Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 44725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
There’s a car parked across the street. The driver’s wearing a hood and a mask. I can’t tell who it is, but I think he’s staring at me.
Is it Axel? I send, my heart suddenly pounding at the thought of somebody intimidating Zoey, at the idea that I’m not there to protect her. If I read or heard about something happening to her, and I wasn’t there to stop it, I’d never be able to live with myself.
I don’t know, she replies. It could be. I locked the doors and set the alarm. Mom’s out, so it’s not like he will do anything to her.
I’m not just worried about her. You deserve to be safe, too, and able to relax in your own home without worrying if you’re being stalked.
It’s not like I can call the cops because somebody’s parked out front. Wearing a mask isn’t as suspicious as it once was, remember.
She’s right. If she called the cops, he’d drive away the second he saw them, and then they’d probably cause her to feel bad when they interviewed her. They might not mean to, but they’re busy and overworked, and their time is important.
Don’t leave the house, I type. I’m coming over.
You don’t have to do that.
Don’t fight me on this. I promised your dad that I’d keep you and your mom safe. That extends to exes who just won’t quit.
Jax, you don’t have to do this. He’s been acting like a freak for months at this point. He’s not going to do anything. He just can’t accept that Mom has moved on.
He’s not allowed to treat you like this. I’m on my way.
As I stride toward my bedroom to change my shorts and T-shirt, I mutter a silent promise that I won’t let this extend beyond visiting the house, ensuring Zoey’s safe, and leaving. Nothing else.
No kissing, no steam, no closeness.
CHAPTER 7
Zoey
Is he still out there? Jax texts me.
I’m standing at the upstairs front hallway window, looking out onto the street at the dark brown car and the masked man sitting at the wheel. He’s not looking at the house anymore, his posture aimed straight ahead, but that doesn’t do much for the fear expanding in me.
Yeah. Are you texting and driving? Be careful.
I’ve got a voice-to-text program. You don’t need to worry about me.
We could talk on the phone, but it’s as if we both prefer texting. I know why I do since talking on the phone is awkward, even at the best of times. The chances of me getting tongue-tied with my—what—crush, dream man, my soon-to-be soulmate… are way higher than usual.
He’s just sitting out there.
As I send this message, the car suddenly starts and pulls away. He drives quickly down the street. I stare at my phone, wondering if I should tell Jax that the mystery car has disappeared. It would be the right thing to do. It would save him a trip and keep me from being in his presence, thinking and wanting all kinds of craziness while he doesn’t even sense it. Even if he does, there’s nothing he can do. He wouldn’t tell me what happened between him and Mom, which means something did happen, and he’s hiding it.
Seriously, Zoey, don’t panic. I’m almost there. He can do it with me if he wants to act tough and intimidating. If he decides to get physical, I’ll show him what happens when weak men try to intimidate women.
Steamy sizzles shiver through my belly. Something feels like swelling in me, not literally, but an emotion that’s also a physical sensation, a tingling deep within, as if hinting at everything we could become.
He wants to protect me… always. No, that’s not right. I know that’s not true, but that’s how it feels as I reread his message. Maybe that’s why I don’t tell him the car has already left. There’s no reason for him to come here. Instead, I go into my bedroom and quickly change my clothes, putting on a fresh shirt and a pair of jeans, and then I run a brush through my hair. It’s tangled and messy, but I tame it… a little.
I’m outside, Jax texts. I don’t see the car.
I swallow. Maybe he left. I’m coming out now.
When I open the front door, Jax is leaning against his vehicle. He’s wearing a gray shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the top buttons undone, showing glimpses of his power. He seems pissed as he walks over to me, his jaw tight, his temples pulsing as if he’s barely holding something back.
“He was just here,” I murmur.
“Maybe he saw me coming,” Jax says gruffly.
I could tell him the truth— the weird car left minutes before, leaving me time to text Jax if I wanted, but I didn’t want to. I needed to see and know him through more than words on a screen.