Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 128260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
CHAPTER 11
Grace
Someone evil and cruel, a demon from the depths of Hades, shook my shoulder in the early morning darkness. I smelled Carson’s scent close to me and inhaled deeply on a smile and tried to nestle back into the blankets. I loved that smell. It was just a dream, a dream I thought was bad at first, but was turning good—very good. “Wake up, sleeping buttercup,” I heard whispered into my ear on a minty breath.
I forced one eye open. “What did I ever do to you?” I croaked out.
He chuckled. “If you want to go hiking this morning, we need to get going. Up!”
I groaned. What had I ever seen in him? He was a sadist. I heard him walk into the bathroom, and I drug myself out of our warm, happy nest. I loved that nest. I wanted to return to it and stay there indefinitely. It was warm and it smelled good—it smelled like him.
I walked into the bathroom and Carson was standing at the sink running his hands through his wet hair. He looked at me in the mirror and chuckled. “Hey, Fraggle Rock.” He grinned. “Not really a morning person are you?”
I grunted. But when I looked at myself in the mirror, my eyes widened. I did look like a fraggle. Good call with the nickname. My hair was sticking out in every direction and I had deep pillow creases on one cheek. That’s what you get when you wake me up at the butt crack of dawn, Carson. I frowned and picked up my toothbrush and started brushing my teeth.
Carson came around behind me and put his arms around my waist and whispered into my ear, “Did I ever tell you I have a thing for crazy-looking Muppets with wild hair?”
I snorted, spewing a little toothpaste out. “I knew your weird fetishes would come out eventually,” I said around a mouthful of foam. “Did anyone ever tell you you should go into the military where enjoying getting up at the crack of dawn is an asset?”
He laughed softly, patting me on my ass. “Hurry up. We need to get going if we’re going to beat the heat.”
I hurried through a shower and blew my hair dry and pulled it back into a ponytail. I felt a little more alive when I walked out into the hotel room. Carson was sitting on the bed pulling on his sneakers.
I dressed in the workout outfit I had brought—intending on using it at the hotel gym. Lucky for me, I’d been getting much better workouts in than a run on a treadmill. No workout clothes required. I pulled on my sneakers and a ratty, gray, zip-up sweatshirt.
I glanced at the clock and my eyes bugged out. “Five fifteen?” I yelled. “You have me up at five fifteen?”
“Shh,” he said. “People are sleeping.”
“Right. Exactly!”
“Come on. It takes at least twenty minutes to drive there. If we want to really get a good hike in, we need to get going.”
“You’re crazy.”
“So I’ve been told.”
We made our way down to the parking garage and he guided me over to a red Chevy Trailblazer. I frowned. “I thought you flew in.”
“I did. Rental car. I like to have the option of going somewhere farther than the strip if I want to.”
I climbed into the passenger seat and we drove out of the garage. A few minutes later and Carson pulled into a McDonald’s drive through. “Coffee?” he asked.
“God yes.”
He shot me a grin. “Don’t you get up early for classes?”
“I never schedule classes before nine a.m. Eight o’clock is about the earliest my brain is functioning.”
“Ah. Well then, this is good for you. Watching the sun come up in the desert is something everyone should experience at least once.”
He ordered and then drove forward, paid, and took our coffees from the teenager at the window. I took a grateful drink from the paper cup.
“And how exactly are you so chipper at this time of the morning?” I asked after I’d dosed myself with several sips of caffeine.
“Well, for one, I had an amazing night”—he winked at me—“and for two, I’m used to getting up this early to go snowboarding. We usually leave at four or five in the morning.”
We drove in silence for a little while, both sipping our coffees. He turned up the radio a little bit and I leaned my head back, sighing in contentment. I was still sleepy, but riding in the car with Carson, sipping coffee, was nice—peaceful. Just as I was finishing my coffee, we pulled into the Red Rock Hotel and Casino.
“What are we doing here?” I asked.
“Quick stop,” he said. “This is the perfect place to watch the sun rise. There’s a great view to the east from the top parking deck.”
It was still dark out as we got out of the car, me stretching. Carson came around to my side and put his arms around me from behind, pulling me close to his body. “Look, Grace,” he whispered.