Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 114284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 571(@200wpm)___ 457(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 571(@200wpm)___ 457(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
Reptiles were usually very low-maintenance, but if Ty was here several weeks, his lizard back home would need a sitter for feedings. And Marina was in Mexico…
“A boy from the community volunteered quicker than I could say lizard.” He propped himself up on one elbow next to me. “I’m sure you’ll meet him soon. Maybe at the event—the Picture-Perfect thing.”
“Of course subs are lining up to get a taste of you.” Jealousy was so not my thing, so I dismissed it as a brain malfunction and scrolled through my album.
Ty smirked out of the corner of my eye. “I think Noa just wants a lizard for himself. If he can convince his Daddy Dom, his Master, and his boyfriend.”
Oh. Okay, so…right, whatever.
“This is Ghost,” I said smoothly, showing him a picture of my rubber boa.
Ty rumbled a low laugh and nipped at my jaw.
What. Ever.
January 2
Macklin McKenna
So…when was Walker gonna demand I put on my wedding band again?
Not that I was impatient or anything.
I grunted and threw myself on top of my luggage to be able to close it.
Just then, Walker came back into our room with our toiletries, and he eyed me with amusement. “How come you fold my clothes neatly and—”
“Let’s not go there, Sir,” I huffed. “You arrived with two suits and leather shoes that need room. My luggage is stuffed with shorts and tees.”
My one suit would be dry-cleaned when I got back home anyway.
He smiled to himself and opened his own luggage on the bed, thankfully to pack not just his own toiletry kit but mine as well. I’d done some shopping, so I couldn’t fit another thing.
“You always did overpack,” he noted.
“I resent that.”
He chuckled.
In the end, I managed to close the damn luggage, and I pushed it up to a standing position and let out a breath. There. Done. I was ready to go home. I wasn’t ready for the January weather in DC, but I was excited to start a new chapter with my husband.
I should’ve known he wouldn’t give up his condo. The place we’d shared for a few years with Dean as our neighbor. Walker had rented it out, mostly furnished, so he’d be moving back to what had been his home for as long as I’d known him at the end of January.
Before then, he was insisting on staying at a hotel. But with his rank at Westwater Hotels, I knew he wasn’t complaining. He’d have his own suite and whatever. Because crashing at my place was out of the question. His words, not mine. I’d offered.
“I know I will end up at your place more than I should because I can’t resist being near you, but it’s important we don’t rush now, Macklin.”
Such bullshit.
“Did you cancel your flight?” he asked.
“Yes, Sir.” That part didn’t suck at all. I was keeping it as a surprise for Lane for now, but we were heading home in style. For the first time ever, I was flying private.
Master had work perks.
To be fair, he had access to the company jet because we happened to be near one of its three hubs—Seattle, Boston, and Miami. And he’d apparently flown private down here, so the jet hadn’t been used since then.
“Just putting it out there,” I said. “I live really close to National.” Our local domestic airport where we’d land. “Also, I think I’m gonna make my Italian grilled cheese and tomato soup tonight.”
Walker loved that meal.
He grinned faintly and adjusted his cuff links. “You’re going to make this as difficult for me as you can, aren’t you?”
I smiled innocently and shrugged. “You can’t blame me for wanting you close when everything’s so unsettled.”
Sympathy bled into his expression, and he closed the distance between us and kissed my forehead. “How can I ease your worries?”
His question was genuine, so I didn’t respond with a joke. I didn’t tell him to make my home his for the next month either. That was what I wanted, not necessarily what I needed. Or we needed.
I peered up at him and kissed his chin. “You’re already doing it. I’m just being neurotic.”
Since we’d split up, I’d run in the opposite direction of rules and boundaries. But with him, I craved them. I missed the framework of a relationship.
He hummed and observed me. “Did you finish your list?”
Maybe that fucking list was one of the reasons I was a little uneasy.
I cleared my throat and nodded once, then pulled out my phone from the pocket of my chinos. No more shorts and tees for a while. “I’ll share it with you.” I opened my Notes app and sent an invite to him by text.
Safe to say, I didn’t have to worry about our marriage turning into what it’d once been. A suffocating, soul-crushing drug addiction. Walker wasn’t closing us in. I wasn’t going to hide in the shadows he smothered me with. We were going to remain open. And…I just wasn’t a fan.