Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 63970 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 320(@200wpm)___ 256(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63970 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 320(@200wpm)___ 256(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
She managed to get to the door and threw it open. “I’m leaving. Don’t follow me.”
Did she think he wouldn’t follow because he didn’t have pants on? He did not give a shit.
He started after her, but that was when she played her trump card.
“Deke, I’ve requested that Master Jared not follow me. I’m using my safe word. Red,” she said quietly.
The man named Deke sighed as he looked over. “You need to stay where you are. Should I call Ian? Did he do something wrong? Do we need to have a meeting?”
He wasn’t getting kicked out of here because she was being a coward. “She’s safe wording on me because she just told me there’s a high possibility that she’ll get cancer so she’s having a hysterectomy and she doesn’t want anyone to know. Apparently she doesn’t want to be surrounded by people who love her. She’s acting like…I don’t even know what to call it.”
Her eyes had gone wide. “How could you tell him?”
Anger warred with flat-out terror in his gut. “Because you don’t get to walk out on me like this. You don’t get to be a scared little girl and a stubborn-ass woman all at once. You can walk away now, but don’t you think for a second we’re done with this. You’ve got me in a corner, but I won’t stay there for long.”
“I told you, Jared. I told you why. Leave me be. I can’t give you what you want.”
“I’ve learned in life we don’t always get what we want, Princess, but I am a man who will fight like hell for what I need and that’s you.”
She turned and ran like the coward she was.
But it wouldn’t make a difference. Not one bit of difference.
He turned and slammed the door between them, then sat on the bed where he’d briefly been happy.
He didn’t get up again for a long time.
Chapter Ten
In which walls are torn down and women form plans… and the guys act like guys…
“Did you honestly believe you could hide this from me?”
She thought seriously about not opening the door. Kori stood outside the front door and it was bolted from the inside, so she couldn’t simply use her key to invade. But then Sarah realized if she could hear her bestie loud and clear then everyone else on the floor probably could, too.
Why hadn’t she bought Kori’s place when she’d had the chance? Kori had sold her little house when she and Kai had gotten married, but even the two-bedroom house had seemed too big for her at the time. She was only one person, after all, and she likely wouldn’t ever live with anyone else.
So she’d moved into her tiny apartment with thin walls and nosy neighbors who did not mind calling the authorities.
She should have known Jared would rat her out. He was angry with her.
Or he felt sorry for her. She noted he hadn’t called her during the night. There had been no pleading texts or messages from him. He’d gone silent and that was good.
But it was obvious Kori wasn’t about to be silent.
She pounded on the door. “Do you want to have this conversation here? I’ll do it. Let’s start by talking about your ovaries.”
She unbolted the door as fast as she could because Kori meant it. She would talk about ovaries and cervixes and anything she wanted to as loud as she liked. Kori had no fucks to give, but Sarah had to live here. “Come in.”
Kori stared at her for a moment. “Seriously? It’s eight o’clock in the morning and you already have on full makeup and perfectly done hair?”
Of course. She wasn’t an animal. She didn’t have a problem with those who took less care with their appearance, but it was important to her. It was soothing to put on makeup, and the full-length silk leopard-print gown with matching robe and kitten heels with faux fur were nothing more than her normal Saturday morning outfit.
She’d forced herself to do her makeup this morning because she’d thought it might be Jared she wouldn’t answer the door for. She’d half expected him to storm her gates last night, promising her none of it mattered and that he loved her for her.
He seemed to have figured out that she wasn’t a good bet, but then she’d known it. She simply hadn’t wanted for him to know it.
Kori’s hair was flying out in every direction and she wore a Sanctum T-shirt and what looked like pajama bottoms and flip-flops. Gideon and Lahki—who Kori referred to as her asshole chihuahua—were wagging their tails as Kori strode into the apartment.
She shut the door behind them. This was inevitable. She would have had to explain to Kori at some point in time why she had new scars. She wouldn’t be able to hide them at the club, and if she didn’t go back to Sanctum, there would be far more questions from her best friend.