Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 82798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
“What happened?” I asked Saxon, not liking that this had something to do with Aspen.
I should have sent Kye, but I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want him near her. Not right now. I needed time to get over him being so close to her.
“Girl who volunteers there, her brother. He was interested in Aspen, and the sister is nice—I mean, she’s fucking gorgeous. But the brother … he doesn’t seem safe.”
Dammit! Aspen had wanted to work at the hospital, and I had made it happen even though I didn’t want to share her. Now, she’d worked one fucking day, and there is already some shit looking at her.
“Did he touch her?” I asked through clenched teeth.
“No, I wouldn’t have allowed it. But he made her uncomfortable. She was tense, and she walked close to my side, like she was scared of him.”
The image he was putting in my head wasn’t helping my mental stability. I was teetering near the edge. I needed to get to her. Talk to her. Make sure she was okay. Then, I needed his goddamn name. He wouldn’t get near her ever again.
“You good?” Gage asked, studying me.
I didn’t respond as I tried to tap down the fury unrolling itself from the tight ball I kept it in.
“This about Aspen?” Gage asked Saxon.
“Yeah.”
“Fuck. You want me to get him out of here before he rips this guy’s throat out before he talks?” Gage asked.
I could feel Blaise studying me. The thumping under my skin was getting worse.
“Saxon, get Kye down here. Levi, go handle your shit before you snap.”
I didn’t wait for Blaise to say more before I turned and left. Getting to Aspen was the only thing that could cool this off. Everyone else needed to stay out of my way until I got to her. The motherfucker who had scared her would be dealt with after I knew she was okay.
“He’s going to kill someone,” I heard Gage say as I walked down the tunnel.
“He didn’t touch Aspen. Just scared her,” Saxon replied.
“Yep, the fucker’s dead,” Gage said matter-of-factly.
He knew me well.
Stalking through the house, I listened for Aspen’s voice, but it was silent. I checked outside, and the pool area was empty. The urgency to see her was pounding against my chest as I took the stairs two at a time. When I reached my bedroom door, I flung it open, then froze.
Aspen was curled up in a ball in the middle of my bed. Her hair was damp, and she had on one of my shirts. I took her in, trying to calm myself down. She was there, safe, fine. Nothing had happened to her.
While keeping my eyes on her, I untied my boots, then slipped them off. Jerked the shirt I had on over my head and tossed it onto the floor before discarding my jeans, then climbed into bed beside her. I wrapped my arm around her and brought her up against my chest, then inhaled. That helped. That fucking helped a lot.
“Levi?” Her soft voice was raspy.
“Yeah, baby,” I replied, pressing a kiss to her head. “Go back to sleep. I just need to hold you.”
She turned to look back at me. “Are you okay?”
“I am now.”
A small smile touched her lips.
“Did you have a good day?” I asked her.
“Yes. Thank you.”
I brushed some hair from her face. “Anything happen that upset you?”
She studied me for a moment before replying, “Why would you ask me that?”
I didn’t like that she wasn’t telling me. “Because I need to know if anything happens that bothers you or scares you.”
A frown touched her face. “Is this about Haisley’s brother?”
“You tell me.”
She sighed and rolled over until she was facing me. “Haisley is great. She’s so easy to work with, and she is excellent with the kids. Her younger sister died of leukemia five years ago, and she’s been volunteering there ever since.”
Fuck. She had a dead kid sister. “What about the brother, Aspen?”
“He was flirty—more like cocky, I guess. She wasn’t scared of him and yelled at him a few times. So, he’s not dangerous. He just bothered me when he looked at me.”
My arms tightened around her. “How long were you around him?”
“Not long. He just came to get her. He is just visiting for a few days. I doubt I’ll see him again.”
That was good. I could live with it.
Thirty-Two
Aspen
The last two weeks, Levi had been bringing me to volunteer at the hospital. Yesterday had been the first day that Saxon picked me up again.
Levi had met Haisley and not given her more than a nod when I introduced them before his eyes locked back on me. In that moment, my world seemed perfect. He hadn’t been unable to look away from her and hadn’t even noticed her beauty. My heart had soared.