Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 100225 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100225 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
“You’re coming over tonight, Raze?”
Thea’s head jerks around, and she walks back toward the bathroom. I try to catch her before she turns the corner, but she comes to an abrupt stop. My front hits her back, and I put my hand on her hip to make sure I don’t cause her to fall. My hand slowly falls away as I see Raze standing in front of the bathroom door with Lilianna, of all the people. She’s buttoning up her shirt in a way that you know it has been completely undone, and she’s not wearing anything underneath her it, either. Her hair is mussed up and Raze is raking a hand through his.
“Anna,” Raze breathes.
“You’re going to have to tell her. There’s no way I will allow you to leave my bed to go to her,” Liliana huffs.
“I’ll talk to Flame, if only to apologize. This shit we did will not be repeated. Us fucking, meant nothing. I don’t—”
“Don’t bother worrying about telling me anything,” Thea announces, sounding extremely calm—surprising, to say the least.
“Fuck,” Raze growls, turning to look at us.
“Thea, I’m so sorry. I didn’t want you to find out like this,” Lilianna says, but you can tell she’s lying. I even see the smirk on her face.
“Don’t be. It doesn’t bother me at all.”
“Thea—”
“Save it, Raze,” she says, her voice cold. She turns to look at me. “Can you take me home? I think I’ve had enough for one night.”
“I’ll take you home. We need to talk—”
“We’ve said enough to one another, I think. It’s okay. I might be embarrassed, but you didn’t hurt me. You don’t have that power. Dom?”
“I got you,” I murmur. “Let’s go.”
“It’s my job to take you—” Raze growls.
“I’m no one’s job,” she snaps. Then she turns and walks away.
I follow her, and we get to the front door before Raze catches up. He reaches out to grab Thea’s shoulder and I push him away. “Leave her the fuck alone.”
“You goin’ to turn your back on me? We’re brothers.”
“Thea and I are family. I thought you understood what that meant when you put on your cut. I guess I was wrong.” I drop my lips down to Thea’s ear. “Let’s go, honey. I’ll get you home.” She nods.
“You’ll have to talk to me sooner or later, Flame.”
“I vote for later. Maybe when I’m a hundred and three,” she responds and doesn’t bother turning around. “Dom will take me home, but hey, if you want to do something, then you can explain to my brother why I had to leave. Make something up. It appears you’re really good at lying.”
I smirk. I can’t help it. I walk Thea out and move toward my bike. I started to skip tonight. I’m damn glad I didn’t. “Want me to take you back to Breaker’s?” I ask as we make it to my bike.
“Shit. I guess. I really don’t want to go to Mom and Dad’s. Although, to be honest, I don’t think I want to face Mattie’s questions either.”
“I’ve got an idea,” I hum.
“What’s that?”
“Do you trust me?” I ask her.
Her gaze rakes over me and I find myself close to holding my breath until I hear her answer.
“Surprisingly enough, I do. Which is probably crazy, since you’ve seen first-hand how things work out when I decide to believe in someone.”
“I’ll make sure you aren’t sorry,” I answer with a grin. It’s fucked up because I know Raze just hurt her. The thing is, I’m happy. For the first time in over a month, I feel like I can breathe. I get on my bike, and she slides on behind me.
“You put special bars on your bike, like Mattie’s?” she asks.
You’d have to be completely stupid not to hear the pleasure in her voice. I make a silent vow to do everything I can to make sure Thea is happy from this moment on. It’s a tall order, I know. But for the first time in a long time, I’m at peace. I’m exactly where I need to be.
With Thea… Shit.
Chapter 16
Thea
“A hotel?” I ask once Dom kills the engine and parks.
“I’m not sure you can call this place a hotel,” he laughs. “Motel from hell, maybe. Still, they rent rooms by the month for the most part. I grabbed a room a month ago and paid three months in advance.”
“Um, why?”
“Because I need to pull my head out of my ass and keep it clear. Other than a beer here or there, I haven’t had a drink. I’ve also sworn off women.”
“You going to become a priest now?” I smirk, trying to digest everything Dom is saying.
“Fuck, no,” he chuckles. “I think I just lost who I am. I needed to find myself again.”
“Have you succeeded yet?”
“I’m getting closer,” he responds, but his voice turns somber. I slide off his bike, standing still while he follows suit. He reaches out for my hand, and I stare at it a moment as if it is a snake, coiled and ready to strike. Carefully, I put my hand in his and let him lead me toward the motel.