Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 97836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
My throat was thick from wanting him, but my stomach was too twisted with nerves and confusion to do anything about it.
“Can we talk about your personal shit now, please?” I grumbled.
He let out a soft chuckle. “Sure. What do you want to know?”
I scrambled to think of something. “Your tattoos. The chemical symbols. You told me you got them because of your sister.”
Silas’s entire demeanor changed at the mention of Camille. Anytime her name came up, he turned soft in the sweetest way.
“She was pre-med in college,” he began. “But she really struggled with chemistry. It was enough to make her think she was going to have to give up her dream of becoming a doctor. I offered to…”
For some reason, he stopped, so I elbowed him. “Offered to…”
“Pay her. For grades. But that was when I only had a minimum-wage job, so I couldn’t offer much.”
I nudged him. “So you offered to sell your body. You tramp.”
Silas laughed. “She had a friend who was apprenticing as a tattoo artist. I finally agreed if she aced the exam, I’d let her friend practice on me.”
I reached out to trace the lines below the sleeve of his T-shirt. “That’s a lot of practice,” I murmured.
“No shit,” he muttered. “She went on to take eight fucking semesters of chem. And aced every one of them.”
I barked out a laugh and met his eyes as they danced with a teasing glint.
“Sisters are total assholes,” he said.
“Complete assholes,” I agreed. “She’s lucky to have you,” I added once the laughter died down.
“Nah. Other way around. She keeps me grounded.”
As we made our way out of the tree line and across the meadow to the parking area, I wondered at his words.
“How do you mean?”
“She’s not money-motivated at all. She just wants to help people.” He glanced out at the field just beginning to bloom with wildflowers. “She could have gotten placed anywhere she wanted, but she chose one of the harshest emergency rooms in the city because that’s where she saw the greatest need. Whenever I get caught up in big corporate deals, mergers, and high-stakes negotiations, whenever I get focused on the money and making the stakeholders as rich as possible, Camille reminds me to focus on other things. And to use my money for good.”
As we approached his rental car, it reminded me that he’d insisted on dropping off my truck for its much-needed repair on the way here. “Good causes like loaning people money for transmission work?” I asked sourly, still feeling prickly about our argument first thing that morning.
“We’re not fighting about this again. I’m not letting my husband drive around with a busted transmission.”
I threw my small pack into the back seat before climbing into the passenger seat and pulling the door closed. Then, I turned to him. “I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”
He turned the ignition and focused on backing out of the spot. “So you said. Multiple times.”
Silas’s calm dismissal got my back up. “How would you feel if the situation were reversed? If you were the one who’d borrowed money from me?”
“It would be driving me batshit,” he said with a serene smile as he pulled out of the parking area and down the gravel road toward the highway.
I glared at him. “Yes! Exactly.”
“The difference is you wouldn’t loan me the money.”
My jaw dropped as my stomach plummeted. Was that what he thought of me? “Silas! Are you fucking kidding? Of course I would, if I had it.”
“Why would you?”
“Because you’re a friend. Hell, because you’re my husband. Because if I had it, why not loan it to help someone out? Because I’d…” His knowing smirk made me realize I’d been had. “Fuck you.”
“Now you know how I feel. And as for the fuck-you suggestion… Thank you, I accept.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “You really are a tramp.”
“Happy to be used in that manner, Mayor,” he teased. “Do with me what you will.”
As we joked and teased each other the entire drive home, I couldn’t help but notice this no longer looked and felt like a purely sexual relationship.
I wanted to be with Silas more than anyone else. I didn’t want this day together to end.
Thankfully, I had the perfect excuse to extend it.
“Will you come with me to Final Night on Thursday?” I asked as he pulled off the highway and past the ranch house.
“Final Night? Sounds ominous.”
“It’s a local street party to celebrate the final days of the low season. It’s sort of the last hurrah before the tourists take over starting around Memorial Day.”
“Ah. And you want me to attend so we can cement our relationship in the eyes of the town.” Silas waved at ZuZu, who was unloading something from her car as we passed the barn. “Sure. Why not?”