Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 56295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
“Leigh, I know you’re in there. Unlock the door, woman. My hands are full.” He scares the shit out of me, so much so that I almost drop my wine.
“I’m coming, I’m coming!” I place my wine on the coffee table, stand up, and make my way to the door, all while grumbling under my breath, “You almost were. A few more minutes, and you’d be screaming Nix’s name. That could have been awkward.”
“Finally. You know, I’ve been knocking on the door a few minutes now. I almost used the code to open the door.” That’s how Nix greets me when I open the door, feeling the cool breeze from the night air as he dips his head down, lips going to the underside of my jaw, placing a kiss there, stealing the words from my mouth. A kiss on the cheek or a hug, is usually all he gives me, until recently, and while a part of my brain wants to say, ‘Abort mission. All men are bad, have ulterior motives, and will break your heart,’ when it comes to Phoenix Drakos, I know that’s absolutely not the case. He’s the best kind of man who could ever be. How he’s managed to stay single all this time, I’m not sure because he’s one of a kind.
“What did you buy this time?” I ask, closing the door, realizing that the cool air also brought in another problem. My arm bands around my chest as I look for a jacket. Usually, between three girls, there’re clothes strewn around the house everywhere. That’s not the case here tonight. Not a shirt, jacket, or robe is in sight. The only person to blame is myself, too. After the girls went to their friend’s house, I decided it would be a grand idea to dust, vacuum, and pick up everything and anything that wasn’t in its place. Good job, Rosaleigh.
“Wine, bourbon, some charcuterie thing that was already done. A few things the girls mentioned you cut back on for yourself. We’re gonna have words about that, too.” I follow him inside the house after I shut the door, hearing the lock engage. Great, that’s just what I need. I love my girls, and I know they’re doing their best to help me, but damn, some things they could at least pretend to keep to themselves.
“Something tells me this conversation is going to require more listening and not a whole lot of talking on my part.” My eyes pop out of my head, I’m sure of it, jaw dropping as well as I watch Nix take out the groceries from the plethora of bags he carried in. There’s his bottle of bourbon he prefers, Makers Mark, and not one, not two, but three bottles of the Pinot Noir I prefer. The same brand he brought the other day. It’s not expensive, but it sure as hell isn’t cheap. Three of those bottles is half of my grocery budget a week. When there were two incomes, it was nothing to add a bottle once a week, or once every other week, to the mix. Things have changed. Accounts were seized that I didn’t even know about. Even our joint checking account was until some kind of forensic something or other to make sure it was only David’s check being deposited and not stolen money.
“I want you as a willing participant. Pretty sure I’m going to need your pretty voice in order for that to happen.” Nix pulls out the charcuterie tray as well, which is basically a fruit, cheese, and meat tray that is in danger of overflowing. That also comes with a hefty price tag that you could make at home for half the price. I know because the girls and I did it one day when they were tired of sandwiches for dinner after I closed at the nursery.
“You do realize it would have been cheaper if we cooked instead of getting that?” My arm is still wrapped around my chest. That way, I don’t flash Nix with my high beams. The need for a jacket is still at the forefront of my mind. “I’ll be right back. I need to go grab something from my room.”
“That may be, but a night off doesn’t consist of cooking or cleaning. Don’t feel like you have to cover up on my account, Leigh. I felt your body against mine. Know what I do to you. There’s no pretenses with how I want you. Waited a fuck of a long time, and I’ll wait even longer. What I don’t want you to do is hide from me, not your feelings, and definitely not your body.” Well, you can’t say Nix never states what he’s thinking, at least not tonight. That’s probably why, instead of going to my bedroom to grab a hoodie or to change completely, I do the complete opposite. I drop my arm and close the distance between the two of us, skirting around the peninsula until I’m standing in front of him.