Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33235 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33235 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
I don’t stop grinning the whole drive home, still smelling him on me, and feeling the sweet soreness from him between my legs. I can still feel his hands on my skin, and his lips on mine, and knowing that I’ve just given him all of me has my heart soaring as we drive through the city.
I’m his. His and no longer a virgin.
I practically skip inside our building to the elevator, grinning like a big idiot the whole way up to the apartment I live in with Bill and my mother. I take a deep breath at the door, trying to swallow the heat from my face so I won’t get a bunch of questions, and try to remember my story that I texted them both the night before, that I was sleeping over at my friend Meghan’s house.
I take one last breath, stick my key in the lock, and—
I gasp as the door is yanked open, and I find myself being swarmed by four men in blue windbreakers with orange letters on them.
…Letters that say “F.B.I.”
“Jesus Christ, relax. It’s my wife’s kid.”
The FBI agents frown but step aside, and I glance past them to see Bill sitting at the dining room table with a few more of them. He glares at me as I step inside, the agents shutting the door behind me.
“Um, what’s going on?”
“Nothing,” he snaps hastily.
I chew on my lip, my eyes darting around at the apartment full of strangers.
“Where’s my mom?”
“Out.”
I roll my eyes, and I’m about to push past them all and head to my room, when Bill’s voice stops me.
“Where the fuck were you, Lyra?”
I freeze, swallowing the lump in my throat before I turn back. “Meghan’s. I told you last—”
“I know what you told me,” Bill growls, standing from the table. For the first time, I realize his shirt is unbuttoned halfway down his pudgy chest, and I can see a couple of wires stuck to his skin with tape.
“But we both know where you really were.”
I swallow, the heat flushing into my face before I can stop it. Bill’s lips pull back in a mean smile, his eyes narrowing at me.
“Yeah, thought so.”
“I told you, I was at—”
“You were with Castle,” he spits, shaking his head.
I freeze, slowly shaking my head. “No, I—”
“Save it, you little bitch,” he snaps. He looks away, but suddenly, he starts to chuckle darkly to himself.
“Well, hope you had some fun, cause that asshole is going down today.”
I freeze, my eyes darting around at the unfamiliar faces filling the room.
“Ms. Worthington,” A smartly dress woman in her thirties steps forward, her dark hair pulled back in a severe ponytail. “I’m agent Hall, and we’re going to give you a quick rundown on what’s going to happen today.”
I shiver, a cold, horrible feeling settling through my body.
“Your stepfather’s been charged with conspiracy and insider securities trading.”
“Which is bullshit,” Bill mutters. Agent Hall rolls her eyes and gives him a look before turning back to me.
“Charged alongside a mountain of evidence, I might add,” she says thinly. “But, the agency is always looking to track things back to bigger fish, and in this case, that bigger fish is Mr. Castle.”
A cold blade slices into me, and I take a shaky breath. Bill starts to chuckle from the table.
“Guess you got a little crush on my boss after being his little whore last night, huh?”
“That’ll be enough of that,” another agent hisses at Bill, slamming his palm on the table in front of him. But Bill ignores him, chuckling darkly as he sneers up at me.
“Let me burst your bubble, sweetheart. All that money? All that bling and wealth that he throws around? The penthouse, the cars, the paintings?”
He laughs cruelly.
“Yeah, I’m sure you saw his private collection. Well, he’s dirty is what he is. No one makes that kind of money honestly. That asshole is just as crooked as I am.”
My heart drops in my chest, a horrible feeling souring my stomach.
“He’s a liar and a thief,” Bill hisses, his eyes narrowed dangerously. “I’m going to help toss his ass in jail for it, and these fine people are going to keep me out of there for my troubles.”
The whirlwind of emotions and feelings inside threatens to come screaming out. I want so badly to hurl myself at Bill and claw and hit him until the rage goes away, but instead, I’m only numb. I refuse to believe what he’s saying to me — what even the FBI is saying. And I know how insane it sounds, and how crazy it is to feel the way I do after such a short amount of time. But the way I feel about Damien can’t be ignored.
I care so much about him — so much that it scares me. I know he’s so wrong for me, at least on paper. The rich guy and the girl who wants to be an artist. And then there’s the age thing too, with him being so much older. It’s not illegal, but it’s wrong, and I know we both know it. And I know people would talk, and say things about it. Though, I get the feeling Damien wouldn’t give a single shit what anyone else thinks.