Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 24983 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 125(@200wpm)___ 100(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24983 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 125(@200wpm)___ 100(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
Juniper had cemented her place in my life even more when my sister dropped by. As much as I’d hated the interruption, it had been worth it to see Juniper’s delight. And it was the first time I’d seen Maggie relax around anyone but me in two decades. She’d been taken aback when Juniper outright asked about her skin and magic in a way that showed my girl was truly interested as a friend trying to get to know another and not as someone trying to pry into the life and mind of a freak.
When Juniper asked Maggie to show her a few spells, I finally called a halt to their shenanigans. I wanted to be alone with my girl.
Juniper complained for about five seconds until she saw the hungry, desperate look in my eyes. Then she turned an adorable shade of crimson and escorted my sister to the door. Juniper gave her a jaunty wave right before she slammed it shut and climbed me like a tree.
“I won’t be long,” Juniper piped up, pulling me from my daydreams about her sexy body and all the things I’d done—and still wanted to do—to her.
“I’m coming with you,” I told Juniper firmly. I didn’t know her parents and therefore had no clue how they would react to this situation. From the things she had said, they were extremely controlling—as evidenced by the stunt they pulled with that asshole. She hadn’t indicated that they would hurt her, but I wasn’t taking any chances.
Juniper looked as though she might argue but obviously realized from my expression that I wasn’t going to budge. “Okay. Just promise to let me handle it.”
I snorted and grabbed her hand to place a kiss on the back. “I will promise you no such thing. I will always protect you, no matter what.”
Juniper’s face turned soft, and she leaned across the car to brush a soft kiss over my lips. “Let’s go.”
Our main purpose in returning was to get some of her things because she would spend the rest of the trip at the cabin. But we also needed to convince her parents to let her go. She was too old for them to tell her what to do, but I wouldn't put it past them to do something outrageous in order to keep their control over her. Like calling the police and telling them I’d kidnapped Juniper. Not that it would do them much good. The cops in these towns were pussies and too afraid to venture into Screaming Woods. But it would be annoying as fuck to deal with it when I left my little town.
I grabbed my gloves from the dash and pulled them on, then got out of the car and went around to open Juniper’s door. Usually, I would lace our fingers together, but with the gloves on, it wasn’t possible. Instead, I slipped my arm around her waist and cursed the layers of fabric between us. I couldn’t wait to get back home and hold my girl with our naked skin pressed together.
Juniper led the way to one of the villas just beyond the pool, with the expansive golf course behind it. She swiped her key card, and the click of the lock disengaging sounded ominous in my ears. Like a warning shit was about to go down.
The moment we stepped inside, a woman screeched so loud it hurt my ears.
“Juniper! Where have you been?” the woman I assumed was her mother demanded while pacing in the open living space. An older, portly man stood off to the left, glaring at my girl in a way that had me on edge.
Well, at least they cared enough to—
“You disappeared and ruined things with James!”
Scratch that.
“And you lied to us about spending the night with him.” Her mother suddenly noticed me hovering behind her daughter. “Is this who you were with?” She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. “Please tell me you didn’t throw away your chance at a relationship with James and put your father’s deal in jeopardy so you could have a fling with…with…”
She opened her eyes and looked at me with disgust, then threw out her hand in my direction as she finished. “With this lumberjack?”
I muffled a snort of laughter. She said that like it was an insult, but the last time Juniper had watched me chop wood, she’d called me a sexy lumberjack right before she dropped to her knees and took me in her mouth.
Juniper was clearly remembering the same thing because her cheeks turned bright red and she shifted restlessly. “Um, first of all. I never even agreed to a date with James, much less a relationship. And did it ever occur to you that foisting a stranger on me might be a little freaking terrifying?”
“You knew who he was, Juniper,” her father said, finally joining the conversation. “You hadn’t met him yet, but once he introduced himself, you had no reason not to keep your date with him.”