Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 100226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
“You did, though. You could have told me. My God, Holden, I could have gotten my dad involved, and—”
“You don’t understand.” I turn to her again and brush her hair behind her ear. “I couldn’t risk you, and I couldn’t risk my sister. There was no choice for me. I had to make you hate me because there was no other way I could have stayed away from you, and he would have followed through on his threat.”
“You didn’t just say something like, ‘You know, Millie, now that you’re headed back to school, I think we should cool it.’ No, I would have been heartbroken, but I could have lived with it. Instead, you told me that I was a child, insinuated that you thought I was lying about being a fucking virgin, and told me I was one of many, and that there was nothing particularly special about me.”
I swallow hard, hating myself all over again. Because she’s right. I did say all of those things. And just like it did back then, it makes my stomach want to heave.
“You were so ugly to me,” she continues, fury vibrating in every muscle of her body. “Are you telling me now that you didn’t actually mean any of it?”
“Fuck no, I didn’t mean it!” Her eyes widen in surprise when it comes out as a shout. “Jesus Christ, I was in love with you! I would have married you the next day. I was sick and furious and at the mercy of a man who would have killed all of my sisters if it meant keeping my dick away from a Wild. You have no fucking idea how terrified I was that he’d do everything he threatened to anyway, despite my promises to stay away from you. He terrorized me for eight more goddamn years until he finally died, and I hope he burns in hell.”
She’s silent, watching me with tear-filled eyes. The forest around us is also hushed, as if it also can’t believe what I just said.
“That’s really fucked up, Holden.”
I push my hands through my hair and stomp away, then turn around and come back to her.
“Which part?”
“All of it. So fucked up. I can’t even begin to count the ways.”
I nod and swallow hard. “You deserved to know, and now that he’s dead and gone, he can’t hurt you. He can’t hurt anyone ever again.”
“Including you.”
I look down and shake my head. “I’m not important here.”
“Bullshit. Don’t you ever fucking say that you’re not important again, Holden Lexington.” I love it when Millie gets all fiery. “Because you’re wrong. You are. I’m still mad at you, but you are.”
“You’re still mad at me?” I can’t help but smile at her.
“Yeah. You were really mean, and I was young, and I had just handed over my V card to you, and I could have saved it for someone who wasn’t mean to me.”
I narrow my eyes on her. No, she couldn’t have saved it for anyone else.
I don’t want to even contemplate the idea of someone else touching her skin. Pushing inside of her. Hearing her little moans and groans and feeling the way she pulses around a cock.
Fuck that.
“Be careful, wife.”
“I’m just saying.” She swallows hard. She likes it when I call her wife.
“Well, don’t say that kind of shit.”
“I won’t if you won’t.”
Staring at each other, we both scowl.
“Come on,” I say at last and take her hand. “I’m taking you out to eat.”
“I look like a mess, Holden.”
“You’re always gorgeous, and you know it.” I help her into the truck and then get in, start the engine, and head back toward the highway. “Where would you like to eat?”
“I could really go for a big burger from Snow Ghost up at the ski resort right now.”
“I’ve never been. Let’s do it.”
Millie left her phone in the truck while we were talking at the ranch, which was for more than an hour, and she checks it now.
“Holy shit.”
“What is it?” I glance down at her phone and see her staring down at at least twenty unread texts.
“Everyone has been texting and calling. Ryan has threatened to track my cell phone to find me if I don’t call him back right away.” She rolls her eyes at that. “He’s so dramatic.”
“You should call him.”
“I don’t know that I want to talk to any of them. They embarrassed me.”
“He’s your big brother, baby girl. You should call him.”
She sighs and then gives in and taps the screen, sets it on speaker, and Ryan answers on the second ring.
“You can’t just leave and not answer me, Millie.”
“Uh, yeah. I can. What’s up?”
There’s dead air, and I can’t help but smile behind my hand. Leave it to Millie to keep riling up her brothers.
“I don’t know, I just thought I’d call and shoot the shit. See how your hobbies are going. Talk about the fucking weather.”