AllFreeNovel
Share Us
So was Billie.
All of which meant that I’d spent a lot of time looking at her, thinking that, yeah, she was beautiful, but that she was too much fucking trouble.
I wanted my balls stroked. Not busted.
But…
This woman fighting tears on a burned street.
This woman wild and a little rough when she got naked.
This woman demonstrating her loyalty and tireless efforts as she stubbornly kicked ass at her job.
So, no, I wasn’t going to let my temper get away from me in this moment—not when I’d gotten all those glimpses beneath her shield, not when I kept peeling back layers and with each newly exposed surface, I learned something else about her.
A breath to get my temper in check, and them, curiosity and concern in full-bore, I leaned back enough to tug the bag out of my pocket.
“Here,” I said, thrusting the small brown bag at her.
That got a reaction, garnered me some color—only this time it was confusion.
“What is this?” she whispered.
I nodded at the bag. “Open it, sweetheart.”
Another reaction quickly buried.
Then she narrowed her eyes. “I can’t put a rush on your plans getting approved,” she muttered, proving that she knew everything, including the fact that I’d been going around and around with the building department. “They’re slammed and I’m not going to use my position—”
“Just got back from a meeting with my contractor,” I said. “My plans were approved, and they’ll start to rebuild in a week or two.”
That had the fury sliding out of her like the wind had suddenly cut out, causing a boat’s sails to abruptly lay flat.
“Oh.” Her brows drew together. Then she glanced down at the bag sitting in her palm like it contained a live rattlesnake. “So, um, what’s this?”
I shrugged, feeling the back of my neck heat, insecurity sweeping in. “I saw it.” I cleared my throat. “And I thought of you.” Another shrug.
The frown in her brows stayed in place. “Umm…”
I took her free hand, dragged it to the top of the bag. “Open it, baby.”
“I—”
“Openit.”
She pressed her lips together, sighed heavily, and then she opened the top of the bag, peered inside, and froze, going so still I could have almost confused her for a statue.
Her hand trembled as she reached into the bag, making the material crinkle, and I had the thought that this was deeper, heavier than I could have predicted. That this was something else altogether than what I’d expected.
Somethingmore.
My throat was dry, but I didn’t clear it, just sat in that discomfort.
Because she was having a moment.
Because she was slowly extracting the small cardboard box and setting it on her knee.
I took the bag from her, mostly so I could watch her study the small throwaway (or so I’d thought) present.
