Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 98134 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98134 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Jesse, Carter, and Liam are all waiting in the lobby for me. They look ridiculous in the chairs sized for normal people. All three guys are well over six feet tall, broad, and muscular.
Jesse bolts to his feet when I come out. “Well?” he asks. “Are you alright?”
I flash two thumbs up. “Healthy!”
It’s cute how relieved they all look, especially Jesse. They just met me, but it looks like they were all out here biting their nails while they waited to find out my condition.
“So,” I say. “Jake is going to be here tomorrow. I can handle hiding between some bookshelves for a night or something. I really don’t want to be any trouble for you guys.”
“No,” Jesse says. “We’re not going to have you sleeping on the floor in a library. No way. It’s not safe, for starters, and–”
I grin, glancing out the window at the picturesque little snowy mountain town. It looks straight out of a Hallmark movie. I bet if I walked outside right now and tilted my nose to the sky, a perfect little snowflake would land on my tongue and a cheery old man would ring a bell, because that’s exactly the kind of stuff that happens in places like this. “Dangerous town, huh?”
Liam grins and elbows Carter, who is watching Jesse with amusement. I think they’re both interested to see how he’s going to justify this.
“Well,” Jesse looks uncomfortable. “A few years back, there was a violent crime here.”
“Wasn’t it man on statue violence, though? That old guy was pissed they got his face wrong so he drove his car into the statue they put up for him?”
“What is it with this place and statues?” I ask no one in particular.
“Oh, statues are a big deal here,” Carter says. “It was one of the first things Jesse told us about when he showed us around. Anybody who’s anybody eventually gets a statue. Honestly, if you don’t get a statue around here, you’re kind of a failure at life.”
I narrow my eyes. “Really?”
“Really,” Jesse says, sounding impatient. “But I’m not going to leave you on your own when I have a perfectly good cabin you can rest at. You just had a car accident. Even if you have a clean bill of health, you should be somewhere comfortable.”
“Where?” Carter asks, grinning wide. “Like your water bed?”
“If she wants,” he says, shrugging.
“Uh, I–” I start to stammer as my mind fills with an image of me snuggling up to Jesse tonight. Nope, nope, nope. Bad mind.
“Shit,” Jesse says as Liam and Carter laugh to themselves. “I just meant you could sleep on my bed if you wanted to rest. Not that I’d be…” he trails off and sighs. “Would you just come to the cabin and hang out till your brother gets back? I don’t like the idea of leaving you all on your own at the library.”
“What if I asked you guys to stand guard outside the library for me? You could do a bird call if any angry old statue-ramming men are driving towards me.”
“I volunteer,” Carter says, slapping a fist over his heart.
Jesse looks reluctant. “If… that’s what you really want, sure.”
“I’m kidding. “The cabin sounds great.”
“Oh,” Jesse nods with relief. “Good. You can take a nap in the guest house if you want. No one will bother you. Nolan can even cook you something if you’re hungry. Are you hungry?”
I smile. “A little. Sure.” My stomach does a very unladylike groan at the thought of food. I hope none of them hear it.
“Then it’s settled,” Carter says, clapping his hands. “To the cabin!”
“This should be interesting,” Liam mutters as he stands.
Jesse puts a hand on the small of my back like I might fall at any moment, guiding me outside to the truck. I could complain and protest. I could tell him I’m not some damsel in distress who is about to fall over without support.
But he’s possibly the most jaw-droppingly gorgeous man I’ve ever laid eyes on.
It’s hard not to gawk at his powerful frame, which is undoubtedly the result of years and years of grueling training. He practically radiates agility and command, all lean muscle and potential energy, like some big cat made to prowl dark forests and pounce.
His dark hair is tousled and frames a chiseled face with brown eyes and a mouth I find strangely captivating. It’s something about the way it moves when he talks that’s almost mesmerizing.
So, yeah, I let him put his hand on my back even though I’m not in danger of slipping and falling. Sue me.
We load into the truck and ride a short way back out of town, up a section of mountain, and pull up to a huge log style cabin. It looks old, but well-maintained.
“This is it,” Jesse says. “I can take you straight to the guest house if you’re not up for meeting the guys yet.”