. Or did she want Eli’s help? He ran his hand up the outside of her thigh as he nibbled at her jaw then down her neck.
“You’re wound up so tight,” he told her. “You need to relax.”
“All right. Can I have bubbles?” she asked.
“You can have whatever you want.”
Eli led her into the bathroom where he’d filled the bath up with bubbles. There was soft music playing and the lighting was low.
“I’ll turn my back and you get undressed and climb in. Unless you’d rather be alone.”
“No, I want you to stay,” she said hastily.
Shoot. Maybe she shouldn’t have said that. Perhaps she should have taken the chance to be on her own so she could take care of her need herself.
“All right. Get in, baby.”
She quickly stripped off and climbed into the bath. “I’m in.”
He turned and the heat in his gaze made her breath catch.
“Let’s try and get rid of your tension, yeah? Are you all right if I touch you?”
“Yes,” she said hoarsely.
Eli smiled and moved around by her head to massage her shoulders and neck until she was a mix of relaxed and heated. Then he picked up a cloth and soap. He started to rub the cloth over her body. First her arms, then over her chest, between her breasts to her stomach. He moved back up to her breasts, rubbing the cloth over her nipples until they were hard and aching.