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)
My chest clenched.
“The second I saw you, I knew you were mine.”
I closed my eyes.
“I was livid with your mother, but that’s not for you to deal with. You’re done with that. You got it?”
I looked at him, not understanding.
“I told you I had it tonight. You didn’t have to come.”
I opened my mouth.
He shook his head. “Cross told me he called you. He told me what you said, and I don’t know if that’s why you came, but I’m here. This is my shift now. While I’m glad all this is out, and your mother and I know what happened to you, making sure Griffith doesn’t talk isn’t your job. Do you get that?”
I just stared.
“You beat me, you miserable piece of fuck.”
I’d ceased thinking once those words left my mouth.
Stephen leaned forward, the chair squeaking under him, and he rested his elbows on his knees. “There’s a lot to process, but are you going to be okay for the night?”
My entire body was locking down, but I managed a slight nod. “Yeah.” I flinched internally, hearing how monotone I sounded.
“I have a girl,” I told him. “I’m going to go see her.”
The air seemed to shift around us. He stood, slowly. “Okay. I’ll hold it down on this end. You go be with your girl tonight.” He walked to the door, limping slightly, and paused. “If I have to tell you every day that I love you for you to accept it, I will.”
I looked at him.
His eyes were clear, gazing at me steadily. “I mean it. I love my children. All of them.”
I didn’t know how to take that, so I didn’t respond.
He went back inside, and after another five minutes, so did I.
I didn’t call Aspen.
There were text messages from her on my phone, but I would read them tomorrow. I just wanted her, and fifteen minutes later, I pulled past the gate and drove to park in front of her neighbor’s house.
I called her.
“Blaise?” She sounded tired.
I started to tell her I was here, but the words froze in my throat.
I realized my hand was shaking. That was odd.
I tasted salt, and I frowned, touching my face.
I was crying.
I’d cried before, but I’d always known I was crying.
I hated crying. It was weak.
That’s what he would have said if he saw.
A gurgling sound bubbled up from my throat. What the hell was that?
“Blaise?!” Aspen sounded alarmed.
I hadn’t meant to make her sound like that.
I hadn’t meant for her to find out about any of this.
I’d just meant to go to her, crawl in bed with her, and hold her. That’s all I wanted.
But I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t get any words out.
I hung up, hating that I’d hung up on my girl, but I couldn’t talk. What point was there, then, to see her? I was useless to her. I was worthless.
But I couldn’t bring myself to leave, so I sat in my Wagon and stared ahead, not seeing anything.
It might’ve been a minute later, maybe five. But there was a tap on my window, and then I saw Aspen.
She was biting her lip, her eyes all worried, and I hated that I’d made her feel like that.
But I was paralyzed. None of this made sense to me.
She opened my door. She reached inside. She unclipped my belt. She took my keys out of the ignition. She grabbed my phone, and then she took my hand.
I was led inside, and we both crawled into bed.
She wrapped her arms around me, and someone was crying.
I wanted to believe it was her.
I knew that wasn’t true.
29
Aspen
I woke up to the feeling of lips pressed against my neck. He swept my hair to the side, the movement a caress. His arms around me, his legs entwined with mine, he was tasting me. His hand skimmed down my side to my hip, then slipped under my shirt. He rubbed my stomach, moving in slow circles, and I knew where he was going.
I strained against him, lust and need throbbing inside of me.
I felt him against me, rolling his hips, grinding slow.
I gasped, my head pressed to my pillow as his fingers found my breast. He held me in the palm of his hand, and his thumb caressed my nipple.
I’d never thought about dating. It wasn’t that I didn’t like boys. I did. I crushed hard on them, but I worried they wouldn’t want me. It had settled firmly in me and taken root, holding me down. Then Blaise happened, and I was still trying to catch up.
I was still trying to catch up, but this morning, even if I’d been considering remaining a virgin, that was gone. He’d been destroyed last night. I didn’t know what had happened, but I would. Until then, I’d just hold him.
And this morning, I was going to love him.