Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 122242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
"For someone who swears he wants me to have freedom, you have a funny way of showing it, Detective. At least with Nikolai, I knew where I stood. I knew hope was fruitless," I mutter. "You lie about it, just so you can snatch it away."
He jerks like I hit him.
"Take my door off the hinges, and I'll never forgive you," I swear, tears burning at my eyes. Luckily, before he can respond, Roman pulls into the driveway in his truck, distracting him. I hurry my steps until I'm practically running for the safety of Roman and Mila's house.
Octavio says something behind me, but I don't stop until I'm knocking on the front door. Mila throws it open a second later, her bright smile falling when her gaze lands on me.
"Are you okay?" she asks, stepping aside for me to enter. Her gaze goes past me to Octavio and Roman and then back to me.
"I'm fine," I lie, brushing at my damp cheeks.
She searches my face like she wants to demand the truth, but whatever she finds there seems to convince her to let it go. Instead of asking anything else, she bites her lip and nods. "Come on," she says, pushing the door closed with a wicked smirk. "Let's go hide from Roman and see how long it takes him to find me."
"Not very long," I murmur, not doubting that he'll find her within thirty seconds of walking in the door. He always comes looking for her as soon as he gets home. He doesn't even say hi to me or Luke until he's set eyes on her and seen for himself that she's okay. It's honestly too cute for words.
He's about three times her size, but he's obviously wrapped around her little finger. I think his favorite place in the world is at her side. She might tease and defy him at every available opportunity, but it's obvious she's just as enamored as he is.
The way they look at each other makes my heart ache. All my life, I've wanted someone to look at me like they look at each other. I've wanted someone to love me, to choose me. My mind drifts to Octavio, to the soft way he looks at me and how that makes me feel before I quickly shut down that train of thought.
He doesn't want me. He's made that more than clear. And right now, I'm not even sure if I want him. I definitely don't want the man willing to hurt me like he did this morning. Maybe it's time to stop deluding myself into believing he cares about me and start accepting that, just like with Nikolai, I'm a means to an end for him. He may pretend to be nicer about it, but at the end of the day, he's capable of cruelty too. He wants to use me too.
I am so done being used.
Chapter Nine
Octavio
"Hernandez, get in here!" Franklin yells from his office.
I pause in the act of writing a report and glance toward the door to my office, which is right across the hall from his. "One second!" I yell back.
"Now, Hernandez!"
"Mierda," I mutter, quickly saving the report so I don't lose it. Rewriting a report is a pain in the ass. And I've already got enough of those right now.
I was supposed to be in court all day, but my case got called early…only for a member of the defendant's family to be caught recording video of the jury less than an hour into the proceedings. A new jury will have to be called before the case can be tried now. Who knows how long that'll take?
Faith has barely spoken to me since she kissed me. She refuses to let me explain that I didn't pull away because I don't want her. I wanted to toss her down on the couch and fuck her until neither of us could move.
I stopped her because she isn't ready for what I want. Not even two minutes before she kissed me, she told me she wants freedom more than anything. She's still counting on me to give it to her.
And I can't know what it's like to have her and then let her go. I'm not that guy, as much as she thinks I am. When it come to her, I realize a little more every day that I'm a selfish prick, willing to break every rule and defy every goddamn oath to keep her by my side.
But I can't even tell her that. She's completely frozen me out, refusing to even acknowledge me most of the time. Rick Sanders quit his job the day after she kissed me, but she barely even reacted to the news.
Dios. I never should have threatened to take her door off the hinges. It was fucked up. But her locking me out drove me crazy. I don't like not being able to get to her.