Total pages in book: 224
Estimated words: 215705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1079(@200wpm)___ 863(@250wpm)___ 719(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 215705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1079(@200wpm)___ 863(@250wpm)___ 719(@300wpm)
“Grayson has the deal of a lifetime. That’s all he gets. We’re leaving.”
He takes my hand and guides me toward the exit, and in a matter of minutes we’re in the car, and he’s pulling me close, his hand under my skirt again. “The wait is over,” he murmurs as firetrucks start to push through the traffic and sirens sound.
“Something is going on,” I murmur as even more sirens seem to encroach upon us.
Reid’s cellphone rings and he frowns. “Gabe, who would not call me on a night like tonight, unless it was something important.” He answers and listens a moment. “You’re sure? Right. We’re going there now.” He disconnects. “We’ll walk. It’s not far.” He opens the door and helps me out.
“What’s going on?” I ask as he starts all but pulling me down the sidewalk.
“There’s a fire in Battery Park. Gabe can’t tell where yet, but it’s close to our apartments and both of our offices.”
“Oh God.” It’s all I manage. Neither of us speaks. We just walk as fast as we can with me in my heels. It takes us ten minutes, and through a parade of emergency vehicles, to reach our office which is fine. Reid’s phone rings again, and he answers it. “Yeah, Gabe.” His hand tightens on mine. “Yes. Okay.”
A horrible feeling settles in my chest and when he disconnects the line, he turns me to face him his hands on my shoulders. “It’s your building, Carrie.”
“My building. Mine?”
“Yes, baby. It’s yours, but—”
I have to get there. I twist out of his arms and start to run. I’m halfway across a crosswalk when Reid catches my hand. “Stay with me. They aren’t going to let you in the area.”
“I need to know details. I need to talk to an emergency worker.” I motion to a policeman at the entryway to our walkway. “Him. There.”
Reid folds our arms at the elbow and pulls me close. “We’ll talk to him.”
I tug against him and rush toward the uniformed man. “I live in the building. Is the fire contained?”
“Yes, ma’am, but we are asking residents to report their whereabouts if they live on floors one through three.”
“I live on three. What happened on three?”
“I’m sorry to tell you that it’s a full loss, ma’am.”
Emotions rock my body and my knees go weak. Reid drags me to him and I don’t know how but I end up near a bench out of the walkway. “I lost everything. I lost everything. I have no home.” Tears burst from my eyes and Reid folds me close, his lips at my ear. “Live with me, Carrie. Move in with me.”
“No,” I hiss, shoving at his chest. “I’m not your charity case. You’re not getting stuck with me.”
“Stuck with you? There’s no stuck with you, Carrie. Now or ever.” He cups my face and thumbs away dampness. “I gave you a key. We were headed there anyway. A few more weeks of back and forth was all I was going to be able to endure. Live with me.”
“How do I even know it’s what you really want?”
“It is what I want. Is it what you want?”
“I want to make the choice, and I want you to ask me not when my apartment is burning down. Not like this.”
“I would have asked that way and still, it wouldn’t be enough. Baby, I need you with me. I need you, Carrie.” He folds me in his embrace. “You’re safe with me. I got you. I really do, even if you don’t know it yet.”
I stop fighting what he offers, that safe place I need. I sink into his embrace and wrap my arms around him and it does feel like he has me, like he’s holding me up. I’ve never given anyone this kind of power, the power to hold me up or crush me. But I’ve given it to Reid because I know, in this moment, that I love this man.
Chapter sixty-three
Reid
If my father did this to Carrie, I will kill him.
An hour after we found out about Carrie’s apartment fire, the police are talking to Carrie. Cat and Gabe are standing with me a few feet away, but my eyes are on Carrie, watching her shove a shaky hand through her hair and the very idea that my father might have done this has me fighting fury. And damn it, the way Carrie reacted to the idea of moving in with me with such instant resistance is killing me and has me wondering if she blames me, if she thinks I did this to her, took everything from her; her company, her home.
“Reid?”
At the sound of Cat’s voice, I force my gaze in her direction. “What can I do? Can I get Carrie anything to get her by?” she asks.
I pull out my wallet, handing her my black AmEx. “Buy her everything and anything she could need. Spend thirty-thousand if you need to. I have plenty of money. I don’t care. She has to have nice work clothes. She needs to feel like she has things of her own.”