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)
“Oh, silly me. I forgot.” Samantha smiled at them both. “This looks cozy. What are you doing?”
“Talking,” Ethan replied.
“Ahh, right. Interesting way to talk. I didn’t think Cate would ever do something so unhygienic as to sit on the counter. She’ll have to disinfect the whole kitchen now.” Samantha laughed.
Cate’s expression didn’t change.
“I lifted her up there,” Ethan said, not bothering to look over at the other woman as she reached into the fridge.
“You lifted her? Cate doesn’t like to be touched. She’s weird like that.”
Anger flooded Ethan. How dare this woman talk about Cate like that? The Cate from moments ago was gone, and in her place was a statue.
“You do know that Cate is sitting right here, don’t you?” he demanded.
“Um, yes, obviously I do.” Samantha gave him a strange look.
“Oh, it’s just you kept talking about her rather than to her, so I wasn’t sure you could see her.”
Samantha narrowed her gaze at him. “I can see her. But she’s impossible to have a conversation with.”
“Again, she’s sitting right here. Perhaps she doesn’t want to speak with you because you’re so rude to her.”
Samantha gasped. “How dare you speak to me that way? You do realize you’re just a bodyguard, right? I can get you fired and have a new guard here within the hour. I’ll go speak to Rip now.”
Was Ethan standing up for her?
That felt . . . so nice. No, nice was the wrong word. Her insides had heated. She felt safe.
Did she feel safe with him? The only person she’d ever felt safe with was Rhodes.
However, these feelings she was experiencing toward Ethan weren’t brotherly.
Ethan didn’t need to stand up for her. She could handle Samantha. Cate mostly handled Samantha by ignoring her. She had a very grating voice that irritated Cate’s ears. So she tried to spend as little time as possible with her.
Unfortunately, Rhodes seemed to see something in her that Cate didn’t.
Still, she couldn’t just ignore how she’d spoken to Ethan.
Yes, the man obviously had delusions and feelings of grandeur. He seemed to think he was in charge of her. He even wanted to spend time with her.
Yeah, none of that was happening.
Really? You don’t like the idea of him taking charge of you? You didn’t like the feel of his hands on your waist? Of how easily he lifted you?
Normally, she didn’t like anyone but Rhodes touching her.
But Ethan was different.
She’d been having fantasies about him. Dirty dreams. She only really dreamed about characters in the books she’d been reading. This was the first time she’d ever had sexy thoughts about an actual, real-life man.
And one who was living in her house.
She’d even played with herself while thinking about him. It had been the best orgasm of her life.
Which made it really hard to look him in the eyes. Even tougher than normal.
That was part of the reason she avoided him so much. Because he made her feel things that no other man ever had.
However, she wasn’t going to let him get fired. Especially not because he’d been sticking up for her.
Although she’d need to make it clear that wasn’t necessary. Nothing Samantha could ever say would affect her. She’d built up shields a long time ago that she rarely allowed others to penetrate.
“No, you won’t,” Cate said firmly.
“Excuse me?” Samantha said to her coldly, looking her up and down. “This has nothing to do with you.”
Why was Samantha dripping water all over the floor? That was rude and inconsiderate. Someone could walk in and slip.
Could she not have wrapped up in a towel? Especially when the bathing suit she was wearing, and Cate used that term loosely, was white and decidedly see-through.
This wasn’t actually her house.
No matter what she thought or wished.
Although Cate knew that Samantha might move in with Rhodes one day. She’d certainly hinted at it a few times. And Cate knew she’d have to move out. There was no way she could live here with Samantha. And she knew that the other woman wouldn’t want her here, either.
“It has everything to do with me,” Cate told her. “Ethan was defending me because you were being rude. And now you’re threatening his job. Which isn’t happening.”
“It is. You don’t think that as soon as I tell Rip what he said to me that he won’t fire him?”
“That’s exactly what I think. Because when he comes and asks me what Ethan said to you, I will tell him what was said. Word for word.”
Samantha narrowed her gaze at Cate, then she turned to sneer at Ethan. “Your job is safe. Have fun with the ice queen. Make sure you don’t get frostbite on your tiny dick.”
She stomped off, her ass cheeks jiggling.
That wasn’t what Cate needed to see before she’d even had her morning coffee. What was Samantha even doing up this early?