Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 119548 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 398(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119548 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 398(@300wpm)
Fred’s eyes widened as he seemingly drew the same conclusion I’d arrived at, and I mouthed, “I’m sorry,” to him.
He pulled my hand from his face as I called out, “Fred! Eek, stop!”
His hand covered the lower half of my face as he looked at me with mild horror, and I grabbed his wrist, then yanked his hand from my mouth.
“No, what are you—ahhh!” I collapsed onto the bed so dramatically that it squeaked.
He stared at me.
“No, I’m sorr—mmph!” I pressed my forearm against my mouth as if my words had been cut off with a kiss.
Realisation dawned on him.
Seriously.
I swear I even saw the little cartoon lightbulb pop up over his head.
He squeezed his face up into a pained expression, then got on his hands and knees and bounced. The bed squeaked under his weight, and he looked so horribly awkward I had to stop myself laughing out loud.
“Deli, get back here!”
I jumped off the bed and stomped on the floor. “Ha, no!” I called back, finally letting myself laugh a little. “Stop chasing me, you animal! Ahh!”
He did the same thing I’d just done. “Almost…” He pointed towards the door, and I nodded.
I ran in its direction, and he followed me, reaching for me. The rug slipped against the wooden floor, taking Fred with it. Instinctively, I stepped forwards and snatched his hand, yanking him in my direction to keep him on his feet. The sudden sway of momentum caught him off guard and he collapsed against me, pushing me against the door with his body pressed against mine. He moved just in time to cup the back of my head, and his hand took the brunt of the hit instead of my skull.
“You’re mine now,” Fred said into my ear, just loud enough that they could certainly hear it outside.
One of the grandmas squeaked from the other side of the door, but all I could hear was the thudding of my heart against my ribs.
“Go, go!” was the whisper that came through the door, followed by the telltale sound of them hobbling off down the hallway.
Fred was right there.
His Adam’s apple was directly in my line of sight despite the darkness, and as he swallowed and it bobbed, I did the same thing. His broad shoulders seemed to stretch out as if they were a shield for me, and I’d never felt tinier than I did in this moment.
I wasn’t even short, but the way he was against me, almost arching over me, cradling my head despite the pain he must have been feeling, made me feel like he was wrapped all around me protectively.
Neither of us spoke for a moment, and it was Fred who first broke the silence. “Are you okay?”
My heart was still racing, and my chest heaved with the exertion of catching him and the pressure of his chest against mine, but I managed to nod.
“You didn’t get hurt when I fell on you, did you?” He leant back and looked down at me, using his hands to raise my arms and check them over. “What about your head? Did I get to it in time?”
“No, I’m fine.” I shook his hands off. “Can you move now?”
He stilled, stared at me, and quickly took a step back. “Sorry.”
“Thanks.” I pressed my hand to my chest and steadied my breathing.
Wow.
Okay.
I was good.
It was fine.
“Is your hand all right?” I grabbed his right hand and raised it up, flipping it over and checking each of his fingers. “That must have hurt.”
“A little, but it’ll be fine in a few minutes.” He smirked at me. “You’ve got a head like a bowling ball. Have I ever told you that?”
“Pshh.” I dropped his hand and shoved past him, taking myself back to the bed. “Do you think they’ll leave us alone now?”
“Well, it sounds like they heard something they liked.” He climbed back in next to me and pulled the covers up over us. “So hopefully, that’s the last time they ever try to catch us doing unspeakable things.”
“Unspeakable things my arse,” I replied, snuggling down and turning my back to him. “You weren’t very convincing.”
“Neither were you.”
“And that, ‘you’re mine now,’ line? Pfft. What a caveman.”
He chuckled. “Goodnight, Deli.”
“Mm.” I paused. “Sleep tight.”
“Don’t let the bed bugs bite.” He nudged my foot with his, and I prodded him right back with my big toe.
And that was how I drifted off.
Inches of space between our bodies, but our feet just about touching.
16
* * *
DELILAH
“Did you really get married?”
I stopped mid-clean, my hand still stuffed into a pint glass. “Do people fake weddings often these days?”
Danny stared at me. “You told me you were single.”
“Well, our relationship wouldn’t have been secret if I’d told you, would it?” I resumed the cleaning of the glass before pulling the cloth out. “And I’d like to remind you that I never once showed signs of responding to your advances and outright rejected you more than once, so you’ve really got no business being this upset.”