Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 29124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 146(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 146(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
She narrows her eyes, trying to size me up, but her phone buzzes again, louder this time in the silence. She pulls it out, stares at the screen like it’s got the answers to every bad decision she’s ever made. Her jaw tightens, and I can see the tension ratcheting up a notch.
I’m not in the mood to dance around this.
“You gonna keep letting him get to you?” I push off the wall, closing some of the space between us. “Or do you want me to show you how to block his ass?”
Her head snaps up, her eyes flashing with something—anger, frustration, maybe both. “It’s not that simple.”
I take another step, not letting her off the hook. “Sure it is. You hit block, and boom—he’s gone. Simple.”
She shakes her head, looking away, her fingers tightening around the phone like it’s her lifeline. “You don’t understand. Cutting him off isn’t just... easy.”
I watch her, reading between the lines. This isn’t just about blocking a number. There’s more to it. She’s still tethered to that old life, whatever it was. That city. That guy. It’s written all over her, no matter how much she tries to hide it.
“Let me guess,” I say, my voice dropping. “He’s got some kind of hold on you. Makes you think you still need him, right? That without him, you can’t handle it on your own.”
She flinches, and I know I’ve hit a nerve. Her jaw clenches, and she looks at me, her voice sharp. “It’s not like that.”
“Then what’s it like?” I don’t back down, taking another step closer, my eyes locked on hers. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like he’s still pulling your strings.”
Her eyes flash with something more complicated this time—anger, maybe, or something deeper. “You don’t know anything about my life,” she snaps. “About why I left the city, or why he keeps calling. So don’t pretend you do.”
I nod, keeping my voice steady. “You’re right. I don’t know the details. But I know a guy like that doesn’t deserve your attention. Hell, he doesn’t deserve your time, Bella.”
She opens her mouth to fire something back at me, but her phone buzzes again. The name flashes across the screen for a second before she flips it face-down on the counter like she can ignore it if she just doesn’t look.
I step in closer, not leaving her any room to hide. “Block him,” I say, my voice low but firm. “Now. Or I will.”
She stares at me, her chest rising and falling a little faster now, like she’s trying to keep her composure, but it’s slipping. “You think it’s that easy,” she says, her voice softer now but still edged with tension. “To just cut ties with everything I used to be? With the life I built?”
“I think if you don’t, you’ll never be free of it.” The words come out blunt, but they need to. I can feel the pull between us, feel her resisting the inevitable. She’s tied to something she doesn’t even want, and it’s keeping her from whatever this is between us.
She hesitates, her hand hovering over the phone. I can see the war going on inside her, the way she’s torn between what she knows she should do and what she’s still holding on to.
I take another step, invading her space, my voice a low growl. “Bella, block him. You’re better than this.”
Her eyes snap to mine, something fierce and conflicted flashing in them. For a moment, the air between us is thick, crackling with tension. I can feel it buzzing between us, something raw, something undeniable.
Then, with a sharp breath, she grabs the phone. Her fingers move fast, and a second later, she tosses it back on the counter. The buzzing stops.
“There,” she says, her voice tight, almost defiant. “Happy?”
I grin, stepping back, letting the tension ease just a little. “Not yet. But it’s a start.”
She rolls her eyes, but I catch the small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. She’s trying to hide it, but I see it. And I know she’s feeling it too.
“You’re infuriating, you know that?” she mutters.
I chuckle, bending back down to finish the wiring. “So I’ve been told.”
The silence stretches between us, and I can feel her watching me. The air between us is still buzzing, thick with everything unsaid. But now, at least, the noise from her past is gone. For now.
“You think you’ve got all the answers, don’t you?” she asks after a moment, her voice lighter but still laced with something I can’t quite place.
I glance up at her, grinning. “I never said that. But I know how to handle guys like him. And I know what I want.”
Her lips part, like she’s about to say something, but she stops, biting her bottom lip instead. The way she’s looking at me—it’s like she’s torn between wanting to punch me and wanting to kiss me.