Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 62811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
“I’m waiting on my check from work,” I say, my voice a little shaky. “I swear, I’ll pay.”
“You know, you’ve been nothing but trouble lately,” he slurs, yanking me a little closer to him. “You got two guys threatening to call the health inspector and get me shut down and shit. Who do you think you are to do that to me, huh?”
My mouth opens and closes as I struggle to form words. Why the hell would Tristan and Talon go out of their way to do all of that? Then it dawns on me. That must’ve been how they got the key to my place to begin with. They hadn’t broken in, so someone either had to have let them in or they were able to get in with a key.
I shake my head. “I didn’t have them say anything, I swear.” I try to pull out of his grasp, but his tight grip only hurts my biceps when I attempt to. “Look, I’ll have your money soon.”
He sweeps a hungry gaze along my form and licks his lips. “Maybe we can figure out another arrangement in order to settle your past due rent,” he says with a wicked grin. “You look like you have a good mouth on ya.” I yelp when he cups my pussy through my shorts. “And I bet you have a tight little pussy on you, too. I think that’s a fair trade, don’t you think?”
Bile rises in my throat as fear and disgust settle in my chest.
“And if you touch her like that again, I’ll kill you,” a menacing voice says behind us. The landlord and I whip our gazes around to find Talon standing a few feet away with a deep scowl. He narrows his gaze on my landlord. “That would be a fair trade, wouldn’t it?”
The landlord lets go of me and releases a nervous laugh before dabbing at a bead of sweat on his forehead. “I was just messin’.” He waves a dismissive hand. “I was just reminding my tenant that she’s a bit behind on rent, that’s all.”
Talon continues glaring at the landlord. “Get the fuck out of here before I decide to kill you anyway,” he states firmly. “I’m already not in a good mood.”
The large man scurries back down the unstable steps, leaving Talon and me alone. While I’m glad that he showed up and stopped a potentially bad situation, it’s strange to see him standing before me when he’s been a ghost for the last week.
“What are you doing here?” I ask after a long stretch of silence.
“That’s the first thing you say?” He frowns at me. “Not a thank you for saving your ass just now?”
I fold my arms across my chest. “I could’ve held my own.”
“Sure you could.” He scoffs and moves closer to me, leaning against the wall next to my apartment door. He watches me expectantly, like he’s waiting for me to unlock the door to let him in, but he still hasn’t told me why he’s here.
“Um…hello? Your reason for being here?” I ask.
He gives me a one-shoulder shrug. “Honestly? I don’t even know.” He sighs deeply and presses his back against the wall, pulling his gaze from me. “I feel so many different things when it comes to you that it’s frustrating me.”
His words make my heart flutter a little as I try to decipher what he means. “Like what?”
He stares down at the ratty, thin carpet that lines the floor. “I don’t think that’s a conversation to have in a hallway.”
I unlock the door and allow him to come inside. He slips his hands into the pockets of his jeans and steps inside, watching me as I close and lock the door. I turn to face him.
“Okay. Like what?” I repeat.
He walks over to the couch, but he doesn’t sit down. He frowns at me again, his face changing in a way that almost makes me nervous. “I’m sure you know that I’m pissed about you not telling us who you were the moment you realized who we were.” He blows out a tense breath and runs a frustrated hand through his hand. “But it’s not even just about that. Aside from you withholding information from us, Tristan and I never got over the way you left us, as if we meant nothing after Mom died. You abandoned us, and then you waltz back into our lives and lie about who you are…for what?”
Guilt unfolds in my chest when I think about the day I left their house. On the one hand, I want to tell them what happened, but it’s something I know neither of them is ready to know. It’s something I don’t even like to think about when I think about those times. Instead, I glance at Talon and shake my head.