Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 28041 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28041 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
“I’m not giving up my life. I’m making sure that you’re taken care of. Until I hear from Owen, I don’t want his fuck-up with Lorenzo coming back on you.”
An inaudible sigh of frustration pushes through her pouty lips. “Owen’s always doing something he’s not supposed to. Did you know my stepmother left him? She lives halfway across the country because he got into something with a client and they came after her for the money or whatever they wanted. Either way, I’m not going to let him just blow a hole in the middle of my life.”
“I’m not saying that you have to, but aside from Owen’s careless behavior, there’s a very dangerous man out there looking to hurt him. Any man knows that the people he cares about are the easiest way to get to him. If Lorenzo gets his hands on you, Owen’s going to do whatever he’s told even if that means losing his life.”
“He’s not going to lose his life,” Raina says defiantly. “He’s going to do what he always does. He’ll figure this out on his own and then things will get back to normal. I shouldn’t have to stop everything.”
“Get some clothes together, Raina. You don’t have to stop. You just have to not stay here for a few days. I don’t live far from the shop you work at, so let me do what I’m supposed to do here.”
“What if I don’t?” The outright obstinance in her voice is grating, but I understand where she’s coming from.
“I’m not going to pretend that Owen’s the picture-perfect father–”
“He’s not. He’s an ATM whose sperm helped create me—a problem he couldn't simply buy away. He’s never here for me, Rex. You’re friends with him and even you see that, or else why climb through my window? You show up for me any time I call because you know he won’t.”
“Fine, Raina. Fuck doing it for Owen. I need you to come with me for me. For my peace of mind. Just come with me.”
“I wanted to come with you last night, but you told me to go to sleep.”
4
RAINA
The words come out fast along with my frustration.
I know Rex isn’t at fault, but the way my body craves him, the way his face never leaves my mind, the way I want to feel his mouth kiss every part of me… I want to go with him, but I don’t want it to be out of this sense of danger. I want to go with Rex because he wants me—just me.
He takes a few steps toward me until I press against the wall beside my dresser. His arms cage me in.
“Be careful, little girl. We don’t have time to open those floodgates. Get a bag together while I run out to grab a few things. We can head up to my cabin for a few days until we hear from Owen or the officers he’s working with.”
Rex means business and won’t take no for an answer. I have to take this seriously, but there’s a part of me that knows Owen will take care of this and everything will be back to normal in a day or two. At least, that’s what I’m hoping for.
“Okay. I’ll get my stuff together.”
Rex nods with approval, dipping his head to kiss me. “Good girl. I’ll be back soon. If anything seems off, get the hell out of here. Text me, and then head to the diner on Summit. Okay?”
“Yeah, okay.” My nerves tingle with anxiety, my fingers twitch and play with the edges of my robe.
Rex lets his hands drop to hold on to mine, bringing them up to kiss the back of my knuckles. “This is just a precaution, okay? I’m sure you’re right and Owen will get this taken care of before anything serious happens. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.”
He kisses me on the lips this time. It’s soft and quick as he rests his forehead against mine.
“Be careful,” he whispers and takes a step away from me. I can see the fire in his eyes like he’s staring into my soul, and I want to give him all of me.
When Rex leaves, I shuffle around my room, unsure of what to pack. How am I supposed to know what to take with me to get out of town for a few days? How does one pack for ‘There’s a potential psycho looking to hurt my father’ kind of trip? I grab my phone and make sure it’s close to me in case I need to leave in a hurry. After getting a shirt and jeans on, I continue to toss clothes out of my closet and dresser onto the bed.
I’m in my head, fantasizing about Rex to stop myself from worrying about the mess Owen is into. I can’t believe that man is my father. He’s the absolute worst and by far the most inconsiderate person I know. He’s not supposed to put me in danger and then send his friend to take care of me.