Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 94903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
You know what? I’m over him.
His moods.
The verbal sparring.
Those biceps that look like they were cut from marble.
Okay, maybe I’m not over him being shirtless.
Chase Marshall is a single dad with a daughter to love, so fighting with me shouldn’t be a priority. But he can’t seem to stay away.
The lingering looks when he thinks I’m not watching.
The seemingly innocent touches while making breakfast.
The smirks gracing his lips after I’m irritated by his antics.
He’s ridiculously sweet to his daughter. I even catch glimpses of how charming he could be to me—if he wanted to.
But that’s the problem. He acts like he doesn’t want to. That he doesn’t want me.
He does. It’s in the innuendos, the way he places his hand in the small of my back—the almost kisses while we’re putting away groceries. The way he comes running when I see a spider and checks on me before he goes to bed. Even if he does grumble about it.
I might not be totally over my boss, but I’m going to make him think I am.
Let’s see how frustrated Mr. Marshall gets now.
From Bestselling author Adriana Locke comes a grumpy/sunshine, blue-collar single dad, nanny romance. This small-town romance is a standalone novel with tons heat and even more heart.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Chapter One
Chase
“Why does this always happen to me?”
My middle brother, Luke, sighs through the phone. His question, overly dramatic per usual, is rhetorical—or should be. We both know the answer. But he’ll wait for a response because he likes to wallow in self-pity and because I’m a fool for answering his call in the first place.
Damn him.
“Oh, I don’t know,” I say, returning his exasperation. “Ever think that maybe you’re just an asshole?”
“No.”
“Well, maybe start there and work backward.”
My windshield wipers squeak, working overtime to clear the rain from my view. Unfortunately, the precipitation hasn’t let up all day. I’m soaked to the core, my bones ache, and the intense pain in my shoulder exacerbates my frustration—the frustration my brother compounds.
I want to get home.
“That’s pretty rich coming from you.” Luke laughs.
“Hey, you called me.”
“And you answered.”
I remove one hand from the steering wheel and stretch my arm to the side, desperate for relief. “Do you want anything? Or did you call to remind me not to have an odd number of children?”
“Huh?”
I sigh. “Never mind.”
“So back to this thing with Alyssa,” he says, not missing a beat. “I don’t think she’s coming back.”
She won’t if she’s smart.
I instantly regret that thought because it’s not fair. I’m cold and exhausted and have a fourteen-year-old girl waiting at home for our weekly pizza-and-movie night. Luke might be a pain in the ass—and more of a diva than my daughter—but he’s a solid guy.
I still don’t want to do this with him.
“Are you listening to me?” Luke asks. “I’m having a crisis over here, and you’re acting like it’s no big deal.”
“Do you want to know what happened to me today?”
“Well, I—”
“I was fifty feet in the air fixing a power line when an old lady came around the corner. She doesn’t see the cones, plows ahead, and clips the back of the truck. Jason jumped out of the way, or else he’d be dead. I fucked up my shoulder on the corner of the bucket.” Thank God that was all that happened. My jaw pulses as the memory of thinking I would meet my maker passes through my brain. “So excuse me for not classifying your pussy problem as a crisis.”
Gravel crunches beneath my tires as I turn onto the old country road that leads to my house.
Luke’s silent. He’s unsure whether to press forward or retreat from the conversation. Wise. Although there are a few things that I’d rather be doing less than acting as my brother’s sounding board, I have ten minutes to go until I get home.
I can suck it up that long.
“Why did Alyssa leave in the first place?” I ask with as much give-a-shitness as I can muster.
“She said she was sick, and I told her I had all the vitamin D she needs.”
I roll my eyes. “You’re twenty-seven years old. Grow up.”
“I was joking. What do you know about women, anyway? When’s the last time you had one around?”
“If I don’t know anything about women, why in the hell are you calling me for advice?”
“Simple. You’re the only sibling who will answer.”
When will I ever learn?
“Gavin is avoiding me for reasons we won’t discuss,” he says. “I talked to Mallet last week, and he said his trainer was taking his phone. He’s been having a hard time concentrating for his fight, so Oscar was removing all distractions. And I’m not about to call Kate.”
I grin. “Aw, Kate’s your baby sister. I’m sure she has great advice.”
“She’s your sister too. Have you ever called her for advice?”
We laugh at the same time. Kate’s a firecracker. You risk setting your problems on fire if you ask Kate for help.
“Eh, maybe I’m better off without Alyssa, anyway,” Luke says. “Fucking the same person is a dead-end sport.”
My forehead wrinkles. “How do you go from one extreme to the other? Two seconds ago, you were fucked up because she was gone. Now you’re happy about it?”
“I just got my feelings hurt. I want her to want me.”
“You want everyone to want you.”
“Yes. I do. Not all of us are content with jacking off for the rest of our life.”
Here we go.
I frown and grip the steering wheel tighter.
My family’s ongoing push for me to find—I don’t even know what it would be called at this age—a girlfriend? Significant other? God forbid, a wife? I don't want one, whatever it’s called when you’re sniffing forty.
Am I against casual sex? It’s great for Luke. Do I have a problem with dating? Gavin loves it. Is marriage a social construct that works in the modern world? Mallet’s wedding was the happiest day of his life—if you ignore the fact that the union ended in divorce. And I’m certain Kate will have the biggest damn wedding the world has ever seen someday, and an enormous brood of kids too. Everything for that girl is extra.