Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 97339 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97339 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
An hour later, Carter and Sean return to the bridal table without Logan, and I make my way over to Carter and collapse in a sweaty heap on his lap. He puts an arm around me, and I sink into his hold, just as we always do, but tonight something is off. “What’s wrong?” I question, my head starting to spin from the endless glasses of champagne I’ve made my way through. “Where did you guys go?”
“Nowhere, babe,” he says, his thumb brushing back and forth across my hip. “Don’t worry about it.”
Carter doesn’t meet my stare. He keeps his gaze trained on the door as if waiting for something or someone, and I know without a doubt that something is going down. “Carter?” I prompt, more forcefully until he finally looks up and meets my concerned gaze. “Don’t lie to me. What’s going on?”
He presses his lips together, and I can practically see him considering whether he’s going to speak up or not. Finally, he leans in, his hand dropping to my thigh. “There was a situation with Elle outside, but she’s okay now.”
“What do you mean she’s okay now?” I ask, my back stiffening as I search the room for her. “What happened? Did someone try to hurt her?”
“Babe,” he mutters, making a point of keeping his tone low. “It’s Cassie’s wedding. Now’s not the time. Can we talk about it later?”
I look at him and take in the seriousness in his gaze before pulling back, my brows furrowed as unease grips hold of my chest and refuses to let go. My fingers trail over the side of his face, desperately searching his eyes. “Are you okay?” I murmur, hating the intense darkness shining through his eyes.
Hearing the fear in my tone, he pulls me in tighter and presses a kiss to my temple, trying to ease my distress. “I’m okay,” he finally says as I notice the hand on my thigh is red and raw with grazes and purpling bruises marring his knuckles. “Why don’t you go enjoy the rest of your night? There’s nothing for you to worry about.”
Something cuts straight through my chest and pierces my heart. I can’t help but feel as though I’ve been betrayed somehow, though that doesn’t make sense. “You know the bonus of dating countless losers is that I can tell when a man is lying to me,” I say, reminding him just how well I know him. “Your hands are bloodied as if you just beat the shit out of someone. What’s going on?”
Carter lets out a sigh and looks around to see who’s close, and with only Sean close enough, he finally lets it out. “Elle was slipped a date rape drug by some asshole on Jax’s team. Logan got there just in time, but she was unconscious and roughed up.”
“What?” I breathe, sitting up straight on his lap, my heart pounding erratically in my chest, making me feel as though I’m going to be sick. “Is she . . .”
“Physically, she’s going to be fine,” Carter tells me, his hand moving in soothing circles on my back as my eyes fill with tears, hating how fucking scared she must have been. Logan even came looking for her over an hour ago, and we all just shrugged it off, too preoccupied with our drinks and dancing to help him look for her, all while she was out there, trying to fend off a fucking rapist. “She just needs to sleep it off. As for everything else . . . I don’t know.”
“Shit,” I breathe, holding onto him a little tighter. “Is there anything I can do?”
“No, babe,” he says, his hands still circling my back. “Elle would want you to enjoy the rest of Cassie’s wedding. Just please, I know Cass is your best friend and you tell her everything, but just . . . not tonight. Let her enjoy her wedding and remember tonight as the best night of her life.”
“I will,” I tell him, squeezing his hand. “How’s Elle doing? Can I see her?”
“She’s upstairs with Logan. The drugs knocked her out, but you’ll be able to see her in the morning,” he says.
“Okay,” I say, sensing he’s done talking about it, despite knowing what kind of images and thoughts are streaming through his mind like a dark cloud, poisoning everything in its wake. “Why don’t you get yourself another drink and try to relax?”
“That’s not such a bad idea,” he says before letting out a heavy sigh. He leans in and presses another kiss to my temple before squeezing my leg, indicating for me to hop off him. When I shift to stand, he gets up and heads toward the open bar, and I watch him go with heaviness in my heart.
What happened to Elle tonight is awful, however, Carter isn’t the kind of guy to get broken up about it. He gets even. He would have beaten the guy within an inch of his life, made sure Elle was okay, and then called the cops. Don’t get me wrong, he feels in a big way, and he would have been devastated to learn that something so horrendous happened on his parents’ estate, but he doesn’t stew about things that have been dealt with.