Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 112762 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112762 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
“If I say you’re a professional baker, you’re a professional baker.”
Her lips quirked at the corners. “Bossy.”
Don’t you know it.
Her cheeks flushed as if she read my expression and was remembering being tied to my bed the day before yesterday.
I’d eventually had to admit that it was time to ease up on my overprotectiveness. Callie had gone swimming with some friends from school and then to a sleepover. That meant Sloane could have her own sleepover at mine, but she’d gotten little sleep.
She also had her car back, and we were trying to return to a sense of normality.
“Stop making moony eyes at each other and sell some cakes,” Callie teased good-naturedly.
I’d never been accused of making “moony eyes” at anyone in my life. I grunted, which only made her and her mother giggle. The sound put me in a good mood.
Fifteen minutes later, the sight of Haydyn Barr, the dad who’d asked for Sloane’s number, threatened that good mood. I knew Sloane had taken his call and explained she couldn’t see him because she was seeing me, but it was like my possessiveness had a mind of its own. With one hand on Callie’s shoulder and the other on Sloane’s waist as the man approached our table, I told him clearly I considered the Harrows mine.
He took us in and ignored me entirely.
The fucker.
“These look amazing, Sloane.” Barr gestured to her table. “I’ve been told by everyone to come taste your wares.”
The way he said that while looking at her like she was a fucking cake he wanted to taste was more than a dick move with me standing there. I squeezed Sloane’s waist, and she shot me a confused look before she pushed a cupcake toward the prick.
“These are always popular.”
He dug into his wallet and pulled out a five-pound note to match the price I’d stuck on the card in front of them. Sloane took the money with a smile, and I waited for Barr to leave.
He didn’t. He stood there, eyes on my woman as he ate her cake.
I wanted to rip off his face.
Jealousy, possessiveness, was new for me.
It rode me uncomfortably.
As if sensing my tension, Callie leaned into me, cheek resting against my side. Forcing myself to relax, I smoothed a hand down her wee shoulder and gave her a soft look.
She smiled up at me, and I felt her own tension drain.
Another new thing for me to contend with was watching my body language around Callie. To be aware that she’s observant and attuned to the adults around her. I forced myself to stay relaxed for her sake.
When I looked up, Barr wiped his mouth with a napkin, watching the interplay between me and Callie. Understanding seemed to dawn on his face, and he flicked a look at Sloane. “They’re delicious. I can see what everyone is talking about.”
“Thanks.” She gave him a smile, but it wasn’t the same smile she gave me.
Barr nodded, and then finally met my eyes. He lifted his chin at me and murmured, “Lucky man.”
I watched him walk away, returning to his table where his son stood with an older woman.
“I’m going to see how Lewis and his mom are doing.” Callie pulled away from me with a sweet smile and then left us to cross the hall to where Regan, Lewis, and Eilidh were set up.
Sloane turned her back to the rest of the room, crossing her arms as she leaned against the table and stared up at me with an unamused smile. “Even the best of men are cavemen.”
Still uncomfortable with the way I wanted to snarl at any fucker who so much as blinked at her, I lifted my chin in acknowledgment. “I’m trying.”
“I know.” She curled her fingers around the edge of the table. Her hair was braided in a loose plait over one shoulder, and she wore a long-sleeved dress in a style she was partial to. The green of the fabric made her hair look lighter, her skin tanner, her eyes a richer brown. If I noticed everything about her before, my awareness was on another level now. You’d think it would be the opposite. That having her in my bed would dull the intensity of feeling.
But it was getting fucking worse.
She studied me thoughtfully. “Walker … you should know you never have to be jealous. No one makes me feel like you do. I’ve never wanted any man the way I want you. And I know I never will.”
The pulse in my neck throbbed as I clenched my hands into fists to stop from reaching for her. To stop myself from dragging her out of the school cafeteria and into the nearest room to bury myself inside her.
“I meant it that night in my kitchen. I am yours.”
Exultation thrummed through me, and I swallowed hard around the emotion. My voice was gruff as I replied, “I meant it too. I’m yours.”