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)
I didn’t see how their crimes equaled death.
Levi inhaled sharply. “No one gets to hurt you and live.”
“But it’s just a broken arm.”
His gaze dropped to my mouth. “Sweetheart, I would kill them for less.”
“But … I don’t want them to die. Haisley shouldn’t lose another sibling. That’s not fair. She’s already suffered losing one. AJ was nice to me. He got mad at Gina for hurting me. And Gina was just jealous and angry with me because I think she loves you. They shouldn’t die.”
Levi lowered his head and pressed a small kiss on my lips, but said nothing.
Thirty-Five
Levi
The pain meds that Carmichael had given Aspen knocked her out. I had propped her cast up with a pillow and one behind her back to keep her from rolling over. Sitting on the side of the bed, I watched her slow breathing.
Dr. Andrus had said he wanted her to come to the hospital for some tests next week. He had assured me she was fine, but he needed to check some things. That had fucked my head up even more.
Leaving her long enough to go underground and deal with the motherfuckers who had taken her from me was even more than I could manage right now. Leaving her in here alone wasn’t going to be possible. Not yet. I needed to watch over her. I’d texted Blaise and told him it was going to have to wait until tomorrow.
The strange emotion that had been controlling me since I had gotten the phone call today was as powerful as it was confusing. Suddenly, I had one singular concern in this world, and she was currently asleep in my bed. If I could have her and keep her close, then nothing else mattered. I couldn’t say I was happy about it, but the idea of losing her caused dark shit to happen in my head.
How had we gotten here? Had it been inevitable? Had I caused it by putting her in my bed? The possessive behavior? Did the why or how even fucking matter?
I was keeping her. There was no end to this. If she wanted a house, fence, dog, whatever, I would give it to her. Goddamn … admitting that to myself was brutal. It was true though. She was mine.
A whimper came from her lips, and a frown pinched her face. I moved quickly, putting my arm over her waist as I lay down beside her.
“It’s okay,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to the side of her head.
She calmed and tried to snuggle in closer to me in her sleep. Grinning, I watched her, feeling that burst of warmth in my chest.
“Levi,” she mumbled.
“Yes, baby?”
She didn’t say anything more as she continued to sleep. I was in her dreams. Fuck, that made me happy. Closing my eyes, I inhaled her sweet scent.
When I opened my eyes again, it was dark outside, but I could see Aspen’s gaze on me.
“Hey,” I said, realizing I’d fallen asleep. “How are you feeling?”
She winced slightly as she shifted closer to me. “I think I need some Tylenol.”
Shit. How long had she been lying here, awake and in pain? I got up quickly and went to get her glass of water and the meds on the dresser.
“Are you hungry?” I asked her.
“A little.”
“What do you want? I’ll go get it.”
I took the water over to her as she sat up.
“I can go down to the kitchen and fix something.”
I shook my head. “No. I need you to stay in my room.”
“You need me to?”
“Yeah. That shit today was too much. Keeping you in my room is a requirement for my sanity.”
She laughed, and the sound of it made me smile. Damn, I loved her laugh.
“You think that’s funny?”
She nodded.
“My possessiveness is amusing, huh?”
She took the water and pills from me.
“A little,” she admitted, then swallowed the meds.
“I guess I should be glad you find it funny and that it doesn’t scare you.”
“Why would that scare me?”
I leaned over and took the water from her. “If you knew the fucked up shit going on in my head right now, you’d understand.”
She dropped her gaze. “I don’t … I’m not sure how to feel about you. About who you are. What I saw today, it was terrifying. But here, with me, you’re a different person.”
I’d expected this. Sitting on the bed, I put my finger under her chin and made her lift her head to look at me. Those fucking green eyes of hers were so easy to read. She wore her emotions right there. No hidden truths. Nothing.
“What I do and who I am with you are two different things. They always will be. I’m sorry you had to see it, and I want to swear to you that you’ll never see it again. But I can’t. If your life is in danger, then I will react. You’re … you’re my world now, Aspen. No one is going to hurt you or take you from me. I’ll always protect you. The man you saw today was what I become when I have to. It’s not all the time. This is my life. It’s who I was raised to be. My family has been a part of this for a hundred years. We’re a family. You’re a part of that family now.”