Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 100476 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100476 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
I pull away to see Winslow obeying Dad’s order. He walks over to Michael. We can’t hear what they’re saying from here, but Michael is visibly enraged. His shoulders move as he breathes heavily and his face is beet-red.
“Dad,” I whimper.
“Shh,” he murmurs, stroking my hair. “Don’t say a word, sweetheart.”
I nod against him, inhaling his familiar scent. Today he’s dressed in a crisp, button-down white shirt, navy tie, and dark slacks, so he must have left from his office.
Michael doesn’t come over to us. Instead, he leaves Winslow and Cal, storming to his squad car. He peels out, tires screeching loudly. Winslow helps Cal to his feet and removes the cuffs. I feel like I can breathe again.
Cal remains near Winslow’s squad car as he hands him back his paperwork and ID. Then, he writes him a ticket. As soon as he passes it to Cal, he hurries to his squad car and bails.
The storm that is Cal charges our way, his green eyes blazing with emotion. Worry. Anger. Disgust. At first, I think they’re all directed at me, but then when he is close enough, he grabs my hand, tugging me to him. His dress shirt is filthy, but I don’t care, I hug him tight, silently thanking him for thinking fast in getting Dad here.
“Bonnie canceled my patients for the rest of the day,” Dad says. “Come by the loft so we can talk.”
He doesn’t wait for me, just turns and heads back to his black BMW, surprising the hell out of me. Cal must be giving off some serious protective vibes. As soon as Dad drives off, I tilt my head up to look at Cal. His chin is scratched and bleeding. Green eyes dart all over my face as he assesses me for damage. Aside from the tears, I’m fine.
“Did he hurt you?” His soft voice trembles with barely contained rage.
“No,” I choke out. “He just scared me.”
When his hand went around my throat and he’d spat out threats in my face, I was thrust back to every encounter I’ve ever had with Ryan. I’d been reduced to a terrified little girl, caught in a trap just waiting to be destroyed.
Cal’s hand slides into my hair, his fingertips dragging along my scalp, making me shiver. He presses a kiss to my forehead and lets out a relieved sigh that makes my heart sing. Then a kiss to my nose. Finally a soft peck to my lips.
I tilt my head up, angling it a little to silently beg for a real kiss. With a ravenous groan, he indulges me in what I crave. His tongue swipes across mine, eager and owning. It sends a thrill down my spine.
Cal doesn’t kiss like a normal guy.
He kisses like he’s making a statement.
Proving a theory.
Passing a law.
All you can do is sign on the proverbial dotted line. Moan in agreement. Accept his dominating kiss and all his unspoken vows.
He kisses me until I’m clawing at his shirt, need buzzing through me. In a rough move, he jerks away, his green eyes searing hungrily into mine. Those intense eyes slide down to my swollen, wet lips.
“You kiss like you’re trying to steal my soul, evil woman.”
A smile tugs at my lips. “Did it work?”
“You’ve stolen something,” he grumbles as he, once again, hoists me into his truck.
The door closes before I can even process his words.
What did I steal besides his best friend?
Certainly not his heart.
I’m pretty sure Cal doesn’t have one of those up for grabs. He’s been a womanizing playboy for as long as I’ve known him. If he has a heart, it’s buried deep. Me, of all people, wouldn’t have been able to find it.
Yet, I’ve never seen him look at any of those party girls like he looks at me.
Every look is a promise. So many vows loaded into his stare. Declarations that I don’t deserve but he keeps throwing at me anyway.
And, like the greedy girl I am, I collect each and every one of them.
Cal stares out of the giant window of Dad’s loft that overlooks the Columbia River. It’s not a huge place, but big enough that Penny and I each have our rooms when we come to stay with him. His décor is sleek and modern, a far cry from the way Mom used to decorate our old house in Vermont. I like it, though. It’s so Dad. He’s always had a taste for the finer things in life.
“Samantha is on it,” Dad says, returning from his office. “I also ordered food. Cal, stay for dinner.”
Cal turns, nodding. After the whole police debacle, we came back to Dad’s where we explained everything that happened. Dad took it all in, barely able to contain his rage, and then he went to make phone calls. Cal’s been silent ever since.