Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 84324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 422(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 422(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Chuckling, I agree, “That it is.”
Turning her head, her gaze searches mine. “You barely know me.”
“I know enough.”
“That’s the thing.” A frown appears on her forehead. “How?” She lets out a shaky breath before wrapping her arms around herself. “You watched me for one day, and know me what… three, four days?”
“You were born and raised in Findlay, Ohio, and came to New York after you graduated. You don’t have much contact with your family.” Her eyes grow wider and wider. “You worked for Mitchell’s Construction, which we will talk about at a later stage, and you dated an ungrateful asshole who didn’t know what he had.” I raise my eyebrow. “Anything I missed?”
“Jesus. You know it’s creepy that you stalked me, right?”
“Don’t care.”
“Just because you know all of that doesn’t mean you know me.” Giving me an incredulous look, she adds, “People don’t just decide to marry someone after a few days.”
“I do.” I lift my hand to her face and notice how she tenses before forcing herself to relax.
I hate it. I want her to need my touch more than the air she breathes.
“You’re trying to understand this logically when there’s nothing logical about what I feel for you.”
“That’s the problem,” she admits softly while her eyes cautiously search mine. “What if you wake up one morning and realize I’m not what you want?” A shaky breath leaves her. “What happens when you become bored after getting to know who I really am?” A nervous chuckle escapes her as she glances away to stare up at the ceiling. “Jesus, I’d hate to see what you’re like when you turn cold toward someone. I’m probably going to end up floating in the Hudson.”
Something cold settles in my chest because she sounds certain I’ll eventually stop wanting her.
This goddess can’t fathom why I would be interested in her.
Wanting to get to the bottom of this, I ask, “Are you struggling because this happened fast, or because you can’t understand why I would choose you?”
She swallows hard and her features tense even more, making a strange feeling twist in my chest.
My voice is too harsh as I growl, “Laurie.”
She worries her bottom lip between her teeth before muttering, “I just don’t get it, okay.”
“Get what?”
“How you’re already so…” She motions vaguely between us. “All in.”
There’s no attitude in her voice. No fishing for compliments. She sounds genuinely confused.
“You think there’s no reason for me to want you,” I say, making sure we’re on the same page.
Her shoulders lift in a small shrug. “People usually end up getting tired of me.”
The words hit hard enough to darken my mood instantly, and feeling goddamn murderous, I growl, “Who the fuck made you think that?”
Laurie’s worried eyes flit to my face. “It’s just how it’s always been.” She returns to staring up at the ceiling. “After my parents divorced, they invested all their time and love into their new families. They always had something more important going on than to bother with me. Honestly, I feel like they just wanted me gone because I was a reminder of a stupid mistake they made when they were young.” She takes a couple of breaths before adding, “And my ex lost interest in me before the first year was over.” Shaking her head, she mutters, “Jesus, I was so stupid. I should’ve left much sooner but kept hoping things would change.” Her tone turns forlorn as she whispers, “I’m not the kind of person that makes a lasting impression on people. I tend to annoy and bring out the worst in them.”
Something vicious moves through me.
Taking hold of her chin, I turn her head so she’ll look at me. “Listen very carefully, Laurie.” When I’m sure I have all her attention, I say, “I knew the second I saw you that you were going to consume my life. That’s never happened to me before, and as someone who gets annoyed pretty fucking fast, hear me when I say, there’s not a single annoying thing about you.”
She searches my face like she’s trying to figure out whether I mean it.
I brush my thumb over her jaw. “In all of my thirty-six years, I’ve never laid eyes on a woman as beautiful as you. Fuck, your eyes…” I stare deep into them. “It feels as if I’m getting a glimpse of heaven.”
Laurie’s eyebrows draw together, and the corner of her mouth tips slightly.
My voice turns gruff as I continue, “I will never get tired of looking at you. I will never stop loving how fucking amazing it feels when you touch me.” I lean a little closer. “Just listening to you breathe fills me with satisfaction.” I frame the sides of her head, my torso partially positioned over hers. “So no, Laurie, this isn’t me getting carried away after a couple of days. You are a fucking goddess, and I count myself fucking lucky that I found you before some asshole got it in his head to put a ring on your finger.”