Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 71246 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71246 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
“I quit. Not because he said so, but because I want to,” Jude explains before pushing past me and out the door. I give the drunk idiots one last warning look and turn to walk out, but Rick isn’t done yet.
“She didn’t give two-weeks-notice, so she ain’t getting her check,” he yells, narrowing his eyes. Rage still pumps through my veins, and this idiot is going to be the one thing that sets me ablaze all over again.
“You listen up, and you listen well. She was damn near assaulted in your gas station, and you’re worried about her quitting before she puts her two weeks in. You’re a special kind of piece of shit, aren’t you?”
“Get the fuck out!” he growls, taking a step toward me, but what he doesn’t know is that I’m not intimidated by shit, least of all him.
Crowding him, I walk right up to him until my boots touch his. “I’ll fucking leave when I damn well please, and you better send her her check in the mail. Otherwise, I’ll personally come to get it.”
Beads of sweat form against his forehead, and I consider knocking him out, but choose not to. Enough blood has been spilled by my hand tonight. God knows, if Sebastian had to come bail me out of jail, I would never hear the end of it.
Giving him one last dirty look, I turn and walk out of the piece of crap place, knowing damn well, I would do it all over again.
When it comes to Jude, there isn’t anything I won’t do.
8
Jude
My hands are still trembling when we get into the truck. Lex doesn’t say anything, and I do my best not to look at his fists, which are bloody. I know I’ve basically lost my job because of this, but I can’t find it in myself to blame him for hurting those men.
I can still see the feral look in his eyes, the way he gritted his teeth and the sound of his knuckles as they landed against flesh.
Those men were going to do far worse to me than Lex had done to them if he hadn’t shown up. I knew it, and I was ready to fight, not caring if it was two against one. Luckily, it never came to it, and Lex swooped in like a white knight, ready to save the day.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watch him struggle to gain control over his emotions. His chest is heaving, and even in the dark space, I can see his features are wild, his eyes darting everywhere, the angle of his cheeks higher, and his jaw tightened and sharp as a knife’s edge. He’s dangerous, and chaos, and everything I need to stay away from, but yet can’t.
Lex finally breaks the silence, and the tension seems to ease between us.
“Look, I’m sorry you had to see that, but it was either, hurt them or let them hurt you, and I wasn’t going to let that happen.”
I nod. “I know.”
And I do, I know it was them or me in that instance, and I’m grateful that Lex was there.
“I know this is the second time you’ve seen that side of me, but I don’t want you to assume that I’m a violent person. I wouldn’t ever hurt you, or even touch you in a fit of rage. The person who did that to your back…they’ll pay for hurting you.”
His fiery need to protect me, makes me want to ease deeper into him, but I can’t allow myself to do that. He’s not a safety net that I can jump into, he won’t catch me if I fall.
Shaken up, I settle into the seat for the remainder of the drive. When we pull up to the house, I grab my bag from the back seat and get out of the truck just as he shifts it to park. I feel sick thinking of how much I’ve relied on Lex without even realizing it.
I promised myself when my father disowned me that I wouldn’t let myself be controlled by another. I think Lex’s feelings come from a good place, but I can’t be sure. I can’t trust him just yet. I’m worried I’m falling back into old habits.
I can feel Lex trailing behind me and stop at the door so he can open it. Once inside, I slip out of my shoes. My feet are throbbing, and my head is pounding. I really just want to shower and go to sleep, but I have homework, and it’s been a while since I ate something, so I should probably do that.
“I’m going to make us some dinner, do you want to join me in the kitchen?” Lex offers, and I nibble on my bottom lip with indecision. Getting closer to him will only make things worse once he’s let go of the idea of protecting and watching over me. Somehow, I’m still tempted to be around him, drawn into the goodness like a moth to a flame.