Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 43920 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 220(@200wpm)___ 176(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43920 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 220(@200wpm)___ 176(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Once I had Dawson in the large SUV, buckled in, I told him I was going to stop and get him something to eat.
He shook his head. “I’m not hungry, Chris, and there’s so much stuff at the house, wait ’til you see. It’s crazy.”
“Then why aren’t you eating?”
“I’m just not hungry.”
“The cocaine does that, huh?”
He sighed deeply. “You saw that on the news, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve got that under control now. Don’t worry about it.”
But I would, and there were more questions to ask. “Are you using anything else? Anything worse?”
“Like?”
“Anything you’re shooting into a vein?”
He scoffed. “You know that’s not me. I don’t even get a flu shot because needles are scary.”
I exhaled sharply. I hadn’t thought so, but I had to know. “Good.”
“You know better.”
“But I haven’t seen you, yeah?”
“Yeah,” he agreed after a moment, his voice breaking.
“Just relax now.”
Once I had the GPS programmed, we were off.
I had so much I wanted to say to him, but I waited until I was on the I-10 West and more comfortable with where I was going. When I turned to look at him, though, he was passed out. Since I figured he needed his sleep, I let him catch up on it while I drove.
It took a bit to get there, but once I went from Highway 1 to another freeway and finally reached Topanga Road, I found the property nestled in the hills and started down the private drive of what turned out to be several cabins scattered across a small area.
I woke up Dawson, who said his was the farthest out, and that he didn’t want us to use Ben’s, which I had the code for.
“I know the code for mine,” he assured me, taking my hand and only then seeing my duffel. “Oh, you brought clothes.”
“Yeah,” I said, feeling awkward suddenly. “I didn’t want to assume you’d have time to spend with—”
“I have time,” he husked, tugging on my hand. “Come on.”
The cabin, two bedrooms, one bathroom, was small, about 1100 square feet, but it was cozy inside with wooden floors and a small fireplace, a lovely living room with a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, a kitchen with Talavera tile, and a small reading nook overlooking the backyard. The main bedroom also opened out to the back, with a view of the canyon. It felt like a retreat.
“This is really nice.”
“It’s good now,” he whispered, and rushed me.
After I hugged him tight, I told him he needed a shower and new clothes.
“My skin sort of hurt when I tried the other day,” he confessed.
“Well, let’s try again,” I persisted gently.
Once he was under the water, he sighed deeply.
“Better now?”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “I think it’s because you’re here.”
I grinned. “Is there food in your kitchen or somewhere else?”
“In mine.”
“Okay, then, I’m gonna see what’s there, all right?”
“You’ll come back and check on me?”
“I will,” I promised him.
In the small but well-laid-out kitchen, I found cheese and fruit, eggs, vegetables, assorted meat, even some shrimp. I decided that something easy on his stomach would be best. Ham and cheese melts with tomato, a fruit salad, and lots of water.
I returned to the bathroom, slid open the shower door, and asked if he was all right.
“I am,” he said, grinning like a goofball, though he couldn’t see me, as he was covered in soapy lather.
“I’m gonna make us sandwiches and slice up some fruit, nothing fancy because I don’t want to mess up your stomach.”
“Okay,” he agreed, then leaned into the water to wash his face. “I want a kiss before you go.”
He didn’t open his eyes, just followed the sound of my voice and waited.
I brushed my mouth over his, gently but firmly.
“I would like another when I’m done with my shower.”
My stomach rolled just imagining him with someone else, but we hadn’t seen each other in six months. “Have you slept with anyone?”
His breath caught, and he opened his eyes to look at me. “No, Chris. I can’t—I couldn’t.”
“Good. Me neither. I seem to be quite attached.”
“I’ve thought about it,” he confessed, closing the door and getting back under the spray.
“Have you?” I asked, keeping my voice level despite being terrified. It made sense that he’d considered sleeping with someone else. He was a star, and he was breathtaking. He could have anyone he wanted. I could only imagine how many times he’d been propositioned. Back when he was headlining at my club, people always stayed after closing to try and go home with him. It was the way he was all over me that had discouraged them.
“Yeah.” His gaze raked over me, moving down and then back up to my face. “But something is always off.”
“Like?” I asked, swallowing down my heart, hoping he couldn’t hear it trying to pound itself out of my chest.