Total pages in book: 21
Estimated words: 20861 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 104(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20861 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 104(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
"For good?"
Vixen blinked. "So you're not a tourist?"
"As of today, we're officially LC's newest residents." Riley noticeably brightened up as she said this, and Vixen's mood picked up as well when she realized that she didn't have just today to spend time with the younger girl.
"I'm so thrilled to hear that, Riley." Vixen then stepped back with a beam, saying, "In case no one has said this yet - welcome to your new home, neighbor!"
Thoughts of her earlier conversation with Riley still had Vixen smiling from time to time as she went on with the rest of the day. Juno clocked out at seven, and Vixen was about to close an hour after when she heard the door open while the wind chimes played out a tune.
"Tell me you're not closing yet?"
Vixen already knew it was Rule even before turning around, and her heart was once again a battlefield between excitement and trepidation. Would she ever get used to feeling this way around him?
"I am about to close, actually, but—-"
"Great."
Vixen could only laugh at the way Rule immediately made himself comfortable as he took his usual spot by the windows. "What will you have?"
Rule seemed he was about to say something before changing his mind, and Vixen had a feeling he had been about to say 'you' before thinking twice about it. This worried her just a bit, but she caught herself in time.
You promised, Vix. No assumptions, remember?
It was true that Rule struck her to be the rich-Don-Juan-from-the-city type, but since honesty was always the best policy...
"You know how some people would say they'd drop by this place or that because it was on their way?"
"And?"
A mischievous smile curved over Vixen's lips at Rule's puzzled tone. "And this cafe, which isn't accessible by any means, is definitely not one of them."
Rule was visibly disconcerted this time, but his expression soon turned wry when their gazes collided.
"You got me."
"So you're not coming here for the coffee. Right?"
"Guilty as charged."
Vixen sighed. "I've always had a feeling you had a soft spot for our pastries instead."
A second of silence ensued, and then her heart was singing as her words earned a rare laugh from Rule.
"You're always catching me off guard."
His brooding tone should have worried her, but the sound warmed her heart instead. Rule didn't seem the type to acknowledge his weakness just to anyone, but he was doing exactly that.
With her.
"What about you?"
The sudden question startled her into looking back at him. "What about me?"
"I like you."
Vixen's breath caught. He liked her. He could've said he wanted her. But he didn't. He said he liked her.
"And I want to know if you feel the same. Do you like me?"
Two
RULE WASN'T SURE WHAT had suddenly changed.
Or why.
All he knew was that he was done waiting and playing it safe.
He had known Vixen for over two months now. That might not mean much to others, but it was the longest period of time Rule had spent with a woman he wasn't dating. Even his own wife was no exception, and the only reason he had ended up marrying her was because of how she had deliberately lied about taking birth control pills.
Vixen, however...wasn't only different from all the other women.
Vixen had also managed to change him without even trying. And while he knew this should have scared him off, he found himself wanting more of it instead.
"I don't know what to say..."
Her indecision stung, but Rule told himself this was exactly what he needed, to keep his ego in check.
"But if you were to ask me if I was attracted to you..."
Rule's gaze snapped back to Vixen, and the way her eyes were sparkling with mischief made him realize she had only been teasing him.
"You can't be that surprised, surely?"
A grimace crossed his lips. "I know there's something between us. I know you know this, too. But I've always had this feeling there's also something else..."
"There is," she admitted ruefully.
Rule stiffened.
"But it's not you, it's me."
Did she just say—-
His gaze bored into her, and Vixen burst into laughter.
"I'm sorry," she said sheepishly. "I've always wanted to use that line."
Rule shook his head. "You have the strangest bucket list."
"But..." She looked at him mischievously. "You like me anyway."
"Yes. I do."
His words, combined with his resigned tone, had her laughing again, but when she looked at him again...
"Do you know how you're looking at me right now?"
Vixen slowly shook her head.
"It's the same way I've been looking at you since the start."
Her lips parted in surprise, and Rule's chest tightened at the sight.
This right here...
This was another thng that made Vixen different. If any of the other women he had dated in the past would have looked at him in this manner, his response would have been immediate and carnal in nature.
But with Vixen, it wasn't just that.