Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
If I could hear you laugh every day for the rest of my life, then I would’ve lived a rich life.
She knew she’d treasure those words for the rest of her life.
Grady let go of her hand and she felt a stab of disappointment. But he simply turned and started to unravel her from all of her layers of clothes. Then he slid into a circular booth. Steele placed a hand on the small of her back to push her into the booth. She soon found herself sandwiched between the two men. And they were close. So close she could feel their thighs brushing against hers.
Arousal filled her.
She was in real trouble here.
“You all right, Miss Effie?” Steele said to her quietly. He placed an arm over the back of the booth and she instinctively leaned into him.
Grady glanced over at them and she worried about giving him the same affection. But it was harder with him. She’d felt sure he was going to refuse to hold her hand before, and the disappointment had hurt.
But he hadn’t.
So she risked reaching over to brush her hand over his as it sat on the table.
He gave her a look filled with warmth. Which was like a long hug from Grady.
“I’m fine,” she said huskily.
“Are we overwhelming you?” Grady asked.
She held up a thumb and forefinger. “Little bit.”
“Good,” Steele said.
“That’s good?” she asked, surprised.
“If you’re busy thinking about us and what we’re going to do or say next, then you’re not going into your head and worrying about shit you don’t have to concern yourself with.”
“How do you know it’s stuff I don’t have to worry about?” She turned to him and he ran a finger along her lower lip.
“Because anything that you truly have to worry about, you’ll tell us and we’ll take care of it for you.”
Holy heck.
She knew he’d said that earlier in the truck, but it still sounded magical.
“You’d really want to do that?”
“We wouldn’t just want to do it,” Grady replied, pulling a piece of paper from his pocket. “We need to do it.”
“Because you like to be in charge?”
“Yes,” Grady replied. “And because we want to take care of you. Now, if you’re going to be with us, there are a few things to discuss.”
She glanced up at Steele in alarm, but he seemed unworried. He just winked at her.
The server approached and Grady ordered coffee for them all.
“What is there to discuss?” she asked.
“The rules are still in place but will change slightly.”
“How?”
Grady started to write things down and she glanced over to see it was a list titled: Effie’s Rules.
Holy heck.
He drew out a pen. “These are your rules so far: One: No putting yourself down. Two: No leaving work without texting me. Three: No lying. Four: You must always wear your seatbelt when a car is moving.”
Right.
“The next rule is that if you get into any trouble, if you hurt yourself, feel ill, or need something, then you will tell us immediately. Understand?”
“Yes. I understand.” That was actually a really sweet rule.
“Six is that you will do your best to keep yourself safe. That means things like not walking around alone at night. Or texting while driving. Jaywalking. That sort of thing.”
“I’m not allowed to jaywalk?” she asked.
“No,” Grady replied.
She looked at Steele again. He just raised his eyebrows back. He seemed in complete agreement with his best friend.
Yeah, she was definitely in trouble here.
“The next rule is around gossip.”
“Gossip?” she asked.
“Yes,” Grady replied. “Gossip. I don’t like it.”
“You don’t like any gossip?” That was kind of odd.
“He means gossip about us,” Steele explained. His fingers brushed against the tender skin of her neck and she shivered.
How could that be so arousing?
Definitely. In. Trouble.
Then he leaned in and kissed the spot right behind her ear.
“Steele,” she whispered.
“Damon,” he whispered back.
“What?” She turned to give him a startled look.
“I want you to call me Damon. Especially when we’re in bed together.”
“Really?” Oh God. The idea of being in bed with him was going to make her brain explode.
“I like the idea of hearing my name from your lips.”
“All right,” she replied. Yeah, she liked that idea a lot.
“All right, Damon.”
“All right, Damon,” she repeated.
He smiled at her. “That’s my good girl. My baby is being so good, isn’t she, Grady?”
“She’s being a very good girl. She might need a reward.” Grady stared down at her intently.
“I think you’re right. Perhaps later, when we’re alone.”
“I . . . I . . .” Shit. She had to say something before things got along any further. “There might be things about me that you don’t know and that maybe won’t like.”
She didn’t want them to stop. But she didn’t want to keep anything from them, either.
“That’s why we’re going to get to know each other better,” Grady told her. “Starting with lunch.”