Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
“What the hell?” I lose my balance a smidge. Standing on one foot for so long will make a girl do that. My purse that was on the chair goes tumbling down. Damn myself for not closing the zipper, and just my luck, too, because as I start to bend down to gather up the items, mainly my phone because that’s what is an absolute necessity at this point in time, I don’t look at anything else, not the paraphernalia that I’m ignoring. No way am I even touching that. Not the lube in a single-size packet. And the condoms. Seriously, five? The cough drops. What could those even be used for? Or the round ring contraption. But you know what? I don’t want to know. I’m done. My luck sucks. This is the case in point. There’s absolutely nothing that could go worse right now than where I’m already at.
“Look at me, Cadence.” Okay, I take that back. If this is the world coming at me from each and every angle, it can fuck right off. I don’t do what Santiago says in that dominating, authoritative voice. My phone becomes blurry. I furiously blink eyes because I will be damned if Santiago sees me wallow in self-pity.
“No.” My voice is cracking, emotion taking over, and I hate myself a little bit more. How could I be so stupid to think money could come so easily, that my dream was in the palm of my hand? I could feel it, taste it, and went after it. If this has taught me anything at all, it’s that the universe is waving a flag stating ‘Fuck you’. I bring my phone closer to my face, attempting to gain focus so I can unlock the damn thing. Another thing on my laundry list of items to get taken care of, replacing it with one that holds a longer charge, one that’s not so slow and five years old. That’s why when I bring it up, trying to unlock it, I see that it’s dead. “If the world could swallow me whole right about not, it would be better,” I tell myself more than Santiago.
“Cadence, cariño, look at me.” Fingertips touch my chin, tipping it upwards. My eyes close for more than the reason of hiding from him. Santiago’s touch is hypnotizing and magnetizing wrapped together. Butterflies are swirling in more than just my stomach; it’s a whole body sensation.
“I… Can I use your phone?” I look at Santiago’s face this time, unable to hold back any further, allowing my tears to overflow.
“You can, but first we’re going to talk. I want all the information, from the source, which is you, then I’m going to make things right, okay?” His eyes leave mine momentarily, his cheeks hollowing out, annoyance creeping in with the way his jaw is set in stone yet again. I’ve been on that side of his wrath enough that my head shakes, the universal sign of telling him no. I don’t want him to yell. I don’t want to fall again. The only thing I want is the comfort of my bed, the sheets and comforter pulled over my head, flannel pajamas warding off the cold air as I cry to my heart’s content.
“I can’t do this. No, no, no.” I go to stand up, attempting to at least, yet once again I’m swooped off my feet. Santiago wraps me up until we’re chest to chest, my legs having nowhere to go besides around his waist.
“Calm down. Nothing bad is going to happen to you, not now and not anymore,” he croons into my ear. I’m pretty sure everything bad that could happen to me did, so what he means by that, I’m not entirely sure. It also doesn’t help calm down the tears. It’s like that time when people tell you to quit crying, only you do the opposite, which is what I’m doing right now. My head hits Santiago’s chest as I try to burying myself inside his warmth, using him as a comfort when I barely know him.
“That’s not helping me right now, Santiago,” I mutter through my crying jag.
“Get it all out, then we’ll talk, and I’ll see who I’m going to kill,” he says with a grumble. I’d laugh if I weren’t so upset with how things are playing out. As if he could take care of everything with a snap of his fingers. I don’t respond. Instead, I do what he said, crying to my heart’s content as he makes his way to the couch, going back to where this all started, hands cupping the cheeks of my ass. Thankfully, my dress isn’t up around my ass, or this would be really awkward. Though, the way my body is reacting to his and his to mine, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all.