Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 136(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 136(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
“No!”
“Stop fighting me!” he snaps, rearing his free hand back. I brace for the attack, squeezing my eyes shut on instinct, but his hand never makes contact.
His other hand gripping my arm is ripped away and I gasp, stumbling a little, my eyes flying open.
Aidan’s here.
Thank God.
10
AIDAN
“Come on, kitty, down you get,” I coax gently.
I look from the little tabby cat clinging to a broken branch to the little boy, no older than six, tugging at the hem of his mother’s coat. His big brown eyes stare at me, bottom lip sticking out as he tries to stop the tears brimming in his eyes. Poor kid.
“She’s only a few months old. She shouldn’t be outside yet,” the mother says in a rush, a clear apology in her voice. “Billy left the door open by accident, and she just ran out before we could catch her. I’m so sorry. I know you’re not working, but I recognized you from the station event. You let Billy sit in the driver’s seat of the fire engine. He still talks about it.”
I give her a reassuring nod and smile. I truly love my job, love serving the community and giving back, doing what I can to keep people safe and make their lives happy. Besides, I’ve always loved kids. When Billy ran up to me as I walked in the direction of Autumn’s house, there was no way I was going to ignore him. I hate knowing that I’m late to pick my girl up, but I hope she’ll understand when I explain that I literally had to save a cat stuck up a tree.
“That’s it, there you go,” I say in a soft voice, watching the kitten finally drop down enough for me to reach without the help of a ladder. I move quickly, grabbing the scared animal and cupping her in my hands. I kneel beside Billy, placing the kitten in his outstretched arms. “All better.”
The boy’s eyes light up while he cuddles his pet close. He’s grinning so widely I can see the gap where he’s lost a tooth. “You’re the bestest!” he says, barreling into me for a cuddle. I laugh, patting him on the back, careful not to squish the cat between us. Poor thing’s had enough adventure for one day. “When I grow up, I want to be just like you!”
Goddammit, that’s too cute. I can’t help the image of a little kid, with Autumn’s blond hair and my green eyes, that my mind conjures up. I want that. A family. With her.
I say a quick goodbye to the boy and his mom, with one last pet of the cat’s soft fur. Cursing when I realize I’m now nearly ten whole minutes late, I jog the rest of the way to Autumn’s apartment. My mind races through all the ways I can make it up to her. Hell, I’ll buy her a kitten of her own if she wants. Or a puppy. A house with a garden big enough for whatever pets she wants, big enough for a swing set for the kids I want to put in her belly. Shit, I love this girl, and I have to remind myself not to rush ahead of myself and scare her.
All the spinning thoughts in my head crash as I turn onto Autumn’s street and catch sight of her.
My girl is trapped between the exterior of her building and some asshole who’s got his hands on her. Red clouds my vision when I see the fear and anger on her beautiful face.
Nobody scares her and gets away with it. Nobody gets to put their hands on what’s mine.
I rush towards them, grab the man by his shoulder, and rip him off her.
“Get the fuck away from her!” I roar.
The asshole lands on his back on the sidewalk, giving me my first proper view of his face. A face I recognize. A face I thought I’d already explained the consequences of going near Autumn to. “You,” I snarl, looming over him.
He’s as big as I am, but I’ve trained to defend people for twenty fucking years, and as full of rage as I am, I could fight a fucking bear and win. I want to crush him beneath my shoe, break every finger in his hand that he dared to touch her with.
He tries to get back to his feet, but I refuse to let him. He doesn’t get to run away from what he’s done, not this time. He fights me, but for all his strength, he lacks the skill to do much other than wriggle like a fish caught on a hook while I wrestle him back to the ground. Pressing his cheek into the concrete, I wrench his arms behind his back and set my knee on the middle of his back, holding him down.