Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 54589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 273(@200wpm)___ 218(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 273(@200wpm)___ 218(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
His mouth finds my mouth, his tongue licking deep, the taste of him a wicked mix of fear and desperation I once thought him incapable of feeling. And then he’s cupping my face, searching for answers, even before he demands, “Tell me you’re okay. Tell me they didn’t hurt you.”
“I’m okay.” I slide my arms under his jacket and around him, the warmth of his body like coming home. “Now I am. You’re here. I tried to call, and you didn’t answer. I didn’t know if you got the text. And some of the staff is on their payroll and I didn’t think I could leave without—”
“I got the text,” he says, “and I got you now. And I swear to you, Bella, they will never touch you again.”
“Bella!”
At the sound of Dash’s voice now, too, we rotate toward Dash as he literally halts in front of me and drags me to him, hugging me hard and fast. “You scared the shit out of us, little sis.” He catches my arms, inspecting me. “Are you hurt?”
“No,” I say, and it feels good to be with the two men who mean the most to me in life, with my family. I poke at his chest playfully. “The man who kidnapped me was a fan of your books. I think that worked in my favor.”
He laughs. “Yeah, well, I’d hate to kill a fan, but I think I might have to.”
A gasp sounds near the door, and we all turn our attention to the woman who’s entered the bathroom, and who’s gone from shocked to indignant with supersonic speed. “What is going on in here?” she demands.
Tyler ignores her, and folds my chest to his, his entire focus on me. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Yes,” I say. “Please.”
We share a look with Dash, and then the three of us walk past the woman without saying a word. The travel through the lobby is intense, at least for me, as I expect someone to confront us, and some wild explosion of conflict to unfold. But nothing happens. We exit to the front of the hotel, and Dash’s car is front and center, waiting on us. That’s when Dash motions to the now familiar bellman, who eyes me with a keen stare but says nothing. He simply grabs the key for Dash and walks in our direction. I’m bubbling over with the need for confrontation and when Dash would tip the man, I catch his arm and say, “Don’t. The Allen family tipped him plenty.”
The bellman’s eyes go wide. “That wasn’t what it seemed.”
“It was exactly how it seemed,” I snap back. “And I will never, ever forget your face.”
“Now we know who you are,” Tyler adds, his voice as icy as a winter storm. “There’s a lot I can do with that information.” He glances at the man’s badge. “Tony. But don’t worry. I’ll keep it between us. It’s better that way. At least for me. Let’s go home, Bella.” With that, he turns me toward the car. And for the first time since this started, I think beyond the moment, to the war that has been started and that will surely burn us all alive.
I can almost feel Hawk Senior looking up from hell with a smile on his face.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Bella
Tyler and I slide into the backseat of Dash’s car and in the moments it takes for Dash to join us, Tyler is kissing me again. “You scared the shit out of me, woman,” he says, stroking my hair. “I was not okay without you.” The confession is downright guttural, spoken from some deep, tormented part of this man’s soul he once guarded with stone.
Now it’s exposure, cut open and raw, and I pray that’s not a problem for us. I pray that all I know about him and how he shuts down, how he shuts me out, will not prove a reality. We are in this together. We are in love. We can get through this. Or I can. Maybe I’m not sure with Tyler, not after last night.
“Wait for the bedroom, you two,” Dash grumbles, yanking his door shut. “She’s still my damn sister, asshole,” he adds, eyeing Tyler in his mirror. “I don’t want to see that shit. The ride is short. Hold it together.” He pulls us away from the hotel and not a moment too soon as far as I’m concerned, but I stay in the moment, living and loving my freedom.
And as for Dash’s reprimand, I laugh at the brotherly love he’s throwing at Tyler, and therefore me. “Now you know what it’s like every time I’m with you and Allie,” I tease, but quickly turn somber with her mention. “Does she know what happened?”
“No,” he says, eyeing me in the mirror. “She would have gotten in the middle of this and gotten hurt.”