Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 34140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
With the potatoes boiling, he added in some salt and waited about five minutes, and then put the grill plate on to warm up.
Once the steaks were on, everything else came together easily. The potatoes finished quickly as he’d cut them small enough to not need as much cooking time. When the steaks were resting after grilling, he drained the potatoes, added some butter and more salt and pepper, and began to add them to the plate. The salad was next, followed by the rested steaks, and he drizzled some lovely mustard dressing over the greens. Delicious.
Chapter Two
The food looked good. Willow didn’t want to acknowledge how good it looked, but she’d always been taught to be polite as well as respectful.
“It looks and smells amazing,” she said.
“Don’t judge until you try.” He handed her a knife and fork and she took it, slicing into the steak. It was so tender. Not overdone, but not too pink either.
She was never a steak kind of girl, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. She added some salad to her fork, along with a potato, and took a large bite, chewing through the food. The explosions of flavor made her moan.
“Wow,” she said.
He smiled. A truly big smile that made her stop in her tracks as it was so unexpected.
“This is good.”
He’d moved them both to his dining room table. Before he started, he reached for the bottle of wine he’d brought with him and poured them both a large glass. She never liked wine, but she wasn’t going to be rude to him.
Yes, he’d kind of kidnapped her, but what could she say—“He stole me, took me to his penthouse suite, and proceeded to cook me the most delicious meal I’ve tasted in months.” People would laugh at her.
She didn’t expect this from Carson.
Her grandmother, in her final days, had tried to convince her that Carson was a good guy. She had absolutely no doubt that a part of him was good, but a lot of parts of him were awful. Tonight was the first time she had seen him smile. Even when he visited the shop when her grandmother wasn’t there, he’d never actually smiled.
His attention had always been nice, and it had taken Willow a long time to realize that he wasn’t just being friendly. Actually, it took a customer to warn her that Carson Dexter was after sex. Well, fucking.
“A guy like Carson Dexter isn’t after the long term, sweetheart. He wants to fuck you, plain and simple, and once he has, he’ll discard you like all the other women he’s been with.”
She had never seen or heard from that customer again.
A part of her—a tiny speck—found his attention flattering, and above all else, wonderful. Another was a little disappointed that he only wanted her company for sex. That he wasn’t interested in friendship, and she knew, deep in her heart, that it was lame to even think that way, but she couldn’t help it.
“Try the wine.”
She wanted to tell him no, but instead she took a sip of the wine, and it was nice. Not too strong, nor did it taste like vinegar. She always steered clear of alcohol. Her stomach couldn’t handle it.
He chuckled. “You’re not a wine lover?”
“No.”
“Beer?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’m more of a milkshake, soda, water, tea, or coffee woman.”
“I’ll be right back.”
Willow was surprised as he got to his feet and within seconds had gone back to the kitchen, and then returned to the dining room with a bottle of water. He also had a new glass, which he poured the water into.
She continued to eat her food, aware of his gaze upon her. Actually, she wasn’t completely aware of his gaze until she looked up and found him watching her. She tried to finish her food, but the twisted feeling in her gut wouldn’t let her.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going to happen?” Willow asked.
“About?”
“You said that I’m now yours. Is this until you get what you want?” she asked.
“And what exactly do I want?”
“Sex?” She hated how hot her cheeks felt, but she wasn’t the kind of woman to shy away from tough questions. Even though it made her uncomfortable, she wanted to get everything out in the open, because right now she felt totally uncomfortable. “That’s what you want, right … sex?”
Carson slid his knife across the steak and then put the piece into his mouth and chewed. It didn’t take a lot to break it up as it was so soft, almost like butter.
“Yes, I want sex.”
“So, is this where you kind of trap me here, have what you want, and then discard me?”
“Discard you?”
“Isn’t that what you do?”
Carson stared at her and she waited. “What exactly have you heard?”
“Not a whole lot. Just that you pursue a woman until you get what you want and then pretty much leave her in the trash, and move onto the next one.” She shrugged. “I need to know what exactly you want from me, so I can plan around it.”