Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 133849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
When Josh and Grim had been here she’d felt perfectly safe.
She didn’t feel that way now.
A cold streak of anxiety rushed across her spine. Was someone in the bathroom? Were they waiting in there for her to investigate so they could catch her?
It had been years, and she’d almost decided that the Holloway family had forgotten about her. She hadn’t searched for them online or tried to keep up with what was happening in Childswood. It felt like if she did that, she was opening herself to trouble.
The cops wouldn’t be hiding in a bathroom.
But the men her husband had owed money to might.
Or she was being paranoid and she’d only thought she’d left the bathroom door closed.
A knock caused her to jump, barely stifling a scream by clasping her hand over her mouth.
“Nicole? You in there?” a feminine voice asked.
Relief flooded through her. She wasn’t alone. She threw open the door and Heather stood there looking solid and secure. There was something about the woman that screamed competence. “Hey.”
Heather’s blue eyes widened. “Honey, are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Please tell me this place isn’t haunted because I could believe that.”
Nic glanced back. “I thought I closed the bathroom door. I guess I’m being paranoid.”
“I’ll go check it for you.” Heather walked in and strode to the bathroom door.
“You don’t have to,” Nic began.
“It’s okay. I check my room every time I walk in,” Heather assured her. “It’s not paranoia. It’s smart when you’re staying in a place like this. Anywhere, really. It’s not like women at the Hilton are immune to attackers.”
Heather disappeared behind the door, the light coming on. It was only a few seconds before she reappeared. “Nothing. No one lurking behind the shower curtain. I always check there. Always. Too many horror movies.”
“I’m sorry. I was sure I’d closed it.”
“I saw maintenance walking around earlier,” Heather offered. “Well, I saw a dude in overalls with a toolkit. And I overheard the manager complaining about the fire marshal coming out next week to check that they’re up to code. It could have been that. They have the right to come into the room for maintenance.”
She didn’t like the thought, but it explained the situation. “That makes sense.”
“You okay? You were gone all day. I wanted to make sure that cowboy didn’t break you.”
“Break me?”
“In the best of ways,” she replied with a grin. “He reminds me of a lot of the guys I know. I hang out with a lot of cowboys and ex-military men. They can be awfully possessive, if you know what I mean.”
“Well, he did toss me over his shoulder when I didn’t come with him.”
“I got the feeling you didn’t mind that. Should I have protested?”
“No. That’s kind of Josh’s love language.” And Grim’s was tying her up and feeding her treats. “I’m sorry for freaking out. I’ve been in bad positions before.”
“It’s okay.” Heather put a hand on her shoulder. “Do you want to talk about it? Sometimes that helps. When I was younger, I had this guy who decided he owned me. I thought we were friends. He wanted something more and wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
“Yeah, I know the type. He ever hit you?”
Heather nodded. “Yep. He shot me once.”
Nic felt her jaw drop. “He shot you?”
Heather dropped the left shoulder of the robe she wore, revealing a tank top and the beginnings of an old scar right above her breast. “Well, he didn’t do it himself, but I totally blamed him for it. When he was stalking me, I assure you I checked every bathroom. All I’m saying is I know what a bad relationship looks like, and I would say you’ve had one in the past.”
Nic sniffled, the events of the day coming down on her. Would it be so terrible to talk to someone? Heather seemed nice, and it wasn’t like she would see her after she left Willow Fork. “I was married to a man who enjoyed hurting me. Now I’m dating a couple of guys who are into spanking and I like it. Is that perverse? Shouldn’t I be afraid of them?”
Abby wouldn’t be able to give her an outsider’s opinion. Neither would Olivia. They were both too invested in the lifestyle. She definitely wouldn’t talk about this with her boss. It would be too weird. But maybe she could open up to Heather.
“What you are describing is two completely different things.” Heather sat down on the edge of the bed.
“I don’t know. I’ve heard the word control used a lot. That’s what Micah was trying to do,” Nic said quietly, admitting her fears. That Josh and Grim’s sweetness was a front, and they would turn into something else. Something hard, something that would drain her until she was a husk of her former self.