Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 110549 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 442(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110549 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 442(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
Lincoln slowly pulled back from her and gripped the hem of her shirt, pulling it over her head. Her beautiful green eyes locked on mine. I moved toward her, watching as her green eyes flickered with nervousness.
“Be with him, baby girl,” I soothed, reaching up to cup the side of her neck. “Stop worrying about me.”
“Together,” Lincoln suddenly stated.
We both looked over at him. He looked down at West, his blue eyes locking on hers. “Would it feel better for you to have us together, baby?” he asked her as he slid his hand along her waist. She shivered beneath his touch.
She kept her lips firmly shut, not wanting to make a decision. I sighed. She was being stubborn as fuck. She wouldn’t accept him, too, not unless I made the decision for her.
“Not now,” I told him as I ran my eyes over her face. I could see her heart pounding hard in her chest, and I placed my hand between her breasts, applying the slightest bit of pressure for her.
“I need air,” she shakily whispered. She suddenly snatched her shirt up and disappeared out of the office.
Lincoln thrust his hands through his hair before he paced to the window. “This shit isn’t going to work with her, Jessie.”
I grunted and dropped into the chair behind the desk, my eyes moving to the picture of West I had on it. She was smiling up at me, her beautiful green eyes full of life for that one split second.
“It will work,” I told him. “She fucking wants you, Lincoln.”
“She’s not the kind of woman for this kind of shit,” Lincoln retorted. “You are it for her, Jessie. Don’t keep pushing this shit between me and her and destroy what you two already have.”
“Lincoln, six years ago, she chose you over me. You remember that?” I asked him.
He turned to face me, his blue eyes lit up with anger and sadness. My heart ached for him. Lincoln had gone through so much shit in life. He deserved happiness, too, and I knew he was happy with her.
“Yeah, I fucking remember, but if you would also recall, I was only supposed to be something fun for her.”
“Until she realized you actually gave a fuck about her,” I corrected him. He sighed, thrusting his hand through his hair. “West has never had someone besides me truly care about her, Lincoln. That’s West’s weakness. She latches on when someone shows her some kind of kindness, some kind of hope and decency. And you showed her a hell of a lot of that. So, no matter how hard she tries to fight what she feels for you, she’ll never be able to toss aside those feelings, Lincoln. They’re real as fuck for her. She’s just being her normal, stubborn self.”
“So, what, Jessie? What the fuck do you expect me to do?”
“You stick with her,” I told him. “Shit with her is not easy—trust me. She’s stubborn as hell, and that attitude of hers will drive you fucking mad. But she’s worth every damn second of it, Lincoln. Just keep showing her you care, that you’re not giving up on her. I’ll do what I can to coax her in your direction, get her to see and completely understand that I’m fine with this. She’s terrified of losing me again, and that’s the biggest thing holding her back right now.”
“There won’t ever be another woman for me, Jessie,” Lincoln bluntly stated.
I stood up, getting ready to go check on her. “Then prove that to her, Lincoln. Because right now, she’s trying to do everything she can to keep distance between you two. I can only do so much.”
I left the office and stepped into the garage. The doors were back up, and West was working on the engine that Lincoln and I had recently abandoned when Lucky showed up.
Which meant she was doing her damnest to forget everything that had just happened.
“West,” I gently called out. Her back tensed, but she didn’t turn to face me. “Woman, turn around and face me,” I commanded.
I watched her hand tighten around the socket wrench in her hand, and I resisted the urge to smirk.
She was going to fucking explode, and it was going to be absolutely beautiful when she did.
“West,” I snapped.
“What?!” she screeched when she swung around to face me, that socket wrench in her hand now looking deadly, but I knew she would never throw it at me. “I’m not in the goddamn mood, Jessie.”
“Don’t give a fuck,” I retorted. She narrowed her eyes at me. “Stop fucking hiding from the shit you’re feeling, West. It’s cowardly.”
“I am not a fucking coward,” she sneered.
“Then stop acting like one,” I bit back. “You always run from the good shit in your life. Lincoln wants you, West. He wants to be there for you, to take care of you. He has never looked at any woman the way he fucking looks at you. I’m offering him to you on a goddamn silver platter, and yet you’re fighting it every step of the fucking way.”