Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 134598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
“Did it because I wanted to,” he told her.
Stepping out, he closed the door and sighed. Ethan wasn’t sure that had been a successful move. In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if she now tried even harder to avoid him.
8
Ethan sipped his coffee as he stared out at the swimming pool.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t expect to find anyone out here this early.”
He turned, glancing down at Rhodes’ girlfriend, Samantha. In the ten days since starting this job, he’d only seen her a few times and they hadn’t really spoken.
He simply nodded, not in the mood for chitchat. Actually, he was never in the mood for small talk. It seemed like a waste of time to him. He took in the minuscule bikini she was wearing. The white triangles barely covered her nipples. He drew his gaze back toward the horizon, his mind moving onto a cool blonde with sad eyes.
Since the strawberry disaster, he’d been trying to keep some firm boundaries between them.
Which wasn’t that hard when he rarely saw her.
“Yes, I indulged too much at dinner last night. Time to get some exercise in.”
She exercised in a bikini that looked like a small breeze would blow it right off her body?
“I’ll get out of your way.”
“Oh, please don’t leave on my account.” She sent him a smile. “You won’t bother me. I like having all these . . . strong men around.”
Was she flirting with him?
Ethan eyed her as she strode toward the pool, hips swinging.
Holy shit.
She was wearing a thong.
This was not what he needed at six-thirty in the morning.
Turning away, he walked back into the kitchen, coming to a stop as he saw Cate standing in front of the coffee machine.
She didn’t seem to notice him entering, so he cleared his throat, not wanting to startle her.
Unfortunately, she still let out a small cry and swung around, dropping the mug she held.
It smashed, ceramic pieces scattering. His gaze was immediately drawn to her feet, which were bare.
She was staring at him with wide eyes, her breathing fast and erratic.
Shit.
That was exactly what he’d been trying to avoid.
“Don’t move!” he snapped as she went to take a step backward.
She startled, grabbing onto the counter to balance herself.
Shit. What was he doing? He was making things worse.
“Cate, it’s me, Ethan. Remember?” He tried to soften his voice.
She blinked before wiping the expression off her face. “Of course I remember. It would be hard to forget you.”
“Glad I’m unforgettable.”
“Well, anyone living in my house and guarding my brother with their life would be difficult to forget. Especially when they’re six foot two and as wide as you.”
“Right. Well, that was a blow to my ego,” he joked.
“Oh. I apologize. Sometimes when I tell the truth people take offense. I didn’t mean to insult you.”
“No need to apologize. I was joking.” Sort of. “I’ll have to try to make more of an impression.”
Cate ran her gaze over him. It was more of a clinical look than one of appreciation. But at least she was looking at him.
“I’m sure you usually make an impression.” She sighed as she looked down at the mess. “I need to clean this up.”
“No!” he barked.
Her eyes were wide again.
Shit. He was definitely making an impression. But not a good one.
“You haven’t got any shoes on.” He didn’t mean to sound like he was scolding her. But he couldn’t seem to help it.
“Ahh, no. I haven’t gotten dressed yet.”
He took in her white dressing gown with pink pom-poms along the edges.
It was adorable.
But why wasn’t she wearing slippers?
“You need slippers,” he said abruptly. “I’ll buy you slippers.”
“Why would you do that?” She frowned. “I have slippers.”
“Then why aren’t you wearing them?” he asked.
“Uh, because I woke up and really needed coffee and didn’t want to take the time to put on my slippers.”
“Next time, don’t make that mistake,” he ordered. “Your feet need to be kept warm. Plus, you could step on something sharp and hurt yourself. Now, I’m going to lift you out of that mess.”
She tried to take another step back, away from him. Ethan didn’t like that, and he didn’t want her to step on a sharp piece of the broken mug either.
“Stop,” he said firmly. “Don’t move. You’re going to cut yourself.”
“I’ll be fine.” She attempted to move to a clean patch of floor.
“Cate, stop right now. You’re going to hurt yourself. I’ll just pick you up quickly and set you immediately down again. There’s no other way for you to step out of the mess safely.”
She stared at him, then down at her feet. “Yes, I can see that. I suppose you can lift me, then.”
Before she could change her mind, he grabbed her around her waist. Then he carried her over the mess before he sat her down on the counter.