Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 134598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
“My eyes are up here, you know,” he told her, jolting her out of her thoughts.
“Pardon?” she said.
“Are you all right? You seemed to be staring at my . . . stomach.”
“Oh no, I was staring at your nipples. I’m happy to report they seem to be the correct size.”
His lips twitched. “I’m glad to hear that. The worry was keeping me up at night.”
“Oh, well, you should have come to me earlier, then. I could have reassured you that your nipples are perfectly proportional with the rest of you.”
“Ahh, so if I have any other issues with my body, you’re willing to take a peek and tell me whether that body part is perfectly in proportion with the rest of my body?” he asked.
Wasn’t that just what she’d said?
“Yes. Are you all right?”
His face was slightly red. “Yes, I’m just feeling a bit flushed.”
He turned and walked closer to the pool, diving into the water.
And she was pleased to report that he definitely did not have a hairy back.
11
Cate walked into the kitchen after her shower to find Ethan standing in front of the stove, stirring something.
Something that smelled really good.
But she attempted to ignore the smell as she walked over to the freezer to get a meal out.
Hmm. Bacon carbonara or shepherd’s pie?
“Put the microwave meal back and step away from the freezer, young lady.”
She turned to give Ethan a confused look as he opened the oven and slid a dish inside.
“What?” she asked.
“I told you that I was cooking dinner. I’ve just put the lasagna in the oven. You can go set the table and find some wine.”
“I, um, I . . .” Had she ever had dinner with a man who wasn’t her brother? On her own?
That would be no.
Dinner would involve talking, right? She didn’t know how to talk to people. He’d think she was a weirdo. More than he likely already did.
“Cate? Can you do that?” he asked.
She . . . she wasn’t sure she could. She wanted to. So much that it felt overwhelming.
Everything felt too much.
You’re being so stupid.
Idiot. Deformed.
It’s just dinner!
But she couldn’t. Her body was shaking, and she knew she was headed toward a system overload if she stayed here.
“No. I have to . . . I have to go.” Turning, she spun and ran off to her bedroom. After closing the door, she leaned against it for a moment.
She wished it had a lock, but that was something that Rhodes wouldn’t bend on. She wasn’t to put a locked door between them.
Not that she thought Ethan would force his way into her bedroom. But it would make her feel better to know the door was locked.
She tugged her armchair in front of the door. Sure, it seemed silly, but she couldn’t stop herself.
Then she rushed into her closet.
Cate grabbed her favorite pajamas that Rhodes had bought for her years ago. They had images of ladybugs all over them.
Curling up in her beanbag chair, Cate drew the weighted blanket over her and grabbed her headphone headband. It was red with black dots and had wireless built-in headphones. Turning on her favorite music, she reached for her eReader, which she’d put back in here earlier, and attempted to lose herself in a good book.
Ethan walked through the hallway and sighed as he saw the tray of food he’d left her still sitting in front of her closed bedroom door.
Fuck.
You came on too strong.
And now she hadn’t eaten any dinner. Was she hungry? Upset? He’d tried knocking, but there hadn’t been an answer.
Could he go into her bedroom on the pretext of making sure that she hadn’t left?
There was just one problem with that. He would have been sent an alert if she’d tried to leave.
So that wouldn’t work as an excuse.
You’re being overbearing. She’s allowed to retreat alone into her room.
But he hated that she hadn’t eaten. If he’d left things alone, she’d at least have something in her belly. Even if it was just a shitty microwave meal.
After taking the tray back to the kitchen, Ethan headed to his bedroom. He didn’t think he’d get much sleep, but he had to try. He’d done a last perimeter check, and everything appeared normal.
After getting ready, he climbed into bed with a sigh.
He to fuss over her. To scold her for skipping a meal. Heck, he wanted to feed her himself to make certain that she ate.
But he didn’t have that right.
Just go to sleep. Tomorrow, you can apologize and try to be her friend.
Even if your feelings toward her aren’t entirely friendly . . .
Screaming woke him.
Immediately, Ethan rolled out of bed and grabbed his gun and phone. He quickly checked for any breaches in security.
Nothing.
He ran toward the screaming. It could only be from one person.
Cate!
He paused in front of her bedroom door as the noise quietened. Then he heard her scream again.