Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 71289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
“Thank you, Jake. Have a nice night,” I hung up.
Ignoring the way my skin crawled at the thought of that man watching my every move, I got into the shower and sighed when the scalding water touched my skin.
I loved hot showers. The hotter the better in my opinion.
The water sluiced down over my body, and I giggled happily when the baby started to move.
She loved the water, too.
That, and she liked that I wasn’t hunched in a sitting position, which allowed her to move freely without any constraints.
I pushed in on my belly and smiled when she pushed out moments later.
“You’re going to be so much fun,” I whispered to her.
“Who are you talking to?” Apple asked from the other side of the door.
I squealed in surprise.
“Jesus, Apple!” I exclaimed. “You scared the dickens out of me!”
His dark eyes peered at me through the clear glass.
“Did you just say ‘dickens’?” He teased.
I splashed water at him.
“What are you doing in here?” I narrowed my eyes. “You’re still in the dog house.”
He smiled then.
“Yeah, I guessed that. But Ridley got a call from the surveillance people saying that you had a camera out in the bathroom and I just wanted to come check on you…just in case,” he said, his eyes watching the water as it slid down my body.
I rolled my eyes.
“Fucking Jake,” I growled.
“What?” He rumbled, his eyes snapping back up to mine.
“I said I’m fine. Now, why don’t you go eat while I finish my shower?” I asked.
“But I want to wait for you,” he grumbled.
“Okay,” I conceded. “But you can still get out.”
His eyes took one last long look at my body, and then he disappeared just as silently as he’d arrived.
My body shivered at that long look.
I was happy that he still found me attractive. Especially if that hard-on in his pants indicated anything.
Rubbing my hands lovingly over my belly, I finished with my shower, shaved my insanely long leg hair, and walked out into my room without thinking about the camera.
Mainly because, once my feet hit the soft rug outside of the shower, I saw that Apple had left the door to my bedroom open.
I also saw that his long legs were stretched out on my bed; he was asleep.
I’d been fifteen minutes longer, at most, and I’d obviously given him too much time alone without proper stimulation to keep him awake.
I wrapped the towel around myself and made my way to the bed, letting my gaze linger on his tired face.
He was probably beyond exhausted due to how much he did.
On top of him working, I saw him nearly every night until I went to bed. Once my light flipped out, I’d hear his bike start up and head home.
Most nights.
Other nights, I would watch him watch me through the open window.
I still wasn’t sure why he’d gotten into the habit of watching me.
Or why he wouldn’t just come inside instead of staying outside.
But I guess that was answered last night, wasn’t it?
I wanted to yell at him. Scream my indignation.
How could he keep us apart for this long over a look he thought I’d given him?
Seriously? Who did that?
But as I saw the bags under his eyes, I realized then that his wounds weren’t superficial. They were deep, and they wanted to hold on and dig deeper.
And he’d been letting them fester.
He’d been letting them get so rotten and infected that he didn’t even realize how bad they were because he couldn’t feel them.
All he knew was that he was hurting. He just didn’t know how badly.
“How long are you going to stare at me with your towel wrapped precariously around yourself?” Apple asked with a rumble, his voice thick with sleep.
I smiled at him and walked to the dresser that was holding my underthings.
I thought about going into the bathroom to get dressed, but I chose to test him.
If this wasn’t real…he’d leave. The moment my towel dropped to the ground, he’d be gone, and I’d know if he was serious about staying with me or not. About giving us a chance.
You just can’t hide emotions like that.
And the moment I dropped my towel, my back to Apple, I heard his swift intake of breath saw into his lungs.
“Ah, God,” Apple groaned. “You’re trying to kill me. I know it.”
I laughed at him, tossing him a look over my shoulder that clearly said ‘yes.’
“I knew it,” he crowed. “That look you just threw at me was confirmation enough.”
I grinned and bent over, giving him a clear view as I lifted one leg to put my panties on.
The sexiness fell out of it, though, when I had to catch and steady myself on the dresser.
My belly really didn’t offer me very much stability lately, and now that I was so far along, it was getting worse.