Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 70797 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70797 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
She was a big smartass, but the second my mouth was on hers, she was completely cooperative.
I pulled away but kept my face close to hers. “You’ll kiss me when I say so.” I turned away then kneeled down to the snow. With my bare hands, I constructed a small snow ball. I lifted it and placed it on top of the snowman.
Vanessa chucked a snowball at the side of my face, the cold ice striking me right on the cheek.
I turned back to her, my eyes narrowed. “You don’t want to play that game with me.”
“Come on, I’m a good shot.” She wore a playful smile on her face, the sunlight highlighting the beautiful color of her skin. Her eyes were full of life despite her current circumstances. Nothing could keep this woman down for long.
“If you were a good shot, I’d be dead right now.”
She rolled her eyes. “Guns are different. I don’t use them often. I only shot someone one time before—and I didn’t miss then.”
The playful mood immediately evaporated when I heard what she said. “You shot and killed someone?”
“Yeah.” She pulled out the carrot and shoved it into the center of the snowman’s face. She brushed off the conversation like it was casual, like the current circumstances we were in was completely normal.
My attention was only on her, not the snowman she was making. “Who and why?”
“My future sister-in-law had some asshole who was obsessed with her. So he kidnapped me and said he would only set me free if my brother released his girlfriend. He wanted to make a trade. But I ran for it instead, got a gun, and shot one of his henchmen in the skull. I didn’t have time to check, but I’m pretty sure he died.”
Pride rushed through me, pleased that Vanessa was smart and cunning enough to escape her captors. She didn’t think twice before she claimed a man’s life. Life wasn’t as simple as people thought it was, and those who would rather die than take a life deserved to die anyway. Vanessa acted quickly and got herself out of a bad situation. She tried to do the same with me, but I was a much harder opponent. “Did you kill the guy who took you?”
“No. My mom did. She had a gun, but she strangled him with a rope. I’ve never seen my mom look like that…look so terrifying.”
Had she been as vicious with my father?
Vanessa must have picked up on my mood because her gaze shifted to my face, full of concern. “What?”
I stared at her beautiful face and did my best to combat the rage burning in my blood. I was an orphan because of Vanessa’s family. I had everything stripped from me. I was punished for a crime that occurred when I wasn’t even alive. It didn’t matter how attracted I was to this woman. The lines between us couldn’t be blurred. She was my enemy. She would always be my enemy. “Nothing.”
We had dinner together.
Vanessa must have known I was in a bad mood because she didn’t make conversation. She drank her wine and cut into her chicken, being so quiet it was like she wasn’t even there.
I stared at her hard across the table, my jaw tense throughout the entire meal. This woman was so beautiful but so deadly to me. She had the life I should have had, loved by both of her parents with a life of luxury. While she was going to recitals and private school, I was in an orphanage or living on the street. She had it easy. I had it fucking hard.
“You need to let it go.”
I stopped chewing for a second, surprised by what she said. I finished my food before I swallowed. “Meaning?”
“You’ve been pissed since I mentioned my mom earlier. It’s the only explanation for your mood swing.”
“It’s not a mood swing. I’m always ticked.”
“Well, you’re more ticked than usual.”
“I hate your mother. You think that’s ever going to change?” I gripped my fork so hard it hurt my fingertips. “Fuck me as good as you want, but my hatred will never settle. Your family ruined my life. They will pay for what they did.”
She stilled at my words, her own anger slowly filling the room. “Be careful what you say, Bones. You know I’ll defend their honor to my final breath, even turn this delicious dinner into a knife fight.”
“You’d be dead before you could even grab your weapon.” I picked up my scotch and took a long drink.
“Don’t underestimate me.”
“I don’t.” She might come in a small package, but she was packed with intelligence and strength. She proved to me that she was a formidable opponent. I knew it the moment I electrocuted her in the neck and she didn’t stop running.