Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 123672 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 618(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 412(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123672 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 618(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 412(@300wpm)
Viper’s only response is to grit his teeth tighter. “Bike. Now.”
I hold his stare, and just like with Crew’s brother, I know I don’t stand a chance in hell. “Tomorrow,” I tell him, trying not to shrink under his lethal stare. “I’m giving you tonight to cool down, and then tomorrow, I expect answers whether you like it or not, and I don’t care whether I have to get them from you or directly from that asshole.”
He looks at me like a child having a tantrum, but I just stare back. “I mean it, Viper,” I add. “I’m fucking sick of you big-ass beefy assholes thinking you can dictate my life and keep me in the dark. All of this shit that’s been going on with Crew and his brother has something to do with me, so you have two choices, Viper. You tell me or he does. Take your pick.”
“I don’t take kindly to ultimatums.”
“Him it is then.”
Viper’s hands ball into tight fists, anger pouring through his dark stare. “Fine. If I come by the shop tomorrow, will you get on the back of my fucking bike so I can take you home?”
I give a firm nod. “Yes, I will.”
“Tomorrow it is then.”
And with that, he curls his strong hand around my upper arm and pulls me away.
25
KYAH
Standing by my apartment door, I wait until Alex has left before slipping out and making my way to work, immediately feeling like a piece of shit, but last night with Crew’s brother was just another blinding reason why I shouldn’t be getting involved with anyone right now.
My life is a mess. I have a stalker who is more than willing to cross boundaries, and now Crew’s brother has made his intentions disturbingly well known. I hope Viper honors his part of the deal because while I’m aware of the asshole’s intentions, I don’t know the extent of it, and something tells me Viper has been keeping a tight lid on this shit, and I’d really hate to have to go searching for answers somewhere else. Besides, if I weren’t in some kind of danger, there’s no way in hell Viper would spend his days following me around.
Making my way into High Voltage Ink, I sit down at my table, listening as Big Jim talks on the phone, clearly having a conversation with one of the new applicants who’ll be interviewing for Crew’s position. As I listen to the one-sided conversation with gritted teeth, I stare down at the designs I spent the night working on and immediately deem them all shit.
My head hasn’t been in the game these past few days, and it’s showing in my work, which really fucks with my head. I set a high standard for myself when it comes to my art. I don’t exactly get off on earning myself the title of being one of the best tattoo artists in Brooklyn, but I do like to ensure that I am offering a quality service and delivering on my clients’ expectations.
Hence why it’s time to call it quits with Alex.
I really don’t want to. Hell, just the thought of it has been tearing me apart all morning, but I would never forgive myself if I were to put him in danger just by being close to me. I need to wait until all this bullshit has passed, and then hopefully he’ll still be there when I come out the other end . . . assuming I can somehow survive, of course.
Who knows what kind of plans this stalker has for me. If all he wants is to get off while watching me, then I can live with that. He’ll eventually get bored and find someone else to torment, but if he wants something more, something vile and wicked . . . I don’t want to drag a good guy like Alex into that.
Letting out a heavy sigh, I grab the designs from last night and tear them out of my sketchpad before scrunching them up and tossing them into the trash. I drop down into my chair, a heaviness weighing on my shoulders as I take my phone and peer down at the screen, trying to work up the courage to actually do this.
Ending things with Alex is the furthest thing from what I want.
With him . . . everything is easy. He makes my heart race, makes me swoon, and the attraction is like nothing I’ve ever felt. It’s astronomical. Not to mention, the way he gets me worked up. I know that when it comes time to being physical with him, the wait is going to be well worth it . . . assuming I ever get the chance after this.
God. He’s probably going to hate me, and running into him in the hallway after this is going to be awkward and weird, just as I knew it would be. Which is exactly why I made a rule to never date my neighbors, especially the hot kind who live directly across the hall from me.