Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 121728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
“Yes. She’s out. She didn’t even wake up when I went in there to kiss her goodnight.” He swallowed another large bite of quiche. “Damn. You made this from scratch?”
“I love to cook and I haven’t had a chance to do so after moving out of my condo.”
He shoveled another full forkful of quiche into his mouth. When he was done chewing, he said, “Again, don’t feel obligated to cook.”
“Honestly, I don’t mind and I benefit from it, too, you know.”
He chuckled. “Then cook as much as you want. I normally have groceries delivered once a week. I’ll give you the website and password. My credit card’s tied to my account, so don’t hesitate to buy whatever you need, whether for Val, the household or even for you.”
That was more than generous. Not paying for any rent, utilities or even food would go a long way for her to recover financially. At least until the next time she had to pay for Sadie’s rehab. Or bail.
Or what really made her stomach twist… her funeral.
No matter what, she needed to stay positive and hopeful and not focus on the negative.
“Do you want me to keep within a certain budget?”
“Do you need one? Are you planning surf and turf every night?” he teased, a gleam in his deep brown eyes.
She played along. “Not every night. That would get boring.”
“It would take a while for me to get bored with a thick, juicy steak and a tender lobster tail dipped in drawn butter.”
“Jeez. Now you’re making my mouth water.”
He grinned at her. “Well, there you go.” He quickly finished off the final piece of quiche, stabbed at the remaining pieces of lettuce, then once finished, he placed his fork down on his plate and pushed it away.
As soon as he did, she rose to grab his dirty dishes, but he snagged her wrist as she reached for them and shook his head. “You’re not a maid, Sloane. You don’t have to pick up after me. I’m not going to get bent if you make dinner and don’t make me a plate. I don’t expect you to do my laundry or even clean the house. Val is your main focus while you’re here. Everything else I have covered.”
She nodded, staring at his hand dwarfing her wrist. She didn’t realize just how big his hands were until that moment. He released her suddenly.
“I’ll head to bed, then,” she murmured, smothering a yawn.
He glanced over at the clock on the stove. “It’s only eleven.”
Only eleven? She wasn’t used to late nights. “It’s been a long day and I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“The bed isn’t comfortable?”
“It wasn’t the bed. It’s just,” she shrugged, “everything. The new environment. Worrying about my sister. It’s an extensive list.”
“Understood. If you haven’t seen it already, I have a hot tub out on the back patio. Maybe soaking in it for a bit might help you sleep tonight.”
“I saw it out there, but I wasn’t sure if it was functioning.” Because if it was, she’d definitely be taking advantage of it.
“It is. I don’t use it often. Especially with my schedule lately. Just so you know, it has a lockable cover. I bought it once Val began walking and I began to have nightmares that she’d climb in and get trapped.”
That would be a nightmare. “Is she strong enough to lift the cover?” she asked in surprise.
“I don’t want to find out.”
It was better to stay a few steps ahead of children. “I don’t blame you and a locking cover is smart.”
“There are so many things to think about once you have a kid. I had Crew come over and assess the whole house for child safety once I brought Val home.”
“Crew?”
“One of my MC brothers. He’s also a father of two, a DEA senior special agent and the leader of the task force I’m on.”
“That sounds pretty impressive.”
“If you ever meet him, don’t you dare tell him that.” His expression might be deadpan, but she picked up on the amusement in his voice. “Anyway, any time you want to use the hot tub, the key is hidden on top of the outer door frame. Just make sure to lock the cover when you’re finished.”
“Thank you.”
“Sloane…”
Her name poured from him like melted butter. Warm and smooth.
She raised her eyes to his.
“While you’re here, this is your home. Like I said, you’re not a maid. You’re also not a guest. You’re a member of this household. Use whatever you want. Eat whatever you want. Cook whatever you want. That reminds me, I’ll get a second credit card for you to use for anything else you need besides groceries.”
“Anything?” she teased.
“Within reason and as long as it won’t bust my credit. I’ll try to get that to you this week.”
“You’re putting a lot of trust in someone you hardly know.”