Total pages in book: 16
Estimated words: 15471 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 77(@200wpm)___ 62(@250wpm)___ 52(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 15471 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 77(@200wpm)___ 62(@250wpm)___ 52(@300wpm)
He stared at the fire. They were always setting fire to old metal trash cans. There was no need for warmth. The night was hot. He was sweating beneath his leather cut.
Sipping on his beer, he glared at the flames.
“You’re not going to die them out,” Colonel said.
“Are you here to finish what Piper started?” Bad asked.
“Yes. You’ve never really talked about Charity. I know of her because of what you spilled during your drunken tirades.”
“My best friend told me to stay away from her.”
“I imagine it was when he assumed she wanted the same things that he wanted for her.”
Bad shrugged. Stevie had assumed that Charity wanted stability. The house, the husband, the steady job, and kids. Stevie had been wrong.
“Is it possible that your best friend would be begging you right about now to act on your feelings? To be there for her? You’re clearly in love with her, Bad. There is no shame in that.” Colonel turned to look at where Piper stood with a couple of the guys. “I get that now more than ever. There is a woman that calls to your very fucking soul, and there is no denying that. No hiding from it. I wouldn’t be anywhere without my woman.”
“I don’t know if this life is what she wants. I can’t allow her to be … unhappy.”
“Can you allow yourself this chance to slip you by?” Colonel asked.
For several seconds, he didn’t say anything. “What if she hates it?” he asked.
“Then she hates it and you both know that you tried.”
Bad thought about it.
“But what if … she loves it, Bad? What if this is the life she had always wanted?” Colonel got to his feet and walked away.
Chapter Seven
After spending the last couple of days boiling in the heat of the sun, Charity had no choice but to find a nice motel to stay at for the evening.
She had to wash her hair and her clothes.
The sweat had made her hair so gross. Even running a comb through it hadn’t helped. She had washed her body in sinks of warm water at different stops.
This time, she had the luxury of a shower. A nice, long, hot, relaxing shower.
For a few short seconds, she had forgotten about Bad. Well, not exactly forgotten, but he hadn’t been at the forefront of her mind, and that had been a big plus. An enormous one.
There would come a time when she no longer had feelings for him. When these moments were nothing more than a gentle reminder of a silly crush that had gotten out of hand.
Wrapping her hair up in a towel, she pulled on her robe and stepped into the small one-bedroom room. There was a small television, but she’d never been one to get into any shows.
She had stopped off for a pizza on the way to the motel as well. Opening up the lid, she saw that there was still some residual heat. Pizza was one of her favorite meals to eat, ever.
Diving into a slice, she closed her eyes and released a moan at the delicious flavors. They were all so good. After one slice, she immediately took another, using a square of tissue to make sure none of the sauce and toppings fell onto her robe.
She was licking her lips after the second slice when someone knocked on her door.
Charity frowned. There was no reason for anyone to stop at her room. She’d paid for the night.
“Who is it?” she asked, stepping toward the door.
For several seconds, no one answered.
“Charity, it’s me.”
She froze to the spot.
Bad.
Was she imagining his voice now?
She quickly pinched herself to see if she’d been caught in some kind of dream world, but there was no response at the door. After grabbing the door handle, she flicked the lock and opened the door.
Bad actually stood in front of her motel room door.
“Hey,” he said. “Can I come in?”
Charity licked her lips, not sure what to say to him. “Er, sure, yeah, of course.” She took a step away, allowing him to step into the room.
Closing the door, she turned to look at him, but Bad thrust her up against the door, and his lips attacked hers.
No, he ravished her. She loved every second of it.
She ran her hands up his chest, circled them around his neck, and kissed him back. She didn’t hold anything back but kissed him with all the passion she felt.
“Fuck, Charity, do you have any idea what you do to me?” he asked, breaking from her lips, trailing his toward her neck, and breathing against her ear.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. “How did you find me?”
Bad didn’t pull back.
She watched him, unable to look away.
“I put a tracker on your phone,” Bad said.
“You did? When?”
“When I … left.”
She put her hands on his shoulders, about to push him away, but she stopped herself from actually doing it. Instead, she touched his thick, masculine shoulders that had once been above her as he’d fucked her.