Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 30401 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 152(@200wpm)___ 122(@250wpm)___ 101(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30401 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 152(@200wpm)___ 122(@250wpm)___ 101(@300wpm)
“Yes, Sir.”
“Stop calling me Sir. Just Jack. Also, it’s best if you don’t try to make friends with them. They have a job to do and nothing more.”
“Alright, Jack.”
Even the sound of my name on her lips stiffens me into a crowbar. In my thirty-seven years on this earth, no girl has ever gotten under my skin like this. No one. And it’s taking every ounce of my strength not to push her against the wall and stake my claim.
We arrive at the playroom I had set up for Macy and find her sitting in the center of the colorful, plush rug on the floor, drawing a picture on a giant sheet of paper.
Bright posters adorn the wall along with her stick drawings and rainbow paintings. Crayons and washable markers are scattered on the floor while she focuses on her latest artwork.
“What’s her name?” Jessie whispers.
“Macy.”
I watch as Jessie slowly walks to her and gets down on her knees beside the child, picking up the nearest crayons one by one and putting them in the small box.
Macy looks up, her curls framing her small face, and gives her a tiny smile. It’s nice to see. The child hasn’t smiled much since her father’s death.
“Hi, Macy. My name is Jessie. I’m going to be coming here to spend time with you. Is that okay?”
Macy shrugs and goes back to her drawing. Her tongue peeks out from the corner of her mouth, brows furrowing in concentration.
“What are you making?”
“My daddy and me and a rainbow,” Macy tells her without looking up.
I swallow past the lump in my throat and watch them interact together. Jessie may be young, but it’s clear that she’s good with children. I can just imagine how she’d be when I finally fill her with my seed and she starts growing not one or two but maybe three of our own kids.
That vision stops me, and I pinch the bridge of my nose. What the hell? Until this moment, I’ve never even thought about having children. But now, I’m assaulted by thoughts of Jessie never leaving my side and me making her my wife. The mother of my children.
Rory comes up behind me and clears his throat. “You have a call, boss. It’s important.”
Damn, I could stand here and look at Jessie’s ass all day but…things are getting bad on the streets and I have to get ahead of this.
“Come on, sweetheart. I’ll walk you out,” I call out to her.
Sweetheart? Where did that come from?
Jessie gets up but Macy pulls the hem of her dress and asks, “When are you coming back?”
“Tomorrow. First thing in the morning,” I answer for her.
Jessie looks at me, nods, then turns back to Macy. “I’ll see you in the morning, Macy. We’re gonna have fun tomorrow. I promise.”
I take her arm again and lead her down the stairs, my muscles tense at having her close. I open the front door but my entire body screams not to let her go. She can stay here. Hell, she can sleep in my bed. Letting her out of my sight just doesn’t sit right with me.
But…I can’t pounce on her like an animal even if that’s exactly what I feel like doing.
So we stand, facing each other, and a wisp of her hair falls over her eye. Without thinking twice, I reach out and tuck it back behind her ear, noticing her soft, breathy gasp.
We’re so close that I feel her breath on my neck, and I’m one second away from acting on my thoughts like a hormonal teenage schoolboy.
“Your phone call, boss?” Rory’s voice pulls me back to reality.
“Bright and early, sweetheart,” I remind Jessie.
“Yes, Sir…Jack. I’ll see you in the morning.”
I watch as she skips down the concrete stairs to the rusty bucket she used to drive here. It’s a white subcompact car that looks like it belongs to the junkyard. The paint isn’t just faded but chipped in several places, with a patchwork of rust spots on the roof, and I wince at the noticeable dent on the front bumper.
She gets inside, and after a few tries, the engine sputters to life and starts sending a puff of black smoke wafting out from the tailpipe. We’re going to have to replace that soon.
Rory stands behind me with the phone in his hand, so I close the door and snatch it from him. He flinches like he’s expecting me to sock him in the jaw. I know he’s just doing his job, but I have a feeling that I’m going to be useless for the rest of the day because the only thing that’s on my mind is how to convince Jessie that she’s already mine.
2
JESSIE
My interview ended just in time for my shift at the tavern.
Now, with only a few hours of sleep, I’m on my way to begin my new career as Macy’s nanny. As I step out of the car, the door protesting with a creak, I take a deep breath and attempt to get myself together. I’m exhausted, sure, but my heart is racing.