Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 138522 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138522 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
“I’m not complicated. I was burned. You know how.”
“I don’t know what it did to you, though. I don’t know what he did to you.”
“But you know the root of all my evil.”
And she will never know the root of all mine. The door opens and Grayson calls out, “We’re ready to board!”
I kiss Abbie’s hand. “I want to know you, Abbie. The good, the bad, the everything.”
She pushes to her toes and kisses me. “If you did,” she says. “You'd be willing to show me the good, the bad, and the everything. But you’re not. So I'm not. I’m going to find out if they have a crate for Dexter.” And then she’s running toward the building and her ultimatum is clear. She wants the root of my evil. If I want her, I have to give her more than I want to give her. I turn back to the car and stare at Dexter, who is now at the window, another man trapped in a box. God, this dog was made for me but then, so was Abbie, and so I’ll get us beyond the man beneath the smile and keep her right here in the present.
Just me, Abbie, and a killer dog named Dexter.
Holy fuck.
I’m adopting this dog.
What is happening to my life?
Chapter twenty-seven
Abbie
Ileft Gabe with my bag. That wasn’t my intent, but I was rattled by how fast we’re moving, and at this point, I just need to make arrangements for the dog.
I enter the airport, the cold air behind me, warm heat suffocating me, yet it’s this man who’s suffocating me in all the right and wrong ways, as insane as that may sound. My head is spinning with him, my ex and God, everything. I don’t know how I went from trying to hire Reid, to kissing Gabe by the bathroom.
I walk to the counter and speak to the woman there. “Hi. Grayson Bennett rented a chopper and Gabe Maxwell and myself are supposed to be passengers. Gabe is on his way in, but he has a dog that needs to ride along.” I have this moment, where I realize what a couple we’re acting like.
“Of course. There will be an extra charge.”
“Expected,” I say. “And this is a large dog.”
We chat back and forth and I know the moment Gabe enters the airport and not because of the gust of air behind me, but because of the tingling awareness in my body that only this man creates. No one else has ever awakened every sense I own. No other man has ever taken me so off guard and held me so very close, and I’m not even speaking literally.
He steps to my side and Dexter starts whining for me, acting like he hasn’t seen me in years. I bend down to pet him and Gabe does the same at the exact same moment. We end up facing each other with Dexter’s big nose nuzzling my neck. “Hi,” I say because why wouldn’t I say “hi” right now.
He grins. “Hi.”
He leans in and kisses me. “You’re a tough bargainer, Abbie Tanner.” He presses his cheek to mine. “We’ll negotiate the terms of everything.” He pulls back and winks. “Right now, I need to get Dexter set-up.”
I swallow the crazy dryness he’s created in my mouth while making other places quite wet. “I took care of him.” I kiss Dexter and stand up with Gabe right along with me. “Did you now?”
“I did.”
“We’re here for Dexter.”
At the male voice, Gabe and I turn to find two men in khakis and white shirts eyeing Dexter. “That was fast,” Gabe said.
“You paid quite a lot for the service,” I whisper, warning him.
His lips quirk and he cuts me a look. “Did I now?”
“Yeah. You did.”
He laughs. “I’ll just eat ramen next week to make up for it.”
One of the men approaches and Gabe hands him the leash. He tugs on Dexter and Gabe grabs his arm. “He’ll kill you if you give him a reason. No tugging, shoving, kicking, hitting, biting, or yelling. Sweet talking and licking are allowed and good practice for other parts of your life. Talk sweetly to him. Love him. Show him you’re worthy.”
The man looks indignant. Gabe hands him a bag of treats he must have gotten at the shelter. The man grabs one and gives it to Dexter. From there, Dexter is all his. He leads Dexter away. I laugh. “Licking is okay? You’re crazy, Gabe.”
“Crazy for you, Abbie.” He kisses me. “Any sign of Grayson and Mia?”
“No, actually,” I say. “I was rushing to take care of Dexter and forgot to ask where they are.”
“Here!”
With a breeze at our backs, we turn to find Grayson and Mia entering the lobby. “We forgot something,” Grayson says. “But we’re ready to hit the sky.”