Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 56915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 285(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 285(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
“I won’t let you down.”
She had faced fears many times in her life, but never had she felt the terror clutching at her heart. Trust didn’t come easily to her. She could count on one hand the number of people she had trusted during her lifetime, and they had all failed her. Bliss didn’t think she would survive if she was disappointed again.
Chapter 12
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“I guess not.”
No restraining order was going to make Stark stay away from her, but Bliss had decided to place her fragile trust in Drake for the time being. The only reason she hadn’t already disappeared was because of the man walking confidently by her side.
“Where you going now?”
Bliss shrugged. “I was just going to head back to the house.”
“I promised Cal I would take him to see his little sister this morning. Want to come?” he asked, before explaining, “With Cal’s father serving prison time, the courts thought it would be psychologically damaging to deny her seeing Cal. Her foster mother takes her to daycare for a few hours a day so she can play with other children her age and to give Cal a place to visit Darcy. She doesn’t feel comfortable with him coming to her home. It won’t take long. Then, if you want, we could have Jace bring a pizza home when he gets off work and watch a movie.”
“It’s better than what I had planned.” She really didn’t want to go home by herself. Stark was still sitting in his jail cell, but she knew she would just worry if she was alone.
Drake opened his car door for her, and Bliss wearily climbed inside.
He cast her a glance as he started the car. “You look tired.”
“I didn’t sleep well.”
“Afraid one of the Devil’s Rejects would come for you?”
“Yes.” Bliss rested her head on the window. Every sound in the house had her sitting up in bed, listening. She had fallen asleep near dawn with her cell phone in her hand and 911 keyed in so all she would have to do was hit the call button.
Drake squeezed her knee. “Don’t worry, no one’s going to interrupt your dreams but me.”
“I dreamed about you when I finally fell asleep,” Bliss admitted.
“Do you know that, when you dream about a person, it’s because they were thinking about you?”
Bliss smiled. “Were you?”
“Yes. I’ve been thinking about you a lot, actually.”
“What about?”
“About how good it feels when you’re sucking my dick.”
Bliss felt her mood lightening. “You’re a jerk.”
“A horny jerk. When are you going to break and spend the night with me or let me spend the night with you?”
“When Jace and Cal leave to join the service or Ginny spends the night away. I told you I don’t feel comfortable with Jace and Cal there, and I know Ginny wouldn’t at my place.”
“So, we’re going to keep fucking at my office and the hotel?”
“Look at it this way, it adds excitement.”
“Having you in my bed all night would be exciting enough.”
Bliss covered his hand on her knee with hers as they pulled into the driveway of his house. A minute later, Cal came out to squeeze into the back seat.
“Thanks for taking me, Drake.”
Cal and Jace had gone in together to buy themselves a car to share, but Jace ended up with it most of the time since his job was delivering pizzas. And right then, Jace had the car.
“No problem.”
Drake drove back to town, parking on the street a block down from Main Street. The daycare had opened a few months back in the building next to the one that held Diamond’s office.
Drake got out, and then Cal climbed out on his side. Bliss remained sitting.
“You coming?”
“I thought I would wait here.”
“Come on, he’s going to be at least thirty minutes.”
Sighing, Bliss got out, coming around the front of the car. “I like what they’ve done to the building.” The front of the old building had been painted a pretty shade of bright yellow. “Happy Friends” was printed boldly across the door.
“I do, too.”
Bliss went in after Drake to see a woman ushering Cal into a large room where several children of different ages were playing.
“Are you sure it’s okay we’re here?”
“I’m sure. Cal has the court’s permission to see Darcy for two hours a week. He tries to come by and see her every day before he goes to work at the grocery store. I know the owner. Jessie Hayes opened it last month. She bought the building from me and knows I’m Cal’s guardian until he graduates.”
Bliss unobtrusively studied the woman. She had brown hair and was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt that had Santa on it as she went to the little girl sitting by herself at a table, sucking her thumb and holding a small, worn blanket on her lap.