Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 119152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
“Ms. Fischer.”
“Captain Wallace,” I say, meeting his eyes.
I love the way he says my name. No, I hate it. Ugh, I crave it. The way he can break me down just by looking at me. He’s sporting more facial hair than normal, but it suits him. Oh, come on, it makes him a million times hotter. Don’t reach out and touch it. Don’t reach out and—
“Captain Ben, Ms. Fischer said we have to prevent fires, but if we do, you won’t have a job and will have to babysit. Can you come babysit me? I can ask my mom.”
Ben raises his brow, staring at me. “She did, did she?”
“I just said if there were no fires to put out, you would need to find something else to do.” Like go down on me, that scruff tickling the insides—Jesus! Shut up.
Ben eyes me. Raising his hand, he cups his jaw, his thumb brushing over his stubble, taunting me.
“Do you have fleas, Captain Wallace?” I ask him.
“Just an itch I can’t scratch, Ms. Fischer.”
I hate him. I hate everything he stands for. I hate the way I fight to stay still, even though I’m throbbing under my clothes.
“Do you have an itch too, Ms. Fischer?” There’s a glimmer in his smile. If I wasn’t surrounded by a bunch of children, I would smack it straight off his face. Then I would sit on it—God!
“Far from it, Captain Wallace. More like a huge pain I can’t get rid of.”
He takes a step closer and reaches into his jacket. “Here’s my card. Call me if you need assistance with that.”
Turning back to the kids, he says, “Have a great day. And remember, stop, drop, and roll.” Peering back at me over his shoulder, he winks, then walks away.
Bastard.
Chapter 11
Ben
“Kipley, no! We called the pool—Ben—!”
Hannah tries to avoid the big splash when I cannonball into the pool. When I pop through the surface, I find Makayla inches from me. “Ew, get away from me, turd breath.”
“Nice try, duckling. Can’t have the pool all to yourself.”
She thrusts her hands out to splash me, and I laugh at her weak attempt. Her irritation fuels me. I return her lame stare down with a big smile. “Your hair looks nice today, duckling. Going somewhere?” Earlier, I heard her and Hannah talking about some book club they plan on going to later tonight.
“Don’t even think about it.”
“About what?” I swim even closer. She’s crazy if she thinks for a second I'm going to pass up this opportunity.
“You know what. I don’t want to get my hair—Ben!” I go in for the kill. Her shrieks mix with my laughter as I grab her. She barely weighs anything. It takes minimal effort to lift her high and toss her.
Man, she’s going to be pissed. I prepare for her fangs while I wait for her to resurface. A few more seconds pass, and she still hasn’t come up. “Okay, this is overkill.” I swim over to grab her. Surprisingly, she doesn’t try to sock me.
The problem is, she doesn’t try anything at all.
“Man, if that’s all I had to do to earn the silent treatment, I would have done this forever ago.” I flip her over. “Seriously—hey.” Her eyes are closed. She’s dead weight in my arms. “Hey—Mak.” I shake her gently. “Shit, Mak!” I hold onto her while I swim toward the shallow end. “Someone help me,” I call out, lifting her in my arms and hurrying out of the pool.
“What did you do?” Hannah runs up.
“Nothing! I just threw her into the water. It was harmless fun.” I lay her down. She still hasn’t opened her eyes. It’s freaking me the hell out. “Mak, wake up.”
“What’s wrong with her?” Hannah cries out.
“Han, go get Mom,” Kip urges.
What did I do? “Shit, please wake up! I didn’t mean it. I’m so sorry.”
“Is she breathing?” Kip asks.
“Dude, I don’t know!” Why did I have to mess around in health class? “It’s okay. I got this.” I suck in a deep breath and tilt her head. Using both hands, I grip her chin, hold her nose, and lean in—
“Are you trying to make out with me, Ben Wallace?”
I freeze at the sound of her voice. Her perfectly fine voice. My eyes find hers. “Ew. How many times do I have to tell you I’m not into you?” She swats at my hand and sits up.
That little brat faked the whole thing.
She stands and looks down at me. “Oh, and some advice? Breath mints. But then, we all know you didn’t earn your nickname for nothing.” She turns and struts off.
“You are one crazy motherfucker,” Brady huffs, jumping off the truck.
“Part of the job, my friend,” Mitchell says, wiping the smudge off his cheek. “Wilson, you’re up, rookie. Make sure she shines nice and bright.”