Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 79798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Joke was on her, because Deacon was too brilliant to notice that kind of bullshit.
When she became more aggressive and left him another business card, I started to chew on the inside of my cheek, something I only did when I was really frustrated.
But in the end, it didn’t seem like he cared about her.
He only cared about me.
That made the night even better.
We pulled up to my building, and he walked me inside. We stepped off the elevator and approached my front door.
I got the keys out and unlocked the door, not hiding my apartment from view because he’d already seen how terrible it was. But the second I stepped inside, I noticed everything was different.
There were no food wrappers.
No clothes on the ground.
The rug had been vacuumed.
The dishes in the sink were gone.
The place was clean…looking brand-new.
Deacon shut the door behind him and joined me in the apartment.
I looked around, completely confused by what I saw. Then I turned back to him, my eyebrow raised.
He stood with his hands in his pockets, tall, dark, and powerful. He was such a good-looking man, and sometimes, it seemed as if he had no idea just how gorgeous he was. He looked at me with his dark eyes, displaying the same level of focus he’d shown me at dinner. I really couldn’t blame Valerie for wanting to have his babies. My ovaries screamed whenever we were in the same room together.
I waited for an explanation, assuming he had something to do with this.
“I told Matt I wanted to do something for you, something that would really help you. He told me you’re so busy taking care of other people that you never have time to take care of yourself. So…I got you a housekeeper.”
I stared at him blankly. “What?”
“She’ll come every Monday starting next week.”
I had to repeat the same question. “What?”
Now, he stared at me, unsure how to respond to that.
“I mean, you didn’t have to do that. That’s incredibly generous and sweet, but I can’t accept that.”
“You will accept it.”
My eyes narrowed.
“You make my life so much easier. I want to do the same for you.”
“I understand that.” I kept my voice gentle because I knew he was just being kind. “But it’s my job to take care of you—not the other way around.”
“I disagree.” His hands remained in his pockets. “Consider it a tip, if that helps.”
“But you don’t need to tip me every month—”
“I already arranged it with Matt. It’s done.”
I released the breath I was holding, knowing I’d lost the argument. The client always got what they wanted, and if this was what he wanted, I couldn’t deny him. But he already did things to take care of me, loaned me his car and driver so I could get home safely, defended me against people who didn’t show me respect, took me out to a five-hundred-dollar meal without expecting a thank-you. He continued to do more and more…and it was so sweet. “I don’t know what to say…”
“Why do you have to say anything?” He moved to the couch and took a seat.
I forgot who I was dealing with, a man who didn’t operate with normal decorum. I took the seat beside him, looking at the vase of flowers he’d brought me a few days ago. They still looked great. My apartment actually looked pretty cute when it was cleaned up.
He rested his hands together on his knees, sitting perfectly straight.
My legs were crossed, and I didn’t know what to say. He normally just dropped me off and left, but now he lingered, like he wasn’t in a hurry to return home. “I had a really great time tonight. It’s nice to get out once in a while…”
He turned to me.
“I’m usually working at dinner functions, but this time, I didn’t have to.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed my company.”
“I always enjoy your company,” I blurted, not thinking twice about it.
He continued to stare at me.
I was a smart woman who was always honest with myself, but I knew I was telling myself a big fat lie every single day. After Jake, I thought I’d learned my lesson, but Deacon crept in slowly, gently getting under my skin until his large hand was wrapped around my heart. Every time he left, I missed him. And every time I saw him again, I was so happy. But I pushed those thoughts away, pretended they were platonic, pretended they didn’t exist at all.
I pretended he wasn’t the sexiest man I’d ever seen.
He faced forward again. “I know I’ll never repay you for what you did, but I hope it’s a start.”
“You’ve done more than enough. And I’m so glad we’re making progress with Valerie. I feel like Derek is my own friend. I can’t wait to see him again.”
He rose to his feet and moved to the door.