Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 32732 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32732 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)
“I’ll be over in the morning to pick her up,” I told him. “What time do you normally leave here for work?”
“Seven,” he told me.
I nodded. “Call me if anything happens.”
He nodded. “Got it.”
I quickly left his apartment and quietly shut his door behind me, thoughts of Montana on my mind.
I might not have been able to cure her pain or get a doctor to prescribe her some real pain meds, but I had been able to make sure her mother and her fucking boyfriend couldn’t hurt her again.
Montana was mine. And if you fucked with what belonged to me, I’d make you fucking disappear.
* * *
Montana was having one of her days when I showed up the next morning to pick her up. As soon as I opened the door, Jonah looked a bit relieved.
“I care a fuck ton about her,” he said before I could say anything, “but I don’t know what the hell to do. She’s fighting me every step of the way this morning.”
I moved past him and stalked toward his room. Montana was sitting on the bed, looking haggard and tired. She was still in the clothes she’d slept in, her hair still a mess. She looked up at me with a frown. “Not you, too,” she muttered.
“Cut the shit, sweetheart,” I told her, used to her being like this. She was always pushing my buttons.
I knew she was in pain, so I knew it was just going to make her mood that much worse. But like hell was I letting her shut down just because she couldn’t cope with what was going on around her and inside her head.
“I told Jonah I wanted to stay here today,” she snapped.
I shrugged. “Tough luck, Montana. He has to work, and he has a garage to run.”
She fisted her hands, flinching as she did so. “I can take care of myself. I don’t need a babysitter,” she spat.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Really?” I asked her. I gestured for her to get up. “Then get off the bed, Montana. Prove to me that you can take care of yourself.”
Tears glittered in her eyes. She knew as well as I did that she couldn’t. But she was confused and lost, just as her brother said she was, and she was lashing out.
“I hate you,” she whispered.
I smirked. Her words didn’t even hurt me; they just amused me. Because I knew what she really felt for me, and it sure as fuck wasn’t hate.
I moved toward her and gently grabbed her beneath her arms, lifting her from the bed. Her legs shook as she put pressure on them, and her hands came up to grasp at my arms, pain twisting her features.
“Easy,” I rumbled. “I’ve got you. I won’t let you fall. Just walk,” I soothed.
I slowly—painstakingly slowly—led her to the bathroom. I smirked down into her face. “We’re about to become extremely comfortable with each other, sweetheart,” I warned her.
She groaned, her eyes closing, her face heating beneath the bruises. I eased her onto the toilet and stood back as she relieved herself. Once she was done, I helped her clean up and wash her hands before helping her back to the bedroom. Jonah was already waiting with some clothes, and she allowed him to help her dress.
He cupped her face in his hands afterward and brushed his lips to hers. “Try not to give him a hard time, yeah? We just want to take care of you, Montana.”
She sighed. “I hate that,” she whispered.
He brushed his nose with hers. “I know, but we’ll help you come to terms with it.” He kissed her again. “I’ve got to go. If you need me, call me.”
With that, he nodded once at me and quickly left the apartment. Montana pointed to the nightstand. “There’s a key to the apartment there so we can lock up,” she quietly told me.
I grabbed the key and put it in my pocket before lifting her into my arms. She moaned in discomfort. I brushed my lips to her forehead before carrying her out of the apartment and down to my truck. Once she was settled and as comfortable as she could get, I jogged back inside and locked his apartment before coming back to the truck.
Once I was inside the truck, I turned to her. “You do know that Jonah and I know about each other, right?” I asked her.
She didn’t say anything. She just continued staring out the windshield. I blew out a soft breath. “Montana, pushing us away isn’t going to work. I wish you luck, but you’re not going to accomplish it.”
“It’s not right,” she whispered as I pulled onto the road.
I shrugged. “Not right for us, or not right by society’s standards, Montana?” I asked her in all seriousness. “Because as far as I’m concerned, you need both of us. Jonah can be soft with you when I can’t.” I glanced over at her. She was staring down at her lap. “I frankly don’t give a fuck what other people think. You shouldn’t either.”