Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 100226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
She recoils as if I hit her.
“Come on, sweetheart, no one gives up a year of their life for nothing. Not out of the goodness of their heart. Especially when you can’t even stand the sight of me. So, what do you want? How much?”
She swallows hard and looks out over the view. Her eyes skim our mountains, over my land, my cows.
Does she want some of my property? I’d give it to her. I’d give her whatever she wants, as long as it’s mine to give.
She’s so fucking beautiful. Her hair is a rich chestnut brown in the sunshine, and her lips are plump and kissable. As if reading my mind, she bites down on that lower lip, making my stomach clench and my cock harden.
Christ, I want her.
And if this is the only way I can have her, so be it. Because this isn’t a one-year contract for me. I’ve been waiting eight horrible years for her.
I want her to be my wife. I want to make a life with Millie Wild, and if it takes all of those 365 days, I’ll win her over.
I’ll make her mine.
“I want—” she begins, but then she has to clear her throat. She lets out a humorless laugh and turns to me with tear-filled eyes. I hate it when Millie cries. She’s so fucking strong, so badass, and seeing her vulnerable unravels me every time.
“What, Mill? Tell me what you want in exchange for this.”
“I want to be able to move on.” She lets out a shaky breath, swallows, and says it more firmly. “I need to be able to move on.”
God damn. Of anything she could have said, I was not expecting this.
I’m such a son of a bitch.
My throat has closed, so all I can do is nod, but I have no intention of letting her move on from me.
“Seal it with a kiss?” I ask, and that has the desired effect because she laughs and shakes her head at me.
“Did you not hear the rules?”
“There was not a rule about kissing on your long list. Trust me, I was listening.”
“Hmm.” To my relief, she doesn’t add that as rule number six and simply holds her hand out. “Shake on it.”
I close my hand around hers and feel the electricity move up my arm. I know she feels it, too, because she gasps, just a little. Unable to resist, I bring her hand up to my lips, and I press a kiss to her knuckles, ignoring the way she narrows her eyes on me, as if she wants to toss me over this cliff.
“Thank you,” I murmur as she slowly pulls her hand away from me. “Thank you for this, Millie.”
“Do we have to live together?” she asks.
Fuck yes, we do.
“We have to be married for a year.” I shrug a shoulder. “Married people live together.”
She bites that lip again, and I can’t resist reaching out to tug it free with my thumb.
“I don’t want to live at your ranch,” she admits.
“You won’t set foot out there,” I reply easily. “Absolutely fucking not.”
“Tell me how you really feel.” Her voice is dry with sarcasm, and she narrows her eyes at me. “Why?”
“Too many ghosts.” I shake my head. “We’ll live at your place.”
“Just like that?”
“Sure. There are the required two bedrooms and everything.”
“But that means you’ll be commuting back and forth, making your days longer.”
“Don’t look now, but it sounds like you’re worried about me.”
I grin as she shakes her head in denial.
“Whatever. Do what you want. I prefer the house in town anyway.” She lifts that chin, and I can’t help but think, good girl. I love it when she’s strong and stands up for herself.
“We’ll go tomorrow.”
“Where?”
“To Idaho. To elope. No waiting period for a marriage license, and we can get there and back in the same day. Easy.”
She’s shaking her head, panic suddenly in her eyes. “I have to work tomorrow.”
“Have it covered, Mill. It’s your wedding day.”
I wink at her and then chuckle when her face goes pale.
“You did realize that getting married requires a wedding day, right? Even if it is before the justice of the peace.”
“Well, shit.”
Could there be a bigger fuck you to my father than marrying Millie Wild to get around his stupid conditions for getting the inheritance?
I don’t think so. In fact, I kind of wish he could rise up out of hell just for a minute so I could toss it in his ugly, fat face.
I’m actually surprised that he didn’t have it added to the will that I could marry anyone but Millie. That was an oversight on his part.
I know that he was relieved when all four Wild brothers found women that weren’t one of my sisters. I think the bastard was holding out on dying just so he could make sure that none of them ended up with a Wild.