Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 52887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 264(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 264(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
"It's me, Zolotse, who thinks differently. I promise you." I'm not sure what that means, but I love how he thinks. He's been so sweet and kind to me without reason.
“Well, don’t go changing for me,” I tell him.
“It is too late for that.” He brushes his thumb across my bottom lip, his touch always so gentle, a contrast to the roughness of his hands. “People change you.”
“I suppose that is true.” I lick my lips intentionally to swipe my tongue across his thumb. I watch heat flash in his dark eyes. Gah, I love how I can do that to him. I always feel like a seductress. “Am I changing you?”
“You are changing what I want to do with my life.”
“Killian, really?”
"You have no idea, Zolotse, the power that you hold over me." Is this man stupidly reading a romance book or something?
"And I didn't need a lightsaber to do it."
"You did not, my Zolotse." He smiles, and I lean over and kiss it. Then I start to press them all over his handsome face. How could I not?
Chapter Twelve
KILLIAN
Acarnival would typically give me a headache. All the people and sounds. Then there is the smell. That one is pissing me off right now. The only time I was able to experience Teddy's cotton candy smell again was while riding the Ferris wheel. The cotton candy here cannot be compared to her scent. Nothing can.
Since I stepped foot out of the car, I’ve been on high alert. My body and mind are trained to home in on my surroundings. It would be easy to off a person here. There might be people everywhere, but there are also all these nooks between tents and rides. The food trucks take up a big section, and you could slip right through them quickly.
I spotted a few nice places on a couple of buildings across the river that I could make a killer shot from. Not that anyone is in the business for offing a clown or bearded woman, but you never know. You catalog these things and file them away in case you need them for later.
"Do it! Do it. Do it." Teddy bounces on her heels, cheering me on to hit a hanging ball. A few people have punched it, and a score lights up on the board. Teddy wants to know how I'd do. I hand the lanky man with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth the tickets you need to play.
"Don't fuck with me," I warn him in a low, calculated tone. I see him audibly swallow before he nods and moves a handful of steps away from the machine, making it clear to me he's not going to fuck with it.
Smart. He would actually be harder to get my hands on. This machine is toward the center of the games, but there is always a way. I step back to take my shot, hitting it dead center. It lights up like a freaking Christmas tree, the score maxing out at one thousand.
Obnoxious sounds pour from it, and I want to hit it again. It's drawing too much attention, but when I see Teddy bouncing up and down cheering, I can't stop the smile that forms. I also don't understand the warmth that hits me in the center of my chest every time I see her this way. Her being happy brings me a comfort I’ve never experienced before.
Teddy throws herself at me, and I catch her easily. "You nailed it!" A small victory scream leaves her. I simply stare at her and take her in. A person so full of life and happiness. It pours from her, and I drink it right up. I can no longer imagine a life without it, without her.
Her comment about kids threw me off. Could I settle into one place and make a life with her? As soon as she said the words, I somehow knew without a doubt that I would do whatever it took to make that my reality. The idea of Teddy round with my child made me dizzy. Thankfully I was sitting down.
"All right, big guy. It's my turn to take on a few of these games." She kisses the tip of my nose and wiggles, indicating for me to put her back on her feet. I could carry her. It would make things easier. She's tiny, but I put her down, honoring her silent request.
Teddy's small hand slips into mine, and she tugs me in the direction she wants to go. I eye each game but not in the same way that she does. There’s genuine excitement on her part and skepticism on mine.
"Oh, oh, do this one." She pulls me over to one that has these guns that shoot pellets. You have to hit the old-school white milk-shaped can.