Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 86240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
23
MATT
Had she really said what I think she said? I laid her out on the bed before using my phone to send a text to Connor. When he knocked on the door, I stepped outside.
“Can you carry her to the back?”
I nodded and went back into the room to get her. I followed him to the door that led to the private offices. He got in front of me even though I knew the way. I’d only been there once before with Griff, but in my line of work, attention to detail could be the difference between life and death. I tended to remember where I went if I had to retrace my steps.
He opened the door between the club and the employee-only back area. He led me to a room that had a sofa with her folded clothes sitting on it. “You can stay in here until you’re ready to go.”
I laid her on the sofa after moving her clothes. Connor moved in and handed me a light blanket I draped over her. I murmured a question she didn’t answer before I signaled for him to step outside.
“She’s likely going to be out for a little while,” Connor said in hushed tones just outside the door.
I narrowed my eyes. “Should she still be out like this?”
“This shit happens when you're fucked senseless.” He lightly punched my shoulder. “I’m proud of you, man,” he said with a smirk. I shook my head. “I’m serious.”
“Why?” I asked.
“You went out of your comfort zone.”
“For her,” I clarified. “You said she wanted to know.”
Connor had called and told me she had questions. When I arrived, I barreled forward like a bull, ready to steamroll anyone who got in my way. He hadn’t been specific, but I got the gist by hearing Connor offering to tie someone up on stage. No fucking way I would let any other man touch her.
“Exactly. For her. You’ve gotten bit, my friend.”
He wasn’t making sense. “I’m afraid to ask,” I said.
“You’ve found the one.”
“The one?” I asked with all seriousness. I hadn’t yet decided how much I’d even admit to myself about what I was feeling for her.
“You’ve been with enough women to know this one is different.”
That much was true. “Yeah. And?”
“And the first time I met your sister, I knew she was trouble.” I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear this story. “She wasn’t my type. Like you, I’d pictured myself with a curvy submissive like Bailey.” He held up his hand. “No, I never saw her that way, but physically and psychologically, she was my type on paper. Lizzy didn’t have enough tits for me.”
My back straightened. “Don’t talk about my sister.”
He held his hands up in surrender. “Give me a minute. She wasn’t my type. Not physically, and she was mouthy. She had so much to say. But even I knew that the first time, if I got close, she’d be it. So I said something rude to her and hoped I’d never cross her path again. Life is a bitch like that. It was inevitable.”
“So I should just give in?” I asked.
He patted my shoulder. “As if you have a choice. You’ve fucked her in public twice. You wouldn’t do that for any other woman.”
“It was life or death,” I demanded.
“The first time, maybe. The second time, you didn’t have a gun to your head. You could have gotten her out of there. You’ve already said you did it for her. What you don’t have to say is that you don’t have any regrets and would do it again.”
He was right. “She’s pregnant,” I snapped, though he’d heard it at my parents’ house.
Connor sobered up then. “Shit’s getting real. Now, not only do you have to man up for your child, you have a choice to make. If you aren’t serious, walk away. Though I doubt you could. Kalen tried with Bailey. And we both know how that went.”
“My job. How can I put my child at risk?”
“You have options, my friend. Besides, we will keep her safe, brother. Now that Lizzy has had the baby, I can take back over.”
“He knows you. You know that. He’s sick enough to have tried to keep tabs on you. I’m the one with an in.”
I told him my plan. Something I’d been thinking about since I got her from the mansion. I’d had enough time to fine-tune the details in my head. This was the first time I’d vocalized it. “The only wild card is Mr. Kingpin himself,” I concluded.
“I have ideas,” Connor said. “Let me think about it. You should take her to the apartment. And when you get there, hold her. It’s a part of the aftercare.” When I looked at him blankly, he added, “Just trust me. We’ll talk about it later. I don’t want her to wake alone.”