Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
With a huff, I walk around to the backseat of my car. I grab my tennis shoes and change into them. I’m throwing a few things into my backpack when I see a car in the distance.
A part of me wants to hide now that I’ve resolved to walk. I lean down, hoping to not be seen, but just as soon as the thought hits me, I realize that the hood is still up, and whoever it is is going to stop. I’m in Tennessee, and that’s what people do.
I mentally try to prepare myself as I pull my hair down and try to cover the bruise even though I know it’s useless. There’s nothing, not even full coverage makeup, that is going to hide the black and blue mark around my eye.
A tow truck stops behind my car, and I have to shade my eyes to try and see who’s in the driver’s seat. Whiskey Run has grown a lot since I lived here, so the chances that I know the driver is fifty-fifty. No matter how hard I try, I can’t make out who it is. I’m on edge because they’re not opening the door, and I get an uneasy feeling. Please, God no.
The hairs on my arm stand up, and there is a pressure on my chest as my heart starts to pound erratically. It feels like hours go by, but I know it’s mere seconds. The door opens, and as soon as I see the driver step out, I know it’s him. There’s no way I could ever forget the man I gave my virginity to. Heck, I gave my heart to him. I drop my bag back into my car and fist my hands at my sides. There’s no way I’m prepared to see Dominic Evans. Heck, nothing could prepare me for seeing him again, but he’s walking toward me with a grim look on his face.
He’s not the man I remember. He was a twenty-year-old the last time I saw him, and even though he was a big man then, his shoulders are broader, his chest is bigger, and his brown hair is longer. It doesn’t matter how different he may look, my body still reacts the same way it did back then. Why am I suddenly hot all over? And hell, even my nipples pucker at the sight of him. What the hell is wrong with me? My body is a fucking traitor. My scowl deepens.
He’s stalking toward me, and there’s a part of me that wants to turn and run as fast as I can. I’m not ready for this. But there’s another part of me that is still drawn to him and wants to race toward him and let him wrap me up in his big, capable arms.
But I do neither. I stay frozen in place, mouth hanging open, and stare at Dominic as he walks toward me. There’s anger on his face, and it’s hard to ignore. I’ve never seen him look the way he does right now, but I’m speechless as every emotion wells inside me.
He stops in front of me, and his eyes search my face. I wish I had my sunglasses on so I could hide my reaction to him being this close, but all I can do is stare back at him with wide eyes.
His jaw is pulled tight, his nostrils are flared, and his whole body is tense.
I jut my chin at him. He’s the one that pushed me away and said he never wanted to see me again. It’s not like I’m the one that broke his heart. No, he demolished mine. I give a brief nod and with more confidence than I feel, I nod. “Dominic.”
He reaches up and puts his hand on my chin, lifting my head back so he can see me better. “Who the fuck hit you, Luciana?”
I pull back, and the spot on my chin where he touched me feels like it’s scorched. It’s always been like that any time he’s touched me. I take a step back because I need the space. I put my hands on my hips and glare at him, trying to act like my body is not reacting to his touch. “You have to be fuckin’ kidding me.”
He hovers over me. “I’m not. Who touched you, Lucy? Give me a name.”
“Fuck you.”
He crosses his arms over his barrel of a chest. “You already did that. Now tell me his name. You either tell me or I’m going to find out on my own. Either way, he’s a dead man.”
My mouth drops because this is definitely the Dominic Evans I remember. He’s always been protective, but I thought the days where he’d want to protect me were long gone. He sure wasn’t worried about hurting me when he said he was done with me.