Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70445 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70445 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“I’m close,” I say, gasping for air, my body flushed.
He keeps going, licking and sucking, and I’m moaning his name and rolling my hips, two fakes at the top of the tower. When the orgasm hits, it’s like all my fictions and my myths and my distortions blow away in a gale-force wind and I come as his lips suck and lick me, not slowing, not gentle, not holding back, and I come and come, brain bursting at the seams, until slowly I regain myself, twitching and panting hard.
War leans back and looks at me as I lie on my side, grinning.
“Good girl,” he whispers, and I watch as he licks my pussy clean from his fingers. “Very good girl.”
I adjust myself. Get my panties back into place, for all the good they’ll do. I pull up my jeans and sit there, chewing on my lip, trying to decide what the hell we do now. This wasn’t supposed to happen—I didn’t want to complicate things with War more than they already were—
A voice calls from outside: “Melody! I know you’re up there!”
I exchange a look with War. He’s grinning, head tilted. I’m suddenly mortified. If someone saw—
But no, it’s impossible to see into the windows during the day, especially from on the ground.
I roll over and look out. Daisy’s standing down below with Uncle Lovett and Uncle Dudley, and none of them look happy.
“Melody!” Daisy’s shouting again. “Get down here. We need to talk.”
“You’d better go,” War says, licking the tip of his finger.
I turn and glare at him. “Not a word,” I say. “Seriously, War. Not a single word.”
He laughs like he doesn’t know what I mean as I storm over to the stairs and head down to face my cousin and my uncles.
Chapter 14
Melody
Daisy stands in front of Uncle Lovett and Uncle Dudley looking pissed. Her arms cross over her chest and her eyes narrow as I step out of the tower and face them. I’m distinctly aware of War back in the shadows on the stairs, and I can still feel him between my legs, his mouth on my mouth, his fingers deep inside—
And I have to pinch my thigh to get that image out of my head. This is absolutely not the time to daydream.
“What can I do for you, Daisy?” I’m proud of the way my voice doesn’t shake, even though a prickle of fear rolls down into my stomach.
My cousin takes a couple steps forward. “I wanted to have a conversation with you, Cousin Melody. I thought we might clear the air between us and make sure you understand the current situation.”
I glance back her toward my uncles. “And you brought back-up?”
“Melody,” Uncle Lovett says, a tall and skinny man with gray hair and wrinkles around his eyes. “We’re just here to make sure everyone’s clear about the situation. This doesn’t have to be confrontational.”
“How’s that supposed to work?” I ask him. “You two are going to stand there looking tough? You haven’t even said hello to me, you know, and I’m supposed to be your niece.”
“Things are complicated,” Uncle Lovett says.
“When was the last time you visited my dad?” I give him a hard look and spread my hands to encompass the others. “Any of you? Do any of you go sit with him?”
“I watched a movie with him with a few days ago,” Uncle Dudley says as if that’s more an admission of guilt than anything else. He’s heavy-set, softer than I remembered, and I get the feeling that none of these people have been working the ranch much in my absence. It sure as heck doesn’t look like it, at least.
Anger builds up in my chest. I don’t want to have this talk—I’m not interested in whatever Daisy has to say—but seeing my uncles like this, standing behind my cousin like they’re afraid of her, it makes me mad as hell. This place didn’t used to be so soft and weak, and there was no backstabbing and gossip. It used to be a place of business, a place to raise horses and train them and sell them, not some weird stomping ground for rich girls to flex their power. I knew my uncles were different from my dad, but I thought they had some backbone at least. Apparently not.
“None of that matters,” Daisy says, cutting off anything my uncles might’ve added in their defense. “I’m here to explain the situation to you, Melody, since you’ve been away for so long and so much has changed.” She comes closer, staring at me like this conversation is about to turn into a fistfight. And I almost welcome it: based on her manicured nails and her blowout, I’m pretty sure I can take her.
“I’m not interested,” I say as firmly as I can. “I came home to say goodbye to my dad and that’s it. I don’t want to get involved in your family drama.”