Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 125866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
We were back to staring at each other, and now it was my chest rapidly rising and falling.
I cleared my throat. “As I was saying, the next house—”
“Let me help you.”
I looked up at the ceiling before letting my hand slap against my thigh. “Didn’t we just arrive at the conclusion that I don’t need your help?”
“I said you didn’t need saving,” he said, his voice dropping an octave.
Then, he stepped into me, and all the air in the room split like an atom, leaving us in the tight, unbreathable space between.
“Everyone needs help sometimes, Mads.”
I closed my eyes at the nickname, wetting my lips and willing myself not to let my memories get the best of me. My body was already a traitor, chills racing up my arms, my heart fluttering at the way it sounded rolling off his tongue in his new, older, deeper voice.
“How much?”
I blinked my eyes open. “How much what?”
“How much do you need to be free of him?”
And just like that — all the ooey gooeyness was gone.
I scoffed, pushing past him. “Wow.”
“I’m serious,” he said, and this time, it was him stopping me from storming out. His hand caught the inside of my arm, but it was gentle, enough that it took a half shrug to break free of the grip.
“Absolutely not, Robbins,” I seethed. “I am not now, nor have I ever been, a charity case. When this closes,” I added, motioning to the binder still clutched in my other hand. “I’ll have money. And don’t you dare try to rush it,” I threatened, pointing my finger into his chest. “Because I’ll light you on fire and dance in the ashes. I am not a weak, helpless thing. I can handle myself. And if you respect me at all, you’ll honor this.”
He opened his mouth, and I already saw that he was about to argue.
“This isn’t up for debate,” I said. “We are doing business together. Fair business. The only money I will take from you is the commission I rightfully earn after finding you the house you want. Do you understand?”
Those last three words came out the same way they did when I had to get stern with Sebastian — which wasn’t often, but enough that I had the severity of them down pat.
Kyle’s nose flared, his lips curling into a devilish smile.
Something told me he liked that tone I used.
Something told me it sent him down memory lane the way him using my nickname had done for me.
“I understand,” he finally said. “But I have a proposal.”
I arched a brow.
“Business,” he clarified, holding his hands up in surrender before I could even aim.
I looked at my watch, then back at him. “We have thirty minutes until this next showing, which means we need to be on the road in ten. Talk fast.”
“Date me.”
My jaw might as well have been a mop, for how fast it hit the floor.
“Hear me out,” he said before I could tell him to take a hike. “I understand you wanting to take care of yourself. I know better than most people that you can do it, too,” he added. “But I haven’t seen you in years, Madelyn. Isn’t it kind of crazy that we would bump into each other on the opposite side of the country the way we did?”
I waited, not sure where he was going with this, but decided I’d let him finish before I turned him down.
He inched closer, taking up even more oxygen when he did. “I want to protect you — whether you need it or not. And I feel like I was put here to do that. If your ex is going to be in your life, he’s going to respect you.” He paused. “And Sebastian.”
Fuck.
My heart swelled, doubling in size, and no matter how I tried to tamp it down, it bucked against my resistance.
“Besides,” he added, stepping back a bit, which allowed me to take my first deep breath. “Everyone and their fucking mom on my former team is getting married, and like I told you at dinner, my teammates are like my family. I’m so fucking tired of going to these things stag.”
The admission was meant to sound grumpy. I knew because I saw it so many times when we were growing up.
But it landed flat.
It landed like he was hurt, like he was lonely.
Just like he had been back then.
“My proposal is that, from here on out, until we close on a house — you’re my girlfriend to everyone who isn’t you and me. No one else knows the truth but us.”
It was me who opened my mouth this time, but he held up a finger to stop me.
“I get to do my part in keeping your…” He swallowed, jaw tense, and then chose his words carefully. “Ex in line. I get to keep you and Sebastian out of harm’s way. And you pretend to be my girlfriend so my friends will lay off the jokes and take me seriously for once.”