Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 113272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Devon snorted. “She’s got you pegged, Shaw. You’re safe to let him speak now.”
Arabella dropped her hand, her cheeks growing even hotter.
“You good to watch over her?” Shaw asked.
Devon eyed her and nodded. “You’ll sit here. Don’t move without telling me. If you want to leave, I’ll find someone to escort you back to the hotel. Anyone bothers you, then you signal me. I get busy, you wait here until I’m not. We clear?”
Arabella gaped at him, blinking rapidly. “Um, is this a usual bar experience?”
“No, darlin’,” Shaw said. “You’re in Haven, now. People around here take care of their women.”
What did that even mean?
“I don’t live here.” And she wasn’t anyone’s woman.
“You’re here temporarily. That means while you’re here we make sure you’re taken care of,” Devon told her.
“And you do that for every woman that comes to this town?” she asked in amazement.
“Of course,” Devon said simply.
That was . . . unheard of.
“What do you want to drink?” Devon asked.
Shoot. What could she order? She knew better than to have any alcohol. Her father wouldn’t like if she wasn’t in control, if she did something stupid.
What? Like come to a strange bar in a town where you know no one?
Well. That wasn’t true. She had a new friend called Shaw.
“Um, just an orange juice please,” she said.
“A juice?” Shaw asked.
“I don’t like to drink.” She’d only taken one sip of juice when Shaw let out a loud whoop, making her startle and spill some.
“Oh no. I’m so sorry,” she said to Devon. “Do you have a rag and I’ll clean it up.”
Devon raised his eyebrows. “You barely spilled anything. And it’s Shaw’s fault for giving you a fright so if anyone should be cleaning it up, it’s him.”
“All right, this is my song,” Shaw said, rubbing his hands together as people started getting up and standing in a line.
“Oh, are they line dancing?” she asked.
“Sure are, you want to try?” Shaw asked.
“Oh no, I couldn’t.” She shook her head. “I’ve never done it before. I’d get it all wrong and make an idiot of myself.”
“Darlin’, that’s half the fun. Come on.”
“Shaw, you cannot force her to dance,” Devon warned.
“Don’t be such a boring old man, Devon,” Shaw told him as he lifted her down and grabbed her hand, tugging her along.
“I really don’t think this is a good idea,” she said. “I have two left feet.”
“You know what your problem is, darlin’?” Shaw asked.
She had so many she didn’t know which one to choose. Shoot Should she just choose one and hope for the best?
“Is it that I’m not very smart?”
Shaw paused and when he turned to stare at her, his face was filled with thunder. “What did you just say?”
“Or is that I’m a bit of a coward? Because I’m definitely that,” she said quickly.
His face seemed to grow even angrier.
Shoot.
What did he want her to tell him? She wished he would give her a clue.
“Or maybe it’s that I’m a bit boring. I don’t have anything interesting to say.”
Shaw was just gaping at her at this stage.
“What the fuck?” he whispered.
Well, to be honest, she couldn’t actually hear him over the music. That’s just what she thought he said.
“What did you just say?”
“Um, you asked what was wrong with me,” she pointed out.
“No, darlin’. I said do you know what your problem is. And I was going to tell you that your problem is that you think too much. However, now I think that you have another problem. Who told you all of those things?”
Oh shoot.
Why did she talk so much?
It had to be the orange juice’s fault, it had loosened her tongue.
“No one,” she said. “I was just joking with you.”
“If you’re in trouble, I will help you,” he told her.
Wow.
There was no way that he could know what those words meant to her, and she could feel herself starting to well up.
“Thank you, but I’m fine.”
He sighed, shaking his head. “Now, why don’t I believe you? I should probably take a leaf out of Tucker’s book and kidnap you.”
“What?” she squeaked, taking a step back.
Reaching out, he grasped hold of her wrist. “Or I could take a leaf out of Remington’s book and tie you up. Fairly certain several of my brothers like to do that.”
She shook her head.
“You are none of those things, darlin’. And you shouldn’t let anyone tell you that.”
She cleared her throat. “Thank you.”
“Now, follow my lead.”
Five minutes later, she messed up another step but instead of cringing or freezing like every other time she’d made a mistake, she found herself giggling as she nearly fell.
“That’s it, darlin’!” Shaw cried. “Just give in to the beat. Do whatever you feel like.” Instead of following the moves, he did his own, making her laugh. What was that? Was he pretending to start something? A lawnmower?