Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 85274 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85274 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
“I’m pregnant,” she murmurs, liquid emotion filling her lids, “and the baby’s yours.”
I freeze, unsure why the hell she’s saying this. It makes no sense. I’ve never been with this woman before, yet she’s sticking to this claim.
“Ellie, why are you saying this?” I ask, trying to keep the anger out of my voice. Clearly, something is wrong for her to go out of her way to lie about me being the father of her baby, but she must know by saying this she’s causing a shitstorm of issues for me with our family. “Did something happen with the guy you slept with? Did he hurt you?” If he did, Micah and I will no doubt be on the next flight out to kill him.
She shakes her head, and her hand goes to her belly. “The baby is yours. We had sex...on Valentine’s Day.”
The baby is mine.
We had sex.
On Valentine’s Day.
I repeat the words several times in my head, trying to wrap my mind around what she’s saying. But it doesn’t make any sense because on Valentine’s Day I was with...
Green eyes.
Brown hair with caramel highlights.
No. No. No. This can’t be happening.
Her name was Liz, not...Eliza.
My hands clench and sweat dampens my palms.
There’s no way. She wouldn’t...She couldn’t.
I try to think...There’s no way my mystery woman could be her.
And then I remember the tattoo I saw on the camera. I grab Ellie’s left wrist, and on the inside, in script, it reads ‘Survivor.’
A tattoo on her wrist, just like my mystery woman.
Fuck. No. This has to be a coincidence. A sick, twisted joke.
But when I look at her face riddled with guilt and regret, and Micah, who’s standing nearby, glaring daggers my way, it’s clear that neither of them think this is funny.
I stand and back up, needing space. Needing to think. This can’t be right. There’s no way...I would’ve known if I was sleeping with Ellie. Right?
But as I stare at her, assessing her features—features of the woman I’ve been fantasizing about for the past three months—I have no choice but to admit the truth. “I didn’t know,” I say out loud. “I didn’t know it was her.”
Micah’s eyes alight with fury. “How the—?”
“Stop!” Ellie begs. “He’s telling the truth. He didn’t know. That’s why I didn’t want to come home. I messed up, and it’s not his fault.”
I didn’t know, but she did, which means...“How the fuck did you get into my club?”
Ellie flinches. “I pretended to be Sienna.”
Jesus, I scrub my hands over my face. This is so messed up. But it also makes sense as to why I couldn’t find my mystery woman in the system. And since Sienna is family, not a member, the bouncer would’ve let her in without scanning her card.
“You’re telling me you snuck into my sex club by pretending to be your sister, sought me out, and had sex with me, knowing who I was?”
She nods. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry?” I bark out a humorless laugh. “You’re sorry? Did you think this was funny? Some kind of joke?” I get in her face, my body vibrating in anger. “Did you fuck me with the hope of getting pregnant? Huh? Did you do this on purpose?” The tears that had filled her lids, spill over, but she doesn’t answer me, and I need answers because this is bad, really fucking bad. “Answer me! Did you—?”
“Stop it!” Sienna suddenly appears and pushes me back. “Stop yelling at my sister. Can’t you see she’s upset?”
I bark out another laugh, wondering if I’m dreaming...No, screw that, having a nightmare. Because there’s no way any of this can be real.
“You’re worried about me upsetting her?” I say, glaring at Sienna. “She pretended to be you to get into my club and then seduced me, so I’d have sex with her without knowing who she was.”
Sienna gasps and glances at Ellie. “Is that true?”
“No,” Ellie sobs. “I mean, it is, but it wasn’t like that.” Her cries get harder, and I want to feel bad, but fuck that, she did this. And now her decisions have consequences. “I just wanted to have sex,” she blurts out. “I mean...” Sobs now rack Ellie’s body as she tries to get words out, but she’s crying too hard. Sienna sits next to her sister and wraps her arm around her, comforting her.
“El, talk to us, please,” Sienna pleads. “Did you try to get pregnant with Lincoln’s baby?”
“No,” Ellie chokes out. “I just wanted to know what it would feel like to be with someone by choice. Someone who makes me feel safe. Someone I trust.” She glances up at me. “I’m sorry. I tried so many times to have sex with other guys, but I couldn’t do it, and Raelyn said it’s because I didn’t trust them. I didn’t believe her, but I was desperate to feel good. To take away the images and pain...”