Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 34934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
But he was older, off-limits, and never once looked my way.
Now I’m pregnant by another man, back in Whiskey Run, and barely holding it together.
Then the letters start.
Dirty. Sweet. Addictive.
They worship every broken piece of me… but they’re unsigned.
I should be focused on putting my life back together,
not daydreaming about two different men.
The one I’ve ached for since I was old enough to understand desire.
And the one who’s making me fall with every filthy, tender word.
They might be the same man.
Or they might not.
But if I open my heart again—to either of them—I could lose more than I already have.
Or maybe, just maybe, I’ll finally get everything I’ve been afraid to hope for
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
CHAPTER 1
ELIJAH
My best friend since ninth grade looks up from the notepad he’s writing in. “Everything is on track. Eight months to put up a twenty million dollar hospital complex is aggressive, but I can do it.”
I nod my head. “I know you can.” Kane has been my right-hand man since I started the company when I was nineteen. We’ve come a long way in the last sixteen years. Wolfe Construction is now a multi-million dollar company, and I’m proud of it.
Kane rubs his hand across his brow and pinches his temple.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” I ask him.
He drops his hand and tries to appear relaxed. “Nothing is wrong. I told you I can handle this, and I can.” He blows out a breath. “I got this, Elijah.”
My forehead creases, and I give him a pointed look. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”
His eyebrows lift, and before he can deny anything, I shake my head. “Don’t give me any shit, Kane. We’ve been best friends for most of our life. Spill it.”
He jumps up from the chair he’s been sitting in. “Okay, fine. I might as well tell you. People are going to be gossiping about it soon enough.”
I stand up and clench the back of the chair for support. A few thoughts go through my head, wondering if Kane has gotten himself into some kind of trouble, but I quickly shake that off. He’s been clean for ten years. There’s no way he’s using again. I would be the first to know. But obviously there is something going on here. “What is it?”
He rolls his eyes with a huffed breath. “Samantha is coming back to Whiskey Run.”
Just hearing her name makes my heart rate pick up. I stutter, “Sassy’s coming home?”
I can hear the catch in my voice, and I clear my throat. “Your sister’s been gone for five years.”
I unclench my hand on the chair and cross my arms over my chest. It’s been five years since I first noticed that Sassy, my best friend’s little sister, was everything I wanted in a woman. She was off limits then, and I’ve tried to push her out of my mind, but obviously I haven’t succeeded.
Kane nods. “Yeah, she’s coming home, and…”
His voice trails off, and he grimaces, almost angrily.
I walk around the table. “She’s coming home and what?”
He lifts his gaze from the ground and looks into my eyes. I try to brace myself for whatever bombshell he’s about to drop. By the look on his face, it’s a big one.
He lifts his hand and rubs it through the scruff of his chin. “Samantha is pregnant, and her boyfriend dumped her.”
I grit my teeth. “What the fuck did you just say?”
He nods in agreement. “I know. I get it. I’m pissed, and I have half a mind to go kick the guy’s ass, but Sam made me promise not to.”
A wave of heat flushes through my body. Anger doesn’t even begin to cover it. Samantha is the sweetest woman I’ve ever known. She wants to take care of everyone and is funny and kind. To think she’s been hurt by some dickhead pisses me off. “Who the fuck is he? Give me a name,” I demand.
Kane opens his mouth just as his phone rings. He looks at the caller ID. “It’s her.”
I crowd him as he answers his phone. He leans his head back to look up at me with confusion, but I gesture for him to talk.
“Hey, sis, everything okay?”
Kane shakes his head, and the need to hear Sam’s voice moves me closer to him.
“Shit, it’s okay, don’t cry.”
I clench my fist at my side as Kane continues. “It’s fine. I’ll be there in two hours. I’ll look at your car and get it going. Don’t worry.”
He clenches his eyes shut. “Sis, please, you have to stop crying.”
Unable to hold back, I grab the phone from Kane. He stands there, mouth agape as I speak softly into the phone. “Hey, Sassy, how you doing, honey?”
She’s surprised to hear me on the phone, but a sob still escapes her. “I’m okay,” she lies.
“Where are you?” I ask.
She names a gas station in a town two hours away. “Sit tight. Okay. I’m going to be there in less than two hours. Don’t stress, okay, Sass? It’s not good for the baby.”
She gasps. “Kane told you.”
I nod my head, avoiding Kane’s gaze. “He did tell me, honey. I’ll be there soon.”
“No! I mean, I don’t want to bother you. Kane can come get me… no rush… I’m fine.”
“Sit tight. Lock your doors,” I tell her before hanging up.
I instantly send Sassy’s contact information to my phone, and then I shoot her a text from my phone. “This is Elijah. Call me if you need anything. I’ll see you soon.”