Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 47579 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47579 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
“Yes. Visitors are allowed only if a Devil has vouched for them.”
“This is your place?” she asked, looking around the neat garage.
“It is. Come in, Caroline. Let me make you some dinner and we’ll talk,” Wraith suggested.
“I’d like that, but I can help.”
“Not going to happen, Little girl. Daddy cooks,” he told her bluntly. She needed to understand from the beginning that he was in charge. Especially in his home.
“Okay. Maybe you’d let me set the table?”
“I think I could be sweet-talked into that.”
He led her out of the garage and to the front door. After twisting the knob, he pushed the door open. Wraith turned to Caroline and swept her off her feet. Before she could protest, he carried her into his home. He closed the door with his elbow before walking to his favorite chair.
“Wraith, I’m not a bride,” she said in surprise.
“You are the first woman I’ve brought home,” Wraith told her as he sat down.
“Really? How long have you lived here?”
“Three years.”
He loved the shock on her face. “What?” Her elbow struck him sharply in the ribs as she struggled to sit up straight. In self-preservation, Wraith wrapped his hands around her waist to boost her into position.
Caroline stared at him. “You haven’t had anyone in your house for three years?”
“I’ve had sex in that time period, Precious. I haven’t brought them to my cabin.”
“Why not?”
“The Devils decided when this compound first went in that we weren’t using it as a hotel. This is our home. Everyone is welcome to bring someone important here, but it’s not the place for flings.”
“I’m not a fling?” she asked.
“You are not. You’re my Little girl.”
“I can’t believe I screwed this up so badly,” she whispered.
“You were very brave to come to Inferno today. Crafty too, since you’d visited before.”
“You were aware I’d been there and let them turn me away?”
“Yes. Were you ready then to take me as I am?” he asked, studying her expression.
“Yes. Well, probably.”
“I wanted you to be happy, Caroline. It seemed obvious that having me in your life would create tension and problems. I didn’t want that for you,” he told her.
“But you were unhappy.”
“Yes.”
“You were going to let me go, so I’d be… happy?” she asked and then shook her head. “I think we both deserve to enjoy life.”
“Let’s set that as our goal. Now, I’m grilling steaks for dinner. How do you like yours cooked?”
“Medium rare.”
“The best way to make a steak. Now, mac and cheese or potatoes?”
“I love mac and cheese but only the kind in the blue box.”
“You’ll try my homemade dish soon, but I have a box stashed in my pantry,” Wraith admitted.
“Can I have a tour of your house?”
He immediately shook his head. “Too much temptation. Wander anywhere you wish, Precious. I’m not going to step a foot into any room with a bed with you until you’re fed.”
“We could skip….”
“Did you eat breakfast and lunch?” he asked sharply.
“No,” Caroline admitted.
“Dinner first. Go explore. I’ll get the grill fired up and the water boiling.”
CHAPTER 8
When Wraith moved into the kitchen, Caroline checked out the room. The chair they’d sat in was obviously his favorite. Oversized and heavily padded, it had welcomed her like an old friend. Next to it sat a thick spy thriller on a handy end table with a lamp. She smiled at the thought of Wraith reading in a pool of light. He was definitely so much more than she’d expected from a biker.
Something was missing. She scanned the family room again. A bookshelf full of reading material stood against the far wall. Wait!
“You don’t have a TV?”
“Nope.”
“How do you watch movies?” she asked.
“I drive to the theatre and buy popcorn,” he answered.
“They do have the best popcorn. But what about for videos?”
“Do you have some favorite movies?”
“Sure. I think I’ve watched a few special ones forty times or more,” Caroline admitted.
“Then we make a blanket fort and watch on my laptop,” Wraith suggested.
“That would be fun.” She didn’t really care about keeping up with the news. It was always sad things, anyway. She checked out the room, debating whether she should roam through Wraith’s house alone. She had his permission. Wandering over to the bookshelf, she perused his books. Several looked interesting to devour on her own. Others she hoped he’d read to her. The thought of listening to that gravelly voice narrating a story sounded yummy.
When Wraith disappeared outside to start the grill, her curiosity made her dart down the hall. She stopped at the first door. An enormous hole pierced through the hollow door. Caroline peered through it to see a pink room inside.
Who did it belong to? And why had Wraith put his fist through the door? She turned the doorknob. Locked.
As she rattled it, a small piece of metal fell from the wooden head jam. Caroline bent to pick it up and discovered the metal device fit into the hole in the lock to open it. Before she could talk herself out of it, she pressed it into place, and the door clicked open.