Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 110360 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 552(@200wpm)___ 441(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110360 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 552(@200wpm)___ 441(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
With a sharp tug, I pulled her into me. Her chest collided with mine, only seconds before our lips followed suit. It wasn’t as deep as I would have liked. Then again, I wasn’t sure anything ever would be when it came to her. I’d die a happy man trying though.
“Hi,” she said quietly when we finally came up for air.
“Hey,” I said back.
She squeezed me once. “Nice backpack.”
I narrowed my eyes. “It’s a purse, thank you very much.”
“Even better.” She laughed. “Tell me there’s food happening.”
“There’s food happening.”
“Tell me I don’t have to make decisions about it.”
“Figured I still owe you sushi from last night.”
Her nose crinkled with disappointment. “I actually don’t like Nobu. It just seemed snobby enough to ask for it at the moment.”
I exaggerated a gasp, complete with slapping a hand over my mouth. “You lied to me?”
Blinking rapidly, she canted her head to the side. “Sir, just because I love you does not mean you are out of the doghouse yet.”
I swayed her from side to side. “Understood. Which is why I ordered Sushi Fever.”
The relief on her face was genuine and completely disproportionate to the situation, which meant she was more tired than she was letting on. Two days of reshoots after two nights of broken sleep and an emotional reckoning that would have leveled most people. It was a miracle she was still standing.
As much as I admired her strength and tenacity, it only made me more determined to give her a world where she could exist in stillness.
“God, I love you,” she whispered.
She’d said it countless times since the night before.
I’d heard it moaned while I moved inside her.
I’d heard it laughed when I’d tickled her after she’d made another addition to my ridiculous Game of Thrones nickname: Denier of the Snooze Button.
I’d heard it spoken, loud and proud, when she’d kissed me in front of the entire crew.
No matter how many times she said it, it always hit me deep and lodge a knot of emotion directly in my throat. Trust me, nothing in the world was more emasculating than your voice cracking like a pubescent boy while trying to say it back to her.
So, until the day came when I could man the fuck up, I’d been trying to stick with humor while in public.
I swallowed hard and then pecked her lips. “So you keep telling me.”
Rather than laugh, her lips pressed into a hesitant smile, like she was already preparing to argue her case. “Any chance we stop and pick it up? Please, Devon. Delivery will take forever this time of night.” She fisted the front of my button-down and then leaned in close. “I’m hungry, horny, and tired. I need the trifecta, baby.”
My brows shot up. “Sushi, sex, and sleep?”
Her lids fluttered shut in ecstasy. “Yesssss.”
I laughed and slid a hand down to her ass. “You can’t go inside, and I can’t leave you in the car alone. But if Brooke agrees to go inside and grab it, I’ll make the detour before we drop them off.”
She pushed up on her toes and peppered kisses all over my face.
And I stood there, grinning like a fool while absorbing each and every one.
“Get a room,” Brooke called from the other end of the hall.
“Yeah, get a room,” Zoey parroted.
With one last kiss finally landing on my mouth, she turned and walked to her friend.
Enjoying the view as I watched her go, I waited until she was out of earshot before activating my earpiece. I tipped my gaze to the mountain of man standing near Brooke and Zoey, blocking the back door. “Sushi Fever. Once we get her in the car, you go ahead and do a sweep. I’ll buy some time and do a few laps before we head that way.”
Alex’s chin jerked. “Copy that.”
I was not fucking around when I told her she needed someone else to protect her. I couldn’t do both anymore. I shouldn’t have been doing both to begin with.
I’d sent a text out to a few of the guys asking if anyone would be interested in helping out for a few more days. With Brianna in LA, Alex volunteered immediately. He and I were close, and just like all the guys at Guardian, I trusted him with my life. Though trusting someone with hers was going to come with a significant learning curve.
For most of the day, Alex had been relegated to a glorified speed bump—planting himself between Lofton and every doorway in the building.
It wasn’t a sexy or glamorous role by any means, but it was effective.
More importantly, it gave me room to breathe.
Not a lot. But enough that I could actually watch her on set without also tracking every single movement in the room.
Enough that I could spend a few minutes helping Zoey cheat her way through a puzzle without running worst-case scenarios in the back of my mind.