Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 138588 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138588 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
She turned and started to walk away and realized she did not know where she was going. The cabin was cozy, but it wasn’t as small as her own.
“The bathroom is the second door on the left, and you can stay in the guest room,” Sawyer said. He was staring at her again, likely trying to figure out a new tactic to get her out of his house. “It was my room when I was a kid. The bed is small, but the mattress is new. The sheets are in the dresser. You should know Bella usually sleeps in there.”
“Bella is welcome.” At least she would have a companion.
“I, uhm, I suppose I will make you a tray and put it outside your door.” Wyatt’s smile had amped down. “Let me know if you need anything else. We’ll leave you alone, of course.”
He turned and walked toward what she suspected was the kitchen.
Sawyer’s brow had furrowed. “He was looking forward to having company. Now you made him sad. You know we don’t get many guests.”
“I can’t imagine why.”
“You’re going to starve because you don’t like me?” Sawyer asked, every word a challenge.
“I have a protein bar,” she announced. “And I think half a Snickers. And also, I could probably use a cleanse. I’ve been around some toxic people lately.”
He moved into her space, but Sabrina held her ground. “He’s not toxic. Wyatt’s been through more than you can imagine, and he wants to be a good host. Don’t be stubborn.”
Sawyer Hathaway had not one ounce of self-awareness. “The problem isn’t him. The problem is you.”
He loomed over her, his expression softening and making her breath catch. When he wasn’t frowning he was stunning. Who was she kidding? He was always stunning.
“Yeah, I get that a lot. I’m sorry. I had a bad reaction to you.”
Bad didn’t begin to cover it. “Clearly. Look, I don’t know why you disliked me at first sight…”
“Didn’t. Pretty much the opposite.” He was staring down at her like he wanted to memorize her face. “Saw you, wanted you, knew I shouldn’t have you, so I escaped.”
“Escaped?” Now she did step back. She had no idea what he was doing, but she wasn’t about to let it happen. “What exactly did you think I would do to you? Jump your bones? Try to force you to go to a hotel with me?”
He shrugged, and his eyes spent way too much time on her lips. “It happens. Usually I’m up for it, but you… I can’t explain it but I felt something and I didn’t like what I felt. So I took myself out of the situation because you looked soft and sweet and I thought there was zero way you would be able to handle a man like me.”
“A man like you? Arrogant and rude? I know exactly how to handle a man like you. You throw him out with the trash and then you don’t have a problem anymore.”
His lips curled up. “See, this was the part I didn’t catch. The mean part. I like it.”
He was so frustrating. “Let me get this straight. You realized I can’t leave and you can’t leave, and now you think because we’re stuck here we should… What?”
“I think we should start over,” Sawyer admitted. “I think you should take a shower and change into dry clothes, and then we’ll sit down and have dinner made by a former one percenter who got out and now for some reason wants to be the world’s best host. He’s serious about hospitality and making things nice. His family, well, think of them like a violent cult. He wasn’t allowed much contact with the outside world, and when he finally got out, I’m pretty sure the first thing he watched was Top Chef. It imprinted on him. I’m also pretty sure he’s the one who didn’t tell me about the complaints since I know for damn certain nothing gets past Wyatt. Which makes me think he wanted this to happen.”
She was confused. “Wanted me to get into a car accident and get stuck here?”
“No. Wanted you to come out and meet me in person, where he would almost certainly be because he’s my shadow these days. Or maybe I’m his. I don’t have a lot of family anymore so Wyatt’s pretty much it.”
“Family doesn’t have to be blood,” she replied, not liking how she was already warming up to him again.
“As you’re learning with Mel and probably Cassidy,” Sawyer allowed. “Now that I think about it the last time she came out here to do her biannual check to see if the…I don’t remember the name of the damn things…mating spaces were laid out, she mentioned her new baby. I thought she got another dog or something.”
“It’s the Neluts.” How weird her life had become. She knew exactly what he was talking about. “According to Dad, they have a biannual mating schedule, and they come to Earth to do it, so to speak. They’re seafaring. Star faring. They live on spaceships. They like to mate in mountainous regions for religious purposes.”