Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 29807 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 149(@200wpm)___ 119(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29807 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 149(@200wpm)___ 119(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
Luca pushes it in and loudly announces his arrival. “It is I, your lord and master, Luca Ward. Please come and serve me.”
A towel hits him in the face. “Go away,” his sister, Gia, shouts.
I pluck the towel and wave it in the air. “Truce. Truce. I come bearing gifts. I—” My eyes fall on the woman next to Gia. Rich brown hair, small nose with a ski-jump tip, bright hazel eyes and lashes that are long enough to brush her cheeks when she flutters them. It’s a face I see in my dreams every night. It’s the face that haunts me during the day. It’s one I thought I’d never see again. “Darby?” I croak.
“You know her?” Luca says.
I tried. He’d told me.
“You son-of-a-bitch.” I punch him in the nose. He staggers back. Gia screams. Darby scuttles backward, but I grab her before she can escape. She’s never leaving my side again, not even if I have to lock her in the attic of Gran’s mansion.
Chapter 6
Darby
I stare up at Jonas in shock. I’d gone to try and steal a peek of him earlier but didn't see him anywhere. Now, I’ve run right into him. His fingers on me tighten as he pulls me into his body. I have no idea what the hell is going on. I look up into his deep blue eyes, unable to think of anything to say. Those eyes always hold me in a trance when I see pictures of him.
“Jonas! What the hell are you doing?” Gia shouts at him. Her voice breaks me out of the trance I was in. I search my mind for something to say, but it’s a blur. I can’t stop staring at Jonas.
“Mommy?” I turn my head to look down at Jax, who is holding his sucker. Gia had put him into his pajamas for me earlier when I tried to sneak a peek of Jonas. When I’d gotten back to my room, Gia and Jax where heading back to the main kitchen to get a sucker for him. He’d somehow convinced Gia that he needed one. I bet it was that sweet smile of his that got her.
“Darby.” Jonas says my name again.
“Let go.” I try and pull from his unbreakable hold, wondering how the hell he even knows my name.
“No.”
“Fuck, man. I’m going to have a black eye. My mother is going to be pissed.” Mr. Ward doesn't sound too torn up about it. Probably because his mom will stop slinging women at him until it heals.
“Mouth.” Gia smacks Luca on the arm.
“Can everyone stop hitting me?” Luca rubs his arm like it actually hurt. Gia rolls her eyes.
“Let me go,” I tell Jonas again. “My son,” I hiss as I motion toward Jax with my free arm. This seems to break him from whatever is going on with him. He jerks back, his eyes and hand falling away from me. I turn, scooping Jax up into my arms.
“Did you want anything else, angel?” I ask Jax, trying to keep my voice at an even keel. He is completely invested in his sucker so he doesn’t seem to notice that I’m upset. I don’t think he saw anything. He’d been behind us when Jonas hauled off and punched Luca. Jax shakes his head no, shoving the sucker back into his mouth.
His eyes widen as he looks around at everyone. His gaze stops on Jonas, who is staring directly at us both. He pulls the sucker out of his mouth, holding it out to Jonas.
“You don’t share suckers, angel,” I tell him, but he keeps holding it out to him.
“What’s his name?” Jonas looks from Jax to me.
“Jax,” I answer. Both Luca and Gia stare at me. Why the heck is everyone staring at me and not saying anything? “You okay, Mr. Ward?” I ask to try and break the weird silence. I still have no idea what is going on or why Jonas hit him.
“Luca,” he corrects me like always.
“Darby.” Jonas says my name calmly this time. When I look back at him, his face is anything but calm.
“Yes?” I answer. I have to look away from his eyes. So many feelings rush through my body. Jax finally lowers his arm, putting the sucker back in his mouth.
“We’re leaving,” he says, stepping toward me.
“What do you mean we?” Gia chimes in.
“As in Jax, Darby and I,” Jonas answers. I go to step back from him but at the same time Jax reaches for Jonas, both his arms trying to grab him. Jonas takes the invitation, plucking Jax right out of my hands. “He’s a little over two?” he asks.
“Darby lives here,” Gia tosses back. I nod yes. Because I can’t seem to speak full sentences when he’s looking at me.
“She is coming with me.” He holds Jax tighter and Jax rests his little head on him. I’m a bit surprised. He shies away from men most times until he gets to know them. Except for Ben, who is like a grandpa to him. He must be tired.