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)
She steadied herself but her eyes remained on his chest. “Grim, you know why.”
“I might, but you need to say it. We can’t face something that you won’t say out loud.” He needed to make a few things plain to her. “Nicole, I’m in deep with you. I know you’re planning to walk away…”
Her eyes came up and her hands found his chest, flattening against him. “You’re making it hard.”
“I want to make it impossible,” he admitted. “But I can’t do that if you’re unwilling to talk to me. Look, I’ll give you all the time in the world to get to know and trust me about whatever happened in your past.”
Tears were suddenly in her eyes. “And if it’s bad?”
“Then we’ll face it. All three of us,” he said. “No matter what it is. But you take your time. However, you can’t lie to me in this club.”
She seemed to relax. “I wasn’t lying. Not exactly. I am okay.”
“You’re not. You’re uncomfortable, and I want to know why. I want you to admit it.”
Her jaw tightened. “Grim, I grew up in a rundown three-bedroom that my dad and stepmom rented. They were always late on rent and pretty much everything else. The lights would go out for weeks at a time because they couldn’t pay the bill. I didn’t own a car until a few years ago. I tried this. My husband’s family had money, and they never let me forget it.”
“I’m not your damn ex,” a deep voice said.
Damn it. He’d tried to keep this between the two of them, but Josh had opened the door behind Nicole and stood there, a darkness in his eyes.
When Josh was in top space he could be a bit unreasonable. “She knows that, but this place can be overwhelming when you first walk in. I know you’re used to wealthy spaces but Nicole’s not, and I understand that. Let me handle her.”
Nicole turned, and her hands went to her hips. “I’m allowed to have feelings, Josh.”
Damn, but she was pushing him. “That’s not what he said.”
“You’re allowed to have feelings, but you are required to talk about them.” Josh stepped back, gesturing for her to enter the room. “And I can have some feelings of my own. I want to know who made you feel bad.”
She sighed, and her shoulders came down as she walked into the room. “No one. You can’t understand. You’ve never been in this position.”
“She’s right about that,” Grim said as he followed her. He leaned in, his voice going low. “She’s overwhelmed and doesn’t need a bunch of jealousy thrown her way right now.”
“I’m not jealous of her asshole ex,” Josh replied.
“You aren’t?” He knew his brother.
“Fine. Of course I am,” Josh admitted with a fierce frown. “I’m insanely jealous of anyone who’s ever touched her before, but she can’t throw me in the same bin with him. The only thing we have in common is money. She started pulling away the minute she figured out my family was wealthy.”
Nicole turned to Josh. “I adore your family, Josh. I love them. But I worry they won’t love me when they figure out who I really am. And this… Everyone here is so refined. They all have these important jobs. Did you know Mia is some kind of award-winning journalist? And her sister-in-law has been on TV. Your friend Harlow said her mom is a famous artist. I don’t even have an undergrad degree. I don’t know why I’m here. I won’t even go into the whole Andrew Tech God Lawless. Your parents are successful and they taught you how to be, too.”
Josh’s features softened. “Baby, success is a word we have to define for ourselves. I’m successful because my dad fought for his place. And the truth of the matter is the reason he fits in here is because he doesn’t care what anyone thinks. He doesn’t have a fancy degree. He and Pops grew up in foster care. My momma was a teenaged single mom who got run out of town. When you talk about me being successful, that’s all because of them. My success will be appreciating what they gave me and taking care of it. It’ll be in building a family with my best friend and the woman I love. I’m not successful. Not yet. If I achieve that, it might be because of you.”
Tears clung to her cheeks, and Grim knew they were past the worst of this episode. “I’m the same as Josh, baby. I didn’t pay for my school.”
Josh turned to him, his head shaking. “No, but you survived some horrific abuse. You could have given in and become like your brothers. But you were tested, and you showed the world exactly who Jared Burch is. He’s a survivor. I would bet Nic is, too. This place isn’t some magical space where only the elite are accepted. There are members here who don’t pay a fee. They’re here because Case thinks they can get something out of this club. By the way, that man you were drooling over—not rich. All the money came from his wife. He was a soldier, and he became a soldier because he had no other place to go. This isn’t about our childhoods. It’s about what we do with what we were handed, and baby, from what I can tell you were not handed much. So take what I’m offering you and show me what you can make with it. I think it will be something beautiful.”