Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 83970 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83970 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“Mornin’,” he says softly. The slow southern drawl of his voice first thing in the morning does nothing to abate the trembles and aftershocks racing through my center.
I pull the heavy comforter up past my nose, so only my eyes are visible to him.
“What are you doing in here?” Did you hear me moan? I want to ask.
He stretches his arms over his head, and I’m entranced by the sight of his flexing arms and the two inches of his abdomen that the action has uncovered. Looking further down, I can see the outline of an erection that he has no hope of hiding. The sound of his voice is the only thing that pulls my gaze from his crotch, and honestly, I don’t know how long I’d been staring before he spoke.
“I’m sorry.” I shake my head slightly trying to clear the lust and desire from it. “What did you say?” I finally meet his eyes.
“You fell asleep. I tried to wake you, but you just mumbled.” He stretches again, and I pride myself on keeping my eyes in the vicinity of his face rather than the golden skin and hard lines of his stomach. “I carried you in here and put you in bed.”
“And you stayed?” I lower the blanket just a bit, so my words don’t get lost.
“You have the only keys, Emmalyn, and I wasn’t going to leave you in here without locking the door.”
Just when I think he couldn’t get any more thoughtful, he sleeps in another chair, so I’ll feel safe. That’s two nights in a row he’s spent an uncomfortable night of sleep. This time he’s been even more considerate since his very own bed was just on the other side of the wall.
“You didn’t have to do that, Diego.”
“I told you I’d keep you safe. You and I both know you’d be upset if you woke up and that door was unlocked.” He has a very good point, but his continued sacrifices make me wonder when he’s going to want to cash in on all of the favors he’s thrown my way.
“Thank you,” I say to him because when it’s all said and done I am grateful he made sure the door was locked, even if that meant he was in here all night.
I watch as he stands from the recliner and once again stretches his arms over his head. I catch the groan at the sight of him before it falls out of my mouth. Unabashedly, he adjusts the still raging hard on in his pants. Instinctively, I pull the blankets back up again and hide the smile on my face.
My eyes follow him across the room as he walks to the door and flips the lock before turning back to me. “Breakfast should be ready by now.” He tilts his head toward the bathroom. “You’ll probably want to wash your hands before you join us.” If I wasn’t mortified before, I am when a slow smile spreads across his face, and he winks at me before walking out of the room.
***
I stayed in the room for at least another half hour before I gained enough courage, and the flush left my embarrassed cheeks, to be presentable for whomever I may find in the kitchen. The clock on the bedside table says I’m already an hour late for the time Rose wanted to head out.
I lock the door behind me since I’ll be leaving for a while. I don’t know where we’ll be shopping at, but I didn’t see that much riding into town yesterday evening.
Unfamiliar laughter and voices can be heard before I make it into the kitchen for breakfast. This sound, as opposed to the silence from yesterday, is more calming. Whoever is talking and laughing is doing so with good nature. There is no bitterness or anger coming from the room, and it calms my nerves enough to walk into the room.
The second I step into the kitchen, I wish I could turn right back around and leave. Diego is standing against the counter putting food on a plate, which is no big deal. The frizzy head blonde beside him with her hand in his back pocket angers me for some unexplainable reason.
“Kincaid,” one of the guys at the far table says when he sees me standing in the doorway staring in his President’s direction.
Diego looks over at him and then follows his line of sight to me. He stiffens slightly, but then relaxes again as a small smile spreads across his face.
Without acknowledging me, he makes his way to the table with his plate of food and the curvy blonde on his hip. They sit down in unison at the table like they’ve been doing it forever.
“Hey, Em,” he says finally after a few long beats.
The room is deadly quiet, and I can tell they are all expecting me to blow up or even worse rip the girl off his side. Instead, I let my eyes roam around the room until they land on Rose, who is glaring at me just like everyone else is.