Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26221 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26221 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
Holy shit. She's offering me a job. No, not just a job. A chance to make an actual living with art. It's basically my freaking dream.
"Can I have a few days?" I ask. "Redd gave me a job when I needed one. I don't want to leave him in a bind the minute he gets back from his daughter's wedding. I'd prefer to give him time to hire someone to take my spot."
"I can work with that," Eve says, grinning at me. "Does this mean you're saying yes?"
"Yes," I say, a happy laugh escaping. "I'm saying yes."
She squeals, flinging her arms around me in a tight hug.
I'm not even remotely surprised when I turn around ten minutes into my shift to find Wade standing on the opposite side of the bar, looking like sex on legs…as usual.
My stomach turns a flip before bottoming out when his eyes meet mine. He jerks his head toward the back, motioning for me to follow him.
I don't even hesitate before hurrying after him, eager for five minutes alone with him to tell him about today. We rarely get five minutes to talk while he's doing cowboy things during the day.
Honestly, I don't know how he does it. It's like he has a limitless amount of energy. But I feel guilty that he's here every night. Even if he doesn't act like it or show it, I know he has to be exhausted. And that worries me. I may not know much about being a cowboy, but I know enough to know it can be dangerous. He needs to be alert and functioning.
Hopefully, once I'm working at the gallery, he'll relax a little. He'll finally get some sleep—real sleep.
"You know you don't have to keep coming here every night, right?" I ask as soon as we're alone in the cramped back hallway, right outside the stockroom.
He just cocks his head to the side, a slow smile spreading across his gorgeous face. "Where else would I be? You're here."
My heart turns a flip.
"Well, Redd will be back tomorrow," I murmur.
His grin slips before he hooks a finger into my belt loop, tugging me up against his chest. "Is this your way of saying that you're done with me, beautiful?"
"What? No, of course not!" I cry softly. "I just meant…" I trail off when I feel his body vibrating with laughter. "You jerk," I grumble. "I thought you were serious."
"I'm just teasing you. I know he'll be back tomorrow," he murmurs, nuzzling my throat. "But I'll still be here."
"Wade…"
He cuts me off with his lips on mine. "No arguing, Harlow. Until Palmer is out of the picture, I go where you go."
"I thought you said he wasn't dangerous."
He sighs and then kisses me again. "I did say that, but Dillon is looking into shit on his ranch. It may make him unpredictable. And I'm not gambling with the most important thing in my world, beautiful. Until he's dealt with, I go where you go."
My heart stalls and then thuds unevenly. He just called me the most important thing in his world. Oh my goodness. Is he…?
"I can hear your mind racing," he murmurs.
"Can not."
"Yeah, I can."
"I'm just thinking."
"About me being in love with you?"
"I…" I startle slightly, my eyes wide. I guess that answers my question, now doesn't it? Holy shit. Wade Jessup is in love with me.
"I'm not just saying it," he murmurs, grinning at me. "I mean it, Harlow. I'm wild about you. Maybe I'm supposed to play it cool and wait to tell you that or something. I don't fucking know. But I'm in love with you, and I don't see any damn sense in pretending that isn't true."
"I…"
"You don't have to say it back," he whispers, gently placing a finger over my lips. "That's not why I told you. I'm just not the kind of motherfucker willing to pretend the truth isn't the truth, especially when it matters. I love you, and because I love you, I'm going to keep showing up here, making sure you're safe."
"You can't keep showing up here," I blurt.
"Wanna bet?" The unholy look in his eyes is too damn sexy. It also screams danger. He presses me flat against the wall, his erection against my belly. "Who's going to stop me, beautiful?"
"Wade," I moan, trying to tell him about the job at the gallery, but I lose the threads of…well, everything, when he cups my pussy through my jeans, his grip possessive. I buck into his hand, sobbing quietly.
"Fuck," he growls, yanking open the door to the stockroom and then pushing me backward into it. Before I can fall, he's got me in his arms, his lips on mine. His kiss is wild, tinged with the same desperate need as always.
I knock his hat off his head, just so I can pull his hair. I love the way he growls my name when I've got my hands in his hair. I love that his hair is just for me, something only I get to touch. He hides it from the rest of the world beneath his hat, but I get to wrap my hands all up in it whenever I want.