Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 97557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
"And yet you think Sebastian's leash is better? You can't go anywhere alone, he's literally legally chained you to him. It doesn’t matter who retains ownership, sweetheart, you won’t ever be free.”
I won’t ever be free? Then why do I feel like I’ve never been more free in my entire life than the months I’ve lived in this house with Sebastian. I swallow down my rebuttal, and instead of saying what I want to say, I reply, "Even if I’m not free, he will be, and that's what matters.”
I don’t wait for his reply, because I don’t care to hear it. I hang up the phone and sag down to the floor, my heart pounding in my chest, the guilt of what I’ve agreed to do already eating me alive.
I hate that I’ve chosen to turn my back on the only person who’s ever truly cared about me, but I’ll do anything to protect him. I refuse to let him spend his entire life fixing my mistakes.
Sometimes you have to fix things yourself, and that’s what I’m going to do…even if it kills me.
CHAPTER 18
ELYSE
Two days pass in a blur, and if it isn’t the guilt of what I’ve done becoming harder and harder to swallow, it’s the impending jail sentence I know is looming when I return to my father’s care that kills me. I can’t even enjoy Sebastian’s company because everytime I look at him, I nearly confess what I’ve done. The gaping hole in my chest grows a little wider, the secrets I’m keeping filling the space, drowning me from the inside out.
Honestly, I don’t know how much longer I can do this before I either make good on the deal with my father and disappear or vomit the truth out to Sebastian.
A few days ago, he announced we were going back to school. Which surprised me because I didn’t remember ever seeing him actually attend classes—at least not any I attended. Although I guess he was…he wouldn’t be able to play football if he didn’t attend, right?
I put down the piece of bagel I'm holding and finish chewing. "What's your major?"
He blinks up at me from his own bagel and the tablet that he stares at every morning like it’s the newspaper. He's been scrolling through a news site since we sat down. "Uhhh, where did that come from?"
I shrug and slide the tiny slice of bagel around the plate, thinking. "I was just thinking I haven’t really ever seen you attend classes. Yes, I saw you at the Mill, and on the football field, and around campus, but I don't think I've ever seen you in an actual classroom."
He dusts his hands off over his plate. "I'm majoring in business, as dictated by my grandfather before he died. You’re not majoring in business, so for obvious reasons you wouldn’t see me in class.”
“Right. I guess that makes sense. With me studying vet services, you and I wouldn't have a lot of crossover; plus, you’re about to graduate.” I’m babbling, subconsciously trying to push the thoughts that won’t leave me alone away.
“Are you okay?” He asks, tilting his head to the side as if he’s examining me.
Oh god. “Yeah, I’m fine. It was just a question of curiosity. Can’t I get to know the man I married?”
Slowly, he scans me, from my jeans to my hoodie, and then down to my bare feet. "You already know me, Little Prey. Now go put your shoes on; we are going to be late."
Damn, he's bossy, and what does it say about me that I like how bossy he is? I extinguish the spark of desire burning low in my belly before it can become a raging inferno. Then I hop off the stool to go find some sneakers and grab my bag. By the time I return downstairs Sebastian is waiting, his letter jacket held out for me to slip into.
It takes a minute to waffle the bag between my hands as I slip my arms inside the coat, but like always, he’s patient. He settles it over my shoulders and then tips his head to the door. "Are you ready for this?"
All at once the rush of desire I'd felt seconds ago coils into a knot of fear. I do my best to hide it and plaster a smile onto my face. “Ready for anything.”
We walk outside together and he opens the passenger side door to a sleek black sports car parked outside the garage. "You're driving us today?"
He holds my bag while I slide in and buckle up, then passes it to me. "Yes, I thought it might be fun. Plus, it sends a message.”
I peer around the oiled leather interior, taking in the new car smell lingering in the air. "A message?"
He climbs into the driver's seat and buckles himself in before turning to me. “Yes, and that message is that we’re together.”