Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 31942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 160(@200wpm)___ 128(@250wpm)___ 106(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 160(@200wpm)___ 128(@250wpm)___ 106(@300wpm)
“What are you thinking?” Brody asks sleepily without opening his eyes. I love how mussed up his hair is from all the ways I kept running my fingers through it last night. I love how deep and groggy his voice is. But what I love most is how he doesn’t move. He keeps holding onto me and it gives my foolish heart hope that I shouldn’t cling to.
“I’m thinking you looked cuter last night.” I want to tell him how I feel. I want to beg him to say he feels the same things I do. That this is more than just amazing sex or three years of built-up lust.
He growls and reaches for my side, tickling me.
I laugh and roll away from him, landing beside the bed on my feet. I head to the master bathroom, calling out over my shoulder, “Make me some of your famous French toast and I might change my mind.”
When I get out of the bathroom, I’m still in that beautiful bubbly morning-after glow. At least, that’s what I’m assuming it is. I’ve never felt like this before. Like I was so happy that I might burst.
But one look at Brody’s face when I step in the kitchen pops the bubble. I brace myself at his scowl. I’m mentally preparing myself to hear that this was a mistake, and we can’t do it again. Instead, he sighs and holds up his phone. “I just got a call from Ryker. Kyle is on our land.”
My stomach knots and I fight to take a deep breath. Kyle is here. I knew he was coming for me. But it’s still such a shock to my system.
“Breathe, lamb.” Brody crosses the kitchen in two strides. He sits in a kitchen chair and drags me down onto his lap, just like he did last night. “I’m right here, and you have options.”
It takes a few minutes of deep breathing before I’m able to ask, “What are my options?”
“First option involves trespassing. It’s a misdemeanor in this county. It carries a sentence of up to a hundred and twenty days. I know Judge Helen so it’s possible he could serve the whole term.”
My shoulders slump. “That’s not a lot of time.”
“Second option is we let him show up. I think…given the messages he’s sent you ever since you posted the picture of us, that he’s going to come with a weapon and possibly threaten you. I’ll be by your side the entire time. I won’t let him hurt you.”
Dread and fear press against my throat, making it hard for me to breathe again. Why can’t Kyle just go away? Why does he have to behave like this? A new idea occurs to me.
“What if I called Mr. Davis? He could come get Kyle. He’s always been really nice to me about the whole situation.” He even comforted me after I told him it felt like I was being watched. He must realize on some level that his son is dangerous even if he’s scared to acknowledge it.
“And then what?” Brody challenges. “How long do you think he can keep Kyle on a leash? For a month? Two? Then you’re right back in this situation, only now he’s escalating.”
Brody’s phone beeps with a new message. It’s from Ryker. He’s heading toward the barn. Disable him or leave him be? Your choice.
I shiver to think about how men like Brody and Ryker can easily disable an intruder. They have years of specialized training that probably makes it no more difficult for them to do than it does for me to kill a housefly.
The same muscle in Brody’s jaw jumps again. “Your call, Charlie. Tell me how you want this to go down.”
Even though my legs are shaking and my body feels cold all over, I manage to get out the words, “I guess I have to see him.”
He gives me a solemn nod before squeezing my hand gently. “We’re going to get through this. I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
10
CHARLIE
“Just try to get him talking. Let him talk as much as he wants,” Ryker instructs me as Brody adds a pin from his Army days to my jacket. It has a hidden camera because they want everything caught on video and audio. We’re still standing in Brody’s kitchen as they prepare me for what’s about to happen.
“The more threats he makes, the better it will be for the case they’ll build against him,” Colt offers. “I talked to Cartwright. He’s not a criminal lawyer but his daughter was stalked a few years back. He says the more evidence we can gather, the better chance we have of making this thing stick.”
“Alternatively, I could bury him in the south pasture.” Brody straightens the pin and steps back. He pauses to adjust the collar of the jacket, his big fingers brushing against my sensitive skin. It sends tingles through my body but I’m not in the mood to appreciate how easily this man can turn me on. All I’m thinking about is getting through this coming confrontation without throwing up.