Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
Not at all. Not even one little bit.
But the universe must be laughing at me because the moment I stumble up to my cabin, I see Brock sitting on my front porch.
7
BROCK
Zoey is swaying on her feet. It’s not much but it lets me know she’s definitely consumed some alcohol tonight.
Cleary called Piper at one point to let her know she was hanging out with the authors at the lodge restaurant. It didn’t take a genius to guess from the background sounds the girls were getting wasted.
I’ve spent the past hour sitting on the porch of Zoey’s cabin, waiting for her to get here. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep until she was safe at her place.
It’s a side effect of the shit I’ve seen in my work. I worry about the women in my life. As it is, my mom and Piper know to text me when they’ve made it safely home for the night. They roll their eyes and tell me I’m overprotective, but they do it anyway.
But Dad isn’t around to be there for them anymore, so now it’s on my shoulders to be their first line of defense. Yeah, they’re both strong, independent women. But that doesn’t mean I don’t feel the need to protect them. It’s how I’m wired. When I care about someone, I protect them.
Now, Zoey is on that list. I don’t know what it says that I’ve already put her on it. All I know is now that she’s safe, I’m pissed as hell.
“Do you know how many drunk tourists I have to pull out of the snow?” I demand. Anything could have happened to her. She could have passed out in the snow. A bear could have gotten her. Heck, one of Cord’s bulls could have wandered on by.
“If you’re going to get drunk, you should have called me.” I rake a hand through my hair. I would have hung out in the background and made sure she and her friends made it back to their lodgings safely.
In a perfect world, a woman could get plastered without having to think twice. But we don’t live in a perfect world. There are plenty of creeps out there that look for these opportunities. That’s why the women around me know they can call me up anytime they want to get drunk and I’ll have their backs. I’ll show up at the club or bar, drink my water, and run interference when some douchebag tries to get handsy.
She giggles and frowns, crossing her arms over her chest. Then in the deepest voice she can muster, she says, “Sheriff Brock is so serious tonight.”
I can’t help laughing at her impression. What is it about this woman that makes everything feel better? Just being around her is like stepping outside into sunshine.
“You want to hear a secret?” She leans in close and loses her balance, bumping into me. She actually loses her balance a lot, but the alcohol isn’t making the situation any better.
I steady her with my hands on her hips. “What’s that?”
Her breath fans my face when she speaks now. It’s smells of the fruity notes of the wine she had. “I’m still a virgin.”
Well, that was the last thing I expected when she said she had a secret. I thought maybe a confession about how tipsy she is or how much fun she had tonight. Not a revelation that would make all of my blood go south in a single heartbeat.
There are a million things I want to say to her, starting with how all the men around her are blind. She’s got incredible curves, the kind I’ve been thinking about ever since I saw her perfect ass in the snow. “Let’s get you inside, huh?”
She trails a finger down my shirt and despite the fabric separating our skin, her touch is burning me like hot coals. “I need to fix that.”
“Not when you’re drunk you don’t,” I mutter and scoop her into my arms. I carry her into her cabin bridal style, noting the way she shivers.
Woofer comes to the door and dances around my feet in a circle as I bring the love of his life back into the cabin.
I help her out of her wet boots and coat. Next, I adjust the thermostat, setting it to blazing warm. I consider the fireplace, but I don’t want to leave that burning since I’ll be gone soon.
Woofer barks again and gazes at the door.
“I’m going to help him outside,” I call over my shoulder but she’s already on her way to the bathroom. I should probably check on her but given how Woofer has started dancing, he’s got to go urgently. I can’t risk an accident in the cabin. Griff, the owner of the resort, is a decent guy. But pets aren’t supposed to be here.