Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 131888 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131888 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
She really needed to train them better for their future spouses. She put that on her mental to-do list.
The second she pressed the trunk release on her key fob, he was opening it and grabbing bags.
When she came around, he shook his head. “I got it. You can unpack them as I carry them in.”
“I can carry a couple in with me.”
“Take your purse, I got the rest.”
Huh. There was no point standing there and debating it, so she headed inside and toward the kitchen with him on her heels.
“On the island?” he asked as he followed her through the house and into the chef’s kitchen that was one of her favorite rooms in the house.
“That’s fine,” she answered and dumped her purse on the counter. When she turned, he was already gone.
Damn. The man was on a mission.
Maybe he figured the sooner she got the groceries put away, the sooner they could get naked.
She could get on board with that plan.
She took him in when he returned to the kitchen and dropped off the last four bags on the counter. The man’s outfit tonight was a pair of jeans, boots and a T-shirt.
No thousand-dollar suit. No shined dress shoes. No jewelry except for the simple gold band he still wore on his left ring finger. Not even a drop of hair gel.
Simple. But still hot as hell.
Though, she was damn sure he looked like fire in his uniform.
She frowned when it hit her that not once had he mentioned working a shift at Shadow Valley PD, his place of employment.
She opened her mouth to ask him about it but was derailed when he said, “This can’t be all for breakfast.”
She shrugged. “Well, I wasn’t sure what you liked.”
“I like anything not labeled ‘ready-to-eat.’”
It took her a moment to realize he was talking about the MREs served in the military. “Damn. I knew I should’ve had that tattoo removed from above my pussy.”
With a low, soft chuckle, he came up behind her, circled his arms around her waist and pressed her into the counter. “I guess I can make one more sacrifice for my country,” he murmured against the side of her neck, his erection pushing against her ass.
She reached back and cupped his face. “That’s the spirit. But if you keep doing that, I won’t finish putting away the groceries and the sacrifice will be the perishables.“
With a last brush of his lips along her jaw, he released her and stepped back. “Can I help put anything away?”
Damn, maybe he needed to train her sons. Either his mother did a good job teaching him manners or his late wife did.
“No, it’ll be faster for me to do it myself than taking the time to explain where everything goes. Grab a cold drink out of the fridge, if you want, and take a load off.” With a now empty bag in her hand, she turned and pointed toward a stool at the large center island. “So tell me, Officer Lennox, do you get every weekend off? Don’t they have rotating shifts at SVPD?”
“They do.” The deep baritone of his voice was so damn delicious.
She tipped her head and regarded him closely when she stated, “But you have no problem getting off for the Wednesday night meetings, either.”
He dragged his thumbnail across his forehead and as he stared at the counter, she could see him making up an excuse.
“You’re about to lie to me.”
He lifted his head. “Why do you think that?”
“A mother’s instinct.”
“You’re not my mother.”
“But I am a mother. We tend to develop certain skills to deal with our offspring.”
“A sixth sense,” he surmised.
“More like a woman’s instinct on steroids. Or hormones, more like it.”
He pulled in a breath as he considered her. “I’m currently on a special assignment.”
Or was he on temporary leave because of his debilitating grief? “A secret squirrel assignment?”
“Something like that.”
Interesting. “I’ll respect that and not dig any further.”
She caught the relief in his eyes before he hid it. “Thanks.”
“You can thank me with something besides words once I’m done here.”
The first time was while they were standing.
The second while sitting.
While she didn’t mind variety, she was glad this time it would actually be in a bed. Most likely lying down.
The blood hummed through her veins in anticipation. For both the sex and finally getting to see the man naked from head to toe.
Her head jerked. That meant he’d get to see her completely naked, too.
She’d been aware of that when she invited him over for the night, but now it was actually hitting home as he leaned his rucksack against the dresser in her bedroom.
She was thirty-nine. She had given birth twice. She had stretch marks, cellulite and loose skin. Her breasts were heavy and the opposite of perky. Gravity had done a number on her ass, too.