Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 61905 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61905 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
“You’ll do no such thing. Payment is needed for helping you, don’t you think?” he asks.
“Excuse me?” I ask him, confused, clearly my drunk-addled brain has heard him wrong.
“A woman as pretty as you… all by herself is ready to be fucked.” His hand touches my hair, and he lifts a strand. I knock his damn hand away, but he only laughs.
“Adora.” My back stiffens when I hear that voice.
“Fuck off.” The man in front of me says before dropping my hair.
Heavy footsteps are all I hear when I turn my head to see Joey rushing up the stairs his hands to his sides. He steps up next to me, his hand touches the side of my face while his other hand lifts, and it’s followed by a loud bang.
Something wet lands on my face.
Warm and sticky.
He wipes it with his thumb.
“You really are the most beautiful thing I ever did see.”
“Is that blood?” I ask him, too hypnotized by him to even care about what he just did.
I’ve done worse.
“Yes.”
“I’m tired, I feel sick,” I tell him, leaning in.
“I’ll get my wife.” That’s Keir’s voice, and then I hear the door open and close.
“Let’s get you home and to my bed.”
“Our bed,” I say to him.
Joey’s lips lift into a giant smirk.
“Yes, ours.” He picks me up and as he carries me down the stairs, I look up to see the man dead on the steps.
Well, it sucks to be him.
That will teach him for fucking around with our family.
The next morning, I wake with Joey next to me. There’s a book in his hands as he lays in our bed.
“Why are you so beautiful?” I ask.
He turns to look at me, putting the book down and leans in, his lips touching my bare shoulder. I briefly remember him helping me undress and putting me to bed last night.
“I need to see Becca,” I tell him.
His mouth freezes against my skin, and his hands tighten on my waist.
“Can you take me?” I turn to him ever so slightly as he sucks in a breath.
“Yes.” He pulls away but keeps a hand on me. “Now,” is all he says followed by getting up and getting dressed.
“It can wait.”
“It can’t. Now, get dressed, Adora.” I do because he is right. It can’t wait any longer. I need to go and find out what’s wrong.
The drive is quiet. For some reason, he doesn’t ask me any more questions, but he should. It’s probably not smart for me to go see someone I have been with, that I was falling in love with, but then again, I have been known to do stupid things in my past.
I’ve known them both for the same amount of time, granted I briefly knew Joey as a child, but before last week, I would have told you I knew Becca better. But as his hand grips my leg, I realize I know Joey better. He shared much with me, and I’ve done the same. I didn’t think it was possible to fall for him, knowing our circumstances and who we are, and how much push and pull there was between us to start out.
But it’s happened.
Not only is he a god at knowing my body and how it reacts, but he is hard when warranted and soft when needed.
We match perfectly.
As her apartment comes into view, his hand squeezes my leg a little tighter.
The car comes to a stop, and I reach for the door to open it, but he pulls me back, stopping me from getting out.
“Tell me you won’t leave me.” It’s almost a plea, but he doesn’t say it in that tone. He’s commanding me.
“I’ll be back. I don’t know how long this will take, but I’ll be back.”
“You’ll be back,” he repeats, nods, and lets me go. “I’ll wait here.” I get out of the car and walk up the stairs to her door. I knock a few times, but she doesn’t answer. So, I knock again. When the door finally opens, it’s not her standing there, it’s a lady dressed in scrubs.
“Hi, can I help you?”
“Oh, sorry, yeah… I’m here to see Becca. This is her place, correct?”
“It is. I’ve just given her some medication, but you can come in now before she goes to sleep. She was still awake when I left her.”
“Medicine? Is she sick?”
Her mouth draws into a tight line. “I think it’s best you ask her that. You are her visitor.”
“How long have you worked for her?”
“A few months now.” She holds the door open. “You must be Adora. I’ve heard wonderful things about you.”
“Thank you.” Looking over my shoulder to Joey, who’s still in the car, then back to the woman. “Can I see her?”
“Of course. Go on in.” She holds the door open for me and shuts it after I enter. “To the right.” Walking farther in, I see the end of a bed covered in pink sheets and a pair of bare legs resting on top of the covers. My eyes move up to find Becca curled up in a ball with her back to me.