Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 38466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 192(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 192(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
She seemed genuinely interested, but her voice grew excited when she saw one of those chain coffee stores.
“I take it you like your coffee?” He pulled into a parking spot in front of the building and turned off the engine. Her grin widened as she turned and looked at him.
“You have no idea. There isn’t anything wrong with the coffee you guys make at the house, but I like mine a little fancy.” She hopped out of the cab before he could even open the door for her.
The coffee shop was packed when they walked in, and the little bell above the door jangled to notify every one of their arrival. A long line formed in front of the register, and he made his way toward it, Jessa’s hand in his.
The smell of coffee beans, vanilla, and pastries filled the air. Deacon’s attention was on Jessa when the customers in front of them stepped away.
When he lifted his gaze his eyes clashed with black ones. Rosie stared at him with a hint of surprise. Her lips, painted a bright shade of red, were slightly opened, as if she wanted to say something to him.
The last time he had seen her was when he had found Jessa. He had forced himself to go into town and find a female to unleash all his energy.
They had shared a few intimate encounters over the past few months, but this last time she had shown an interest in more than just sharing a couple of hours of pleasure. He had vowed to cut off his sexual relationship then.
Even if Jessa hadn’t come into the picture, Deacon didn’t do long term. But now that he had Jessa, the very idea of having any kind of sexual relationship with another female felt abhorrent.
Tightening his hand on Jessa’s, he took a step forward. He didn’t miss the way Rosie’s eyes dropped down. A frown marred her overly made-up face at the sight of their entwined hands.
“Large coffee, black, and…” he turned toward Jessa and saw her watching Rosie. She looked at him and then back at Rosie again, and he swore he could see the wheels in her mind working.
“Can I have a large cappuccino with nutmeg and cinnamon, please?” She smiled, and Deacon could tell it was genuine.
“Give us two cinnamon rolls, too.” He handed Rosie the money. She watched him for far longer than what he thought was polite.
They stepped to the side, and Deacon placed his body slightly in front of Jessa’s. It wasn’t that he saw Rosie as a threat to Jessa, but a spurned lover might not take kindly to the new girl in town.
His intention had been to find a quiet spot in the coffee shop to talk to her, but with it being overly crowded and Rosie working there, Deacon didn’t want to stay.
How bad was it that he hadn’t even known an ex-lover worked there?
They climbed in the truck, and he threw the newspaper he had grabbed on the seat between them. He cranked the engine but didn’t pull out. The car was still relatively warm, but he idled there and drank his coffee.
“I take it that’s an old flame?” She teased him, and he turned to look at her. He didn’t want to lie, but he really didn’t want to talk about Rosie. “I’m sorry, that’s none of my business.”
She turned away and brought the cup to her mouth. He watched her lips form around the lid, and his heart hammered hard.
The sight was so innocent, but to him it felt like a hot poker in his groin.
“That’s Rosie. She’s—” He hated this, hated confessing the things he did with other females even if nothing between him and Jessa had happened yet. It just felt wrong to him, to his animal. “Yeah, she’s an old flame.” Jessa didn’t say anything after that, but her expression didn’t show anything either.
He went to shift his truck into gear when her hand landed on his arm. “Hey, I’m not sure why you feel so uncomfortable telling me about that. We have all done things in our past we might not be proud of.” She laughed lightly. “Hell, I should be the poster child for what your life can end up like if you make bad decisions.”
She dropped her hand from him and started fidgeting with her jacket.
“Listen, I’m not sure what’s happening between the three of us.” She looked at him through her lashes. “But what I do know is that I’ve never felt such a connection with any other person that I have with you and Thayer. It steals my breath.”
The way she showed him her heart so openly stole his breath.
“If my life has taught me anything, it’s that you have to trust your gut. I should have believed my instincts when they were shouting at me to leave Paul, but my fear of the unknown kept me with him.”