Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 83932 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83932 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“Well, let me remind you how good they are.” I reluctantly step away from her and go about making her a sandwich then hear her phone ring. Watching her hop of the counter and walk across the kitchen, I see her pick up her cell and put it to her ear.
“I was going to call you,” she says with a smile. Then frowns and asks, “No, what happened?” Resting her palm against the counter, her head drops between her shoulders as she speaks softly. “We drove by there last night. I saw the police and news trucks.” She shakes her head, and I move toward her. “Yes, at first I thought it was an accident until I saw a CSI van. Do they know who it was?” she questions, looking at me. She replies, “I won’t be anymore” to whatever the person on the phone said.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s Michelle. They found a woman stabbed to death in Oaks Park last night.”
“Jesus.” With Parker, Cara, and the kids showing up last night, and Isla showing up this morning, I completely forgot about driving by there and seeing the news vans and police. “Do they know who it is?”
“Michelle said no. She just saw the story on the news and thought of me, since she knows I run there on occasion.”
“Not anymore,” I growl, thinking of her running there alone with her ear buds in, oblivious to any threat, and someone attacking her.
“Definitely not anymore,” she agrees, shaking her head then dropping her eyes, and I know Michelle is saying something to her.
“Yes, next Saturday, and no, there will not be strippers,” she mutters, and I use my hand under her jaw to pull her face up to gain her eyes.
“I swear to Christ if naked men show up at your bachelorette party, I will spank the shit out of you when you get home.” Her eyes widen and her pink tongue comes out to touch her bottom lip as she nods. Seeing the flare of desire in her eyes mixed with trepidation, I wonder if I shouldn’t just spank her the next time I have her naked in front of me to see what her reaction is.
“Shut up, Michelle,” she grumbles. Then she whispers, “Yeah, bye.” Before I can grab her, she pulls the cell phone from her ear, tossing it onto the counter, and scoots past me. “This sandwich is delicious.” She grins around a mouthful, and I shake my head while walking toward her.
As soon as I’m close enough to touch her, I bend, placing a kiss to her forehead. “Do you want some milk before you choke on it?”
“Yes, please.” She smiles, picking the crust off the bread, then hops up on one of the stools as I walk across the kitchen to grab the gallon of milk from the fridge. Filling a glass for her and one for myself, I take them over to the island and take a seat next to her. “Do you need to go back to pick up your brother?” she asks as I open the box of cupcakes, smiling when I see there are six left.
“No, I left my car with him.”
“How did you get home?” she asks after taking a bite of her sandwich and a sip of milk.
“Tim was in the area, so he was able to drive me,” I explain before sinking my teeth into the cupcake.
“You must really like those. I never see you eat sweets, and that has to be the third one you’ve had.”
“Fourth,” I correct, hearing her laughter ring through the kitchen, making me smile. It’s been far too long since I’ve heard her carefree laughter, and I miss it. “We need a vacation, baby,” I say softly, and she nods, ripping a few more pieces of the crust off her sandwich.
“I would love to get away with you, but I know things have only gotten busier since you’ve taken over the office, and I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon.”
“More patients equal more money, which means I can afford to hire another dentist. I’ll figure it out this coming week.”
“You don’t think it’s too soon to hire another dentist?”
“No, not at the rate we’re growing. And really, I want to have a third person on to help cover things if you and I need to be out of the office for an extended period of time.”
“Why would we need to be out of the office for an extended period of time?” She frowns, and I study her for a moment before speaking.
“When we have kids, I’ll want to be home with you as often as I can. Right now, it would be difficult to do that, and I would most likely have to close the practice and work somewhere else that would allow me to make my own hours.”