Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 39161 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 196(@200wpm)___ 157(@250wpm)___ 131(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39161 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 196(@200wpm)___ 157(@250wpm)___ 131(@300wpm)
I was reluctant to say anything to break her concentration. She’d used to do this for hours. She said it was comforting. I didn’t have to start the conversation, though. Holly did it all on her own, after she’d thought through what she wanted to say. It was her way.
“Turns out, Andrea wasn’t as great a friend as I thought.” She gave a self-deprecating snort but looked anything but amused. She kept twirling on the stool.
“Some people are shit, baby. Don’t know what to tell you there.”
“The whole reason I came on this stupid trip was to protect her.” She stopped spinning, her hands gripping the workstation desk tightly. “I never guessed she might have her own agenda.” She turned her head to meet my gaze then. “Did she know about the attack, Jax?”
“Lookin’ that way, baby. Unless me and Shotgun are both wrong, it looks like she was eyeball deep in this shit. And believe me, it’s shit. I’d say the senator and Chris are both lookin’ at hard prison time, but this is the kind of stuff that gets people killed. Prison or not.”
“Yeah. Not that I expect anyone to go to prison.” She leveled me with a look. Yeah. This girl was definitely aware of how “Uncle El” dealt with problems like the Alistairs.
“You gonna be good with that?”
“With Chris? Yep. I won’t lose a moment’s sleep over that motherfucker.”
“But you’re upset over Andrea.”
“She’s been my friend for a long time. Even though I know in my heart she’s a horrible person, I need to know the why of it. Maybe she was threatened. In which case, it’s still not all right. But I’d rather she threw me under the bus than someone who didn’t have people who cared about them and were willing to put a sophisticated GPS tracker in my phone and my watch, then send an expensive paramilitary plane to come get them.”
“Dear Lord.” I sighed, rolling my eyes. “Holly, it is not OK for you to wade into danger. That’s what you have me for. Me and every man in the fuckin’ club. You tell us, and we take the danger.”
“I didn’t know, Jax,” she whispered, turning away from me. “I had a feeling, but that’s it. I couldn’t send in the cavalry based on a feeling. Besides, she’s my best friend. I gave her my misgivings and she didn’t share them. I was trying to protect her without causing problems for her.”
“Hey. Look at me.” She shook her head, but I stepped closer and gripped her chin gently and turned her head toward me. “Did you give me gray hairs with this stunt? Yeah. An abundance of them. I have a feeling it will always be like that with you. You were trying to protect a friend. While I wish you’d’ve gone to me or Wrath, I’m proud of you for protecting those you love. Just promise me that next time you’ll come to me. OK?”
“I suppose I owe you that much. More, even. So, yeah. I’ll make that promise.”
I grinned. “Good.” Then I brushed my lips over hers in a tender caress. It wasn’t an aggressive or intense kiss, but the sensation nearly brought me to my fucking knees. Holly was perfectly still beneath me. She was sitting on a raised stool, but I still towered over her. She didn’t resist, but didn’t participate for several seconds.
As I was about to pull back and reassess the situation, Holly sighed and surrendered to me. Her hands went to my sides, and she pulled me closer to her. I framed her face with my hands and deepened the kiss, lapping at the seam of her lips until she opened her mouth to let me inside.
The taste of her was intoxicating, the scent of her hair, the feeling of her body against mine. My heart pounded in my chest, a quick staccato rhythm. I pulled away reluctantly but needed to make sure she was good with my kiss. I hadn’t exactly asked her, though I knew Holly wasn’t the type of woman to sit passively while a man assaulted her. Not even me. Especially not me.
Her eyes fluttered open, wide with surprise and what I hoped was desire. Her breathing came in shallow pants, her cheeks flushed with a rosy hue. The sight of her -- tousled hair, swollen lips, and bright eyes -- nearly undid me. With all the self-control I could muster, I stepped back slightly.
“That was, uh,” she stuttered, searching for the right words. “Unexpected.”
“Is it?” I smiled at her, my hand still caressing her cheek.
A small crease formed on her forehead as she tried to process what had just happened. She narrowed her gaze in concentration. When she looked up, she framed my face in her hands much like I had hers and leaned in to kiss me.