Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 24518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 123(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 82(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 123(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 82(@300wpm)
“I’ve got a call waiting. Gotta go,” I tell him and barely give him time to tell me goodbye. I’ve had thirty-five years to talk to his ass, and he’s not pretty like Joy is.
“You lied to me.” Those are the first words from her, delivered in a sultry voice that has my hand twitching to reach for my cock. Nope, not going to do that.
“I’ve never lied to you.” My chest puffs up as I say the words. A man doesn’t lie to his woman, and in my mind, Joy is definitely mine. If only she’d accept a scarred, grumpy mountain man like me.
“You had a call on the other line,” she answers easily, her breathy voice teasing. “And you told me you didn’t have any friends.”
“I don’t have friends,” I answer. I don’t confess that I lost them. The investigation into the failed mission hailed me as a hero, but what kind of man lives while his unit dies?
“So, it was a girl then,” she says. Is it my imagination or does she sound jealous? That has to be my wishful thinking. Too much time spent alone in this cabin with only the wind for company.
“It was my brother, the brilliant writer who has won countless awards.” His career makes people smile. He should be proud of the work he does. I was proud of the work I did once.
“You have a brother?” she repeats, disbelief evident in her tone.
“Don’t be getting any ideas,” I growl.
She giggles then. It’s a soft, sweet sound. “I just can’t imagine two of you, all scowling and grumpy like that. Your mama must have had her hands full.”
I think fondly of Emma May, my adoptive mother, the one who took me in when I was a teenager with nowhere to go.
After she discovered I had two brothers, she worked tirelessly to unite us, and finally, the three triplets were whole again. She changed our lives. She gave us family, not that you would know that from how little I interact with everyone now.
I’m quiet for so long, lost in thought, that Joy clears her throat. “Sorry, boss. Didn’t mean to get sidetracked. I have an update on the Henderson mansion.”
I listen as she launches into the details about the Henderson mansion. They’re an eccentric billionaire family that my old buddy is guarding. I help with logistical support, but I do so from my cabin, reviewing plans for the next home they’re building, and pointing out potential security problems.
When she finishes her update, I hear the distinct sound of a car door slamming.
“Where are you?” I bark, like I’m her jealous boyfriend and not her boss. She doesn’t know that I’d give my right arm for that role.
“I’m at the hospital,” she answers cheerfully.
My heart falls to the floor. “Are you sick? Are you injured? Fuck, which hospital are you at?”
I’m already racing toward my front door, grabbing my keys and shoving them in my pocket. Don’t care where she is or how crazy it makes me sound. A boss has a right to check on his employee if she’s in the hospital.
“Nothing’s wrong,” she tells me. “I’m here for a charity event. You know, there’s this big, fancy thing coming up called Christmas. Those of us who are in the land of the living, we celebrate it every year. Some of us even exchange gifts.”
The tension bleeds from my body with her words as I realize that she’s not hurt.
“So, it’s a Christmas celebration?” I ask, already wondering what she’s going to wear to it. Would it be creepy for me to ask? Probably, I decide.
“Yeah, it’s some big party my mom is putting together. I have to deliver like eighty bajillion packages so everything can be set up on time.”
I already know that her family runs a holiday company. I’m not exactly sure why Joy doesn’t work for them. I’ve never asked. You don’t question a miracle, and if ever I got a miracle, it was Joy showing up to become my assistant.
“Should have taken the elevator,” she mutters so quietly that I think she must have been talking to herself. If I were there, I would carry all the packages. She’d never have to lift a finger if I were around.
“Oh, hi, Bobby.” Her voice changes, going brighter as she greets another man.
I have the sudden urge to drive to the hospital again. I want to get a look at this Bobby. I want to choke him and threaten him to treat Joy like the treasure she is. If he doesn’t, I’ll snap his legs off and use them to gouge out his eyes. “Who the fuck is Bobby?”
“Hang on one second. Yeah, I can talk,” she tells him. “Just give me five minutes to put these gifts down.”
“Ugh, I have to go,” she answers, her lowered voice the only indication that she’s talking to me and not him.