Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 83970 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83970 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
I sigh. “You never would’ve been a blowjob in a nasty bathroom, Emmalyn.” I look over at her so she can see the sincerity in my eyes. “I felt like I was struck by lightning the second I saw you. That other girl was an attempt not to break my no-married-women rule.”
“You’d assumed I’d cheat on my husband?”
“Fuck, Em. That’s not what…” I look over at her and find her smiling back at me. “Are you fucking with me right now?” Her smile grows wider. I bring her hand to my mouth and kiss her knuckles.
“I’m glad you were there,” she whispers, and the atmosphere suddenly changes in the cab of the truck.
“Me too, beautiful. Me too.” My only regret is not going back and teaching that fucker a lesson before we left town.
Chapter 27
Emmalyn
Diego didn’t have to tell me about the other girl at the bar that night; I never saw another woman. The fact that he told me the truth when he didn’t have to, and especially since the information wasn’t pleasing makes me trust him that much more, another part of the walls around my heart crumbled a bit.
I’m watching him as we slow down, and he puts the truck in park. He holds my hand to his lips, and it’s such a delicate thing for a big, bad biker to do. I’m falling for him. It’s not something I set out to do, but his warmth and kindness is getting to me. I question the validity of my feelings since it’s the first time a man has consistently treated me with respect and valued my thoughts since my dad was alive. I have to wonder if I’m just clinging to him because he treats me good.
“We’re here,” he says angling his head to a nondescript building. The sign above the door says “San Juan County Animal Shelter.” For a brief second, I wonder if he’s bringing me here so I can do volunteer work while he’s gone. I look over at him, confused.
I see a huge grin on his face and excitement in his eyes. Tears begin to well in mine, and the sting is painful enough I have to sniff to get it to recede.
“Why are we here?” I ask not wanting to get my hopes up.
“I don’t want you to be too lonely while I’m away,” he says releasing my hand and opening the door to the truck. I stare at the building in front of me until he makes his way around to my side and helps me out of his big truck.
“You’re getting a dog?” I want to jump up and down but I refrain from acting like a child as best I can.
“No, Emmalyn.” My face falls. “You’re getting a dog.” He taps his shoulder against mine.
I walk through the front with wide eyes. “I’ve never had a dog before,” I whisper as we approach the front desk.
A look of sadness washed over his face before he corrects. “Well, we’re going to remedy that today.”
***
“He did not need all of this stuff,” I tell Diego as I sit on the floor holding the little, white ball of fur.
The lady at the shelter said he was a mixed breed, but he has some Akita in him, which she explained means he will be a very large protective dog. I had to have him immediately. He’s tiny right now so I can’t really picture it, but I’m hopeful.
“He will eventually,” he says taking toys and dog bones out of a bag. He bought everything he saw at the pet store and doubled up on some things. “I don’t want you to run out of anything while I’m gone.”
He insisted on buying everything at the store, and he paid for the adoption fee. I lower him to the huge dog bed Diego brought in and set up in the corner. He assures me the dog will grow into the thing, but it nearly swallows him now.
“We need to name him,” I say as I walk up to him, wrap my arms around his waist, and lean my head against his broad chest.
“He needs to have a strong, manly name,” Diego insists.
“I’ll think of something,” I tell him. “How long do you have before you leave?”
He holds me tighter. “Less than an hour. Come here,” he says pulling away from my chest and walking closer to the bed. “Lay down with me for a while.
I kick off my shoes and lay beside him, situating myself against his chest when he lays downs. One of his arms is behind my back, and the other reaches down tugs on my thigh, so my leg angles across his lower body. The fit is perfect, and I sigh into his chest as his fingers trace the hemline of my shorts on my thigh. It’s not even sexual, just incredibly comforting.