Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 71034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Worth? His gorgeous older brother? The one I couldn’t stop staring at when he visited during our freshman year? The man I often fantasized about to this day? “No, I can’t do that. You can’t —”
“The villa is paid for, and I can pay for your tickets with points if that makes you happy. You can agree to my plan, or I can come make you agree.”
Was he serious? “What are you going to do? Kidnap me? Force me onto a plane?”
“If I come get you, I’ll have a private plane. That’ll make it a lot easier. In fact—”
“Just send me the ticket.” I didn’t have other options, and who turns down a free Caribbean vacation?
“You need a chance to relax. It’s an all-inclusive resort, so you won’t have to worry about anything there. Everything will be provided for you. God knows you deserve that after everything you’ve been through.”
“Beck, I haven’t even talked to you in months, and now you seriously want to do all of this for me?”
“That’s why you called me, isn’t it? Because you knew I would help you. It doesn’t matter how long it has been since we talked to each other.”
“Why are you so fucking nice to me?”
“Because you’re a great friend.”
“But I’ve been ignoring you, hardly saying anything when you reached out to me.”
“You were being manipulated and abused. The fact that you didn’t have a lot of energy left over to keep up our friendship is understandable. I’m here to help, and I want to give you something nice. I’ll call you while you’re in Aruba, and we’ll figure out the best way to get you back on your feet.”
“Thank you. I don’t know what else to say.”
“You don’t need to say anything.”
“When do I need to leave for Aruba?”
“In two days.”
“You’re kidding?”
“No, I’m just glad you called when you did.”
“I’ll be fine. I don’t have anything clean to wear to the airport, but—”
“I told you I’m sending you some money. Get a better hotel to stay in and get yourself some clothes. You can buy more once you’re at the resort.”
“I shouldn’t accept all this.”
“For once, let me help you. Please.”
I had reached out to him. What had I been expecting? “I’ll never be able to pay you back, not for the kind of stuff you want to buy me.”
“This isn’t a loan; this is a gift.”
“Thank you, Beck.”
3
LAURIE
There were a lot of firsts for me in the days after leaving Tommy: my first sensations of freedom after years of hell, my first time flying, and my first time visiting the Caribbean. Aruba was even more beautiful than I had imagined. The water was so blue and clear I could hardly believe it was real. My first day there, I spent time either lying by the pool, sitting on the beach, or walking at the edge of the ocean.
I called Beck to tell him how amazing everything was and to thank him again. He sounded thrilled that I was enjoying myself and told me I better go shopping and use the money he’d sent me.
I had no intention of blowing thousands of dollars on clothes. I’d gotten what I needed for the trip—swim trunks and a few basic outfits—the rest I intended to save toward rent on a new place. I’d tried to talk to Beck about what I was going to do to find a place to live, but he told me we had time to worry about that. He wanted me to have a few days where I didn’t have to think about survival.
I actually managed to achieve that for a while. After I’d soaked up more sun and drank more cocktails that I probably should have, I headed to my room, drowsy, warm, and pleasantly buzzed. I stripped out of my swim trunks and let them drop to the floor; I’d hang them up later. The silky, soft robe the resort provided was slung over the back of the sofa. I slid my arms into it, shivering in the chilly air, then sank into the most comfortable chair in the world. I dropped my head back and sighed, fucking content for the first time in ages.
I forced myself to sit up long enough to check the time on my phone. Worth wouldn’t be here for several more hours. I had time for a nap before I called room service for dinner.
“Wow. This is a surprise.”
The words startled me from sleep, and I blinked trying to orient myself. There was a gorgeous man staring at me, and I was basically naked. My robe had fallen open as I slept. I pulled it closed to cover myself.
“You don’t need to do that. I liked it just as it was.”
Worth. Holy shit. This was Worth, Beck’s brother. How long had I slept? Why was he saying such lewd things? And why wasn’t I offended? “Um. Didn’t Beck tell you I’d be here?”