Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 115525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 578(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 578(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
“Look at me.” Rayne touched his hand to Mike’s cheek, ghosting his fingers over the rough stubble of his beard. “Do you always keep a gun in your bed?”
“Yes.” Mike’s answer was blunt and swift.
Rayne released a slow breath.
“I’m not trying to upset you.”
“I’m not upset.”
“Then why are you doing your careful breathing?”
“Because I’m concerned.”
“Concerned… or scared?” Mike turned his head and kissed the inside of Rayne’s palm, and the sentiment almost did him in. There were just too many layers to Mike, and Rayne had barely begun to peel away at the surface.
Rayne shook his head and canted his hips forward so Mike could feel just how not afraid he was. His dick was solid again and pressing into Mike’s pelvis. “I don’t know what it is about you that thrills me so much.”
Mike gripped Rayne by his hips, holding him close, pressing him in tighter.
“But I hate all the violence and turmoil in your life. I want you to have peace and contentment.” Rayne kissed Mike in the center of his chest. “Right here.”
“Guns don’t bring about violence and turmoil, gorgeous. Dumbass people do.” Mike’s breathing was getting harsher, either from the topic of conversation or the way Rayne was grinding on his thigh. “But I’m not a peaceful man—it’s best you know that now. I have quite a few guns around the house, but the weapons are only for protection… mine and now yours.”
“I have no doubt that you’ll keep me safe.” Rayne was so beyond turned on that he wasn’t sure how he got there. He’d found a gun under his head, and now his dick was trying to stab through Mike’s thigh. What the fuck was going on with him?
“You let me do my job and keep you protected, and you be my peace.” Mike rolled Rayne on his back and settled on top of him, letting all of that delicious weight push him farther into the mattress where nothing could reach him or hurt him.
Chapter Thirty-seven
Rayne
Rayne woke in Mike’s bed, his manly scent flooding his senses as he buried his face in the jet-black covers. He didn’t have to feel the empty space beside him to know it was cold and vacant, except for the white rose on the pillow and another note.
I’ll see you when I get home
Rayne clutched the flower in his hand, cherishing it, knowing Mike had gone into his backyard and picked it early this morning just for him. He made up Mike’s bed and picked up the few articles of clothing off the floor. He took his rose and walked naked to his bedroom to get dressed for work. The house felt different with Mike gone; his strong presence made the house warmer… safer.
Downstairs, Rayne made his tofu scramble and ate a banana in silence. He assembled a turkey-and-cheese sandwich for his break, then added an orange to his lunch bag from the fruit bowl. A wide smile creased his face when he noticed a couple of apples were missing. He ate some of the fruit. Rayne didn’t roam about the house; instead, he washed his couple of dishes, turned out the lights, and grabbed his belongings. Rayne locked the bottom lock before he left out the front door, then remembered that he didn’t have a key to get back inside. After Mike made him come hard enough to black out last night, he’d forgotten to even mention it.
Rayne had his nose buried in the white rose when Edison’s amused tone pulled him from his thoughts. “Another flower, huh?”
Rayne glanced up from where he sat behind the reception desk in front of the switchboard. Edison stood there looking handsome in his dark blue suit, pale pink shirt, and tie. His round cheeks were flushed with color, and a contented gleam shone in his eyes as if he’d had a very satisfying morning as well. Rayne returned Edison’s sly grin, wondering if they were thinking the same thing.
Those damn Stockley men.
“Would that happen to be from your new roommate?”
Rayne set the flower down and met Edison’s gaze with his own sated look. “Actually, my man left it on the pillow for me this morning.”
Edison’s brows rose, and deep dimples adorned his cheeks when he smiled. “Wow. I don’t think Bishop told me all that.”
Rayne couldn’t believe how excited he was to tell the whole damn world that Mike was his. His sponsor had been right all this time. Rayne had thought he’d lied and conned so much that he was incapable of having true feelings for anyone, but Cliff had been telling him for months that when Rayne met the right guy, he’d feel more for him than he knew was possible. And he’d be damned. He was right. What Rayne felt for Mike bordered on unnatural, an unhealthy obsession that he didn’t want cured.