Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 92474 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92474 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Because there was no way she’d ever understand what he was doing. That she’d see it as his way of keeping her safe.
No, he’d terrify her.
And if his actions didn’t scare her, his size would.
Or his reputation.
Yep. He wasn’t the guy that good girls like Gracen took home to their parents.
He was the guy your parents warned you about. The one good girls needed to steer clear of.
She was searching through her bag, cursing quietly. He wanted to grab hold of her and shake her.
Or better yet, put her over his knee and spank her ass until she promised him that she’d never do anything foolish like this again. That she wouldn’t put herself in danger. That she’d take every care because she knew that he couldn’t live without her.
Stop being an idiot.
She’ll never be yours. Your filthy hands don’t deserve to touch her delicate, soft skin.
Putting her over his knee was a regular fantasy, but that’s all it was. He’d always been careful of his strength around women.
But it still fucking killed him that she was standing here in a quiet, run-down area of the city in the dark, searching for something in her handbag.
Did she have no situational awareness? Couldn’t she sense eyes on her? Watching her?
Of course, it suited him that she couldn’t. It made his job watching over her easier.
Finally, she gave a huge sigh and drew out her keys. “Thank God I didn’t leave these behind. That would have been a disaster.”
He shook his head as she moved away. Why the hell hadn’t she checked that she had her keys before leaving her apartment? And she should have had them in her hand before she even left her car.
He swore to God if she were his . . .
Easy.
He watched her unlock the door and head inside. This was the part he fucking hated. But he’d checked the cameras when he’d first arrived, the cameras he’d secretly put in. No one was inside the building. No one had set off the silent alarm he’d also installed without her knowledge.
He had to do whatever was necessary to keep her safe. It wasn’t like he could sneak into the bakery before she got there to ensure it was safe. He couldn’t be in two places at once and breaking in carried the risk of her finding him.
So, he’d installed the cameras and an alarm.
Getting cameras into her apartment was a bit trickier. She lived in a multi-level complex so there was often someone coming or going.
It might still be doable, but he’d likely have to hire someone for that job. And he didn’t want anyone to know about her.
About what she meant to him.
That was another reason she couldn’t ever be his. There were too many people who’d want to get revenge on him by hurting someone he cared about.
So instead, he’d gotten the landlord to install good locks on her door.
He checked the app on his phone, watching as she bustled around in the kitchen, getting ready for the day. He sighed in relief, then headed across the road to his usual perch until she opened up for the day.
Another day where she was safe was another day where he could breathe a little easier.
2
Gracen Stall froze as she heard raised voices coming from the front of the shop. Shit. Wiping her hands on her apron, she rushed out the front.
“You can’t just jump the line, man,” Russ, one of her regulars, was getting in the face of a younger man she’d never seen before.
She swallowed heavily, fear thumping in her chest. The younger guy had a shaved head with tattoos over his skull. His jeans were halfway down his ass, and he had the swagger of someone who thought he was invincible.
She didn’t want to jump to any conclusions, but he looked like trouble.
“I can do whatever the fuck I want, old man. Get to the fucking back and out of my face before I rearrange yours.”
“What’s going on?” she asked Anita, stepping forward.
“Uh, Russ was next in line when this guy came in and barged his way to the front. I think we should just serve him, though. He looks dangerous.”
Gracen didn’t like the note of admiration in her niece’s voice. But that was something to worry about later. The younger guy was starting to ramp up. Then he pushed Russ.
With a gasp, Gracen moved around the counter and got in between the two, facing the younger guy. She wasn’t going to let anyone harass one of her customers. There were several other customers in the bakery, but they were all standing back. No one liked to get involved in a conflict in this neighborhood when there were gang members involved in almost everything.
“You need to leave. Now,” she said firmly.
His eyes were moving around wildly and he was twitchy, like he was on something.