Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 68354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 342(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 342(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
“Steal you away,” I tell her. “Lock you up in cuffs in my office so you can’t leave me.” And even though I’m teasing her, my stomach tightens because I don’t like the idea of her being apart from me.
I’ve never cared about anyone leaving me before. I was always the one who walked away.
But with Cora? Hell, this is different.
“I’m not going anywhere, Liam,” she says quietly, but we don’t get to talk anymore about it, because we’re pulling up to her apartment building, and she’s got to get ready.
“Want me to come up?” I ask her. I don’t like to go up unless she grants me permission. And sometimes she still prefers to have some privacy with Bailey and Ben. I get that.
“Yeah,” she says, “if you don’t mind.” Shooting me a sheepish grin, she tucks her head. “Honestly, Liam, Ben’s been asking for you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I say, getting out of the car with her and taking her by the hand. This time, there’s no screeching landlord to interrupt us, because I sent that bitch a check to cover six month’s rent with a nice little note telling her scarcity around Cora would be a really fantastic decision.
“Well, you’re busy,” she says.
“Is that really it?”
She’s much better about being honest with me these days, and I like to think I’m better about reading her. I know there’s more to it than my busyness.
“He talks about you a lot… I’m worried he’s getting attached,” she says quietly, as we enter her apartment building. I step around a couple making out in the hallway with disgust and lift her right up and over a guy vaping on his back under the stairwell with his legs jetting out.
Jesus, she was right about not bringing me in here. I don’t give a shit about her furniture or the too-thin walls, but I do care about her safety.
She isn’t yours.
The fuck she isn’t.
I can’t bother about that now, though. I can’t let it eat at me, because Cora isn’t mine for the keeping.
“We only have two weeks left to our contract, Liam,” she says, and right before we get to her door, she turns and faces me. Dropping her voice, that wobbles a little when she speaks, she places her palm on my chest. I wonder if she can feel the hammering of my heart. I don’t want to talk to her about this. I don’t want to face it.
“I know,” I tell her.
“And I—” her voice trails off. She swallows, inhales, then raises her eyes to mine. “I don’t want him getting too attached. You know that.”
“Yeah,” I tell her.
She’s worried about a ten-year-old boy getting attached? Hell, I don’t know how I’m going to handle it when our contract is up and I’m a full-grown man.
A full-grown man who’s in danger of breaking his own fucking contract.
Cora freezes when she looks at the bottom of the door. Smoke creeps out in tendrils.
Shit.
Shoving her key in, she yanks the door open, and billows of smoke fill the hallway. She tries to get in ahead of me, but I shove her behind me and barge in.
“Hey! What’s going on in here?”
“Oh, God, Liam,” Bailey moans. She’s standing in front of the stove and there are flames leaping out of it.
“Get out of the way,” I order. “Cora, get them in the hall.”
Smoke chokes me and I hear them scrambling behind me. Blinded, I squint my eyes and look for something to put the flames out but there’s nothing. The stove stands between me and the sink, and I can’t get to the water.
“Liam, get out of there!” Cora yells. “It’s climbing up the cupboards and they could fall on you!” I look quickly and realize this isn’t some small kitchen fire, but it’s already progressed to serious.
I turn to look at Cora when something falls and hits me. I get to the floor and cover my head when I look into the hall and see the sign fire extinguisher.
“Get the fire extinguisher!” I yell to her.
“There’s nothing there!” she shouts. “It’s empty! Ben!”
“Where is he?” Jesus, I thought he was with Bailey but in the confusion, he’s run back in for something. I see his blue sneakers below the smoke and push myself to standing, choking on the fumes.
“Get the hell out of here,” I growl at him and reach for him, but he darts away, screaming something about his bag. Jesus.
I run after him and grab him by the back of the shirt, yank him to me, and shove him toward the door. We get to the hallway just in time, as the kitchen literally crashes and falls to pieces behind us. Huge flames engulf the entire little area.
“Get out of here!” I tell Cora. “You make sure Bailey’s safe, I’ve got Ben!”