Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 111038 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 555(@200wpm)___ 444(@250wpm)___ 370(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111038 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 555(@200wpm)___ 444(@250wpm)___ 370(@300wpm)
I wasn’t moving. No way now. “I love you back.”
Her hips pressed up and her lips parted. “Now fuck me.”
“I can do that.” And a moment later, I was sliding inside of her.
Aspen was curled in my bed, sleeping sound when I hit up Zeke on the phone.
I typed to him as I dressed in the bathroom.
Me: Heading over now.
He buzzed back a second later.
Zeke: Now?!
Me: Now.
Zeke: Okay. He’s sleeping.
Me: Did he drink tonight?
Zeke: No. He was too scared to drink. Most of the guys were.
A deep satisfaction bloomed in my chest. That made me feel damned good.
Me: Then we’ll wake him up. Be ready.
It wasn’t a long drive to get to Zeke’s frat house. There was an alley in the back, and a piece of the fence was loose. Zeke showed it to me the first day I was there, said we could use it to sneak in and out. Some of the brothers knew about it, some didn’t.
He was waiting for me as I slipped through, dressed all in black. He handed over a small flashlight and a gag. Without saying a word to each other, we headed inside the house.
Later, as we woke Harper up, as his eyes opened and he saw me standing over him, as he started to jump up, his mouth opening to yell for help, I would think about what we did that night. But in that moment, I didn’t.
I wouldn’t think about it in the way that I would regret it. No. Never that.
I enjoyed as Zeke stuffed a gag in his mouth, and as I yanked him off the bed. There was a thudding sound, but no one came to his help. Not one brother. We weren’t exactly quiet about it. We dragged Harper from his room, and since his room was on the first floor, he only needed to worry about a few steps on the back porch.
Zeke stood back when we got him where I wanted him.
I stood back.
Harper realized it. I wasn’t like him, and I say that because I know his character. He would’ve jumped me with five other guys. He would’ve had them hold me down.
I wasn’t like that.
I let him get to his feet. I let him clear his head.
I gave him a fighting chance.
It wasn’t my fault the fucker couldn’t fight.
It wasn’t my fault that I could fight.
I told Zeke to head back to the house half way through it, and I texted him once I was done. Harper was breathing and awake when I left him, but he was bleeding. And he would hurt. He would hurt for a hell of a long time, but there was no permanent damage.
It was later when I thought back to that night and I realized I wasn’t hitting him just for Aspen. I was doing it for myself. I was doing it for Zeke. But I was doing it for my brother because there would be a time in the future when they would find out what else Harper did.
I was also doing it to set a precedence. Don’t fuck with me and who I loved. And knowing that, knowing my message was good and received, I went back to my apartment.
I washed up, then crawled in bed with Aspen. I pulled her into my arms.
Tomorrow would be another day, but we’d be all right. I’d make sure of it. We’d be all right no matter what came our way.
“Blaise?”
“Mmm?”
Aspen’s voice was sleepy. “You okay?”
I pressed a kiss to the side of her mouth. “Never better. Go to sleep.”
And she did. So did I.
Second Epilogue
ASPEN
YEARS LATER
“Are you ready for this?” Jade asked as she took the seat beside me.
I shook my head. “Not in the least.”
It was Blaise’s last game as a Seattle Falcon. When he’d finished college, he’d taken a spot on the team. We’d been in Seattle for the last two years. But tonight was his last game with the Falcons—and in the United States. He’d joined a new club in Europe. We’d be on a plane in a couple weeks, heading to Hungary. The offer had been too big, and Blaise knew his time to be able to go over and play in their ranks was diminishing. With the Falcons, he’d quickly become one of the best in the league, but I knew he wanted to try his luck overseas.
“But I’m excited too,” I assured Jade.
“I bet.”
I reached over, took her arm, and gave her a squeeze. “I’m glad you came.”
Her eyes got big. “Of course!” She pulled me in for a hug.
My throat was already swelling up. With the little one in me, my emotions were all over the place. And just thinking about him or her—we’d decided to be surprised—made me reach down and place my palm over my stomach.
He/she was kicking, and I smiled.