Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 101501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
She barely looked at him as she spoke, so Logan reached out and snagged her hand as she tried to walk away and jerked her toward him, not about to let her imagination fester a minute longer. He had a pretty good idea what was running through her head after Kenzie’s comment about breakfast, so he needed to make it clear she was the only one he wanted.
She squeaked like a mouse when her body slammed into his. He should have kissed her earlier like he’d planned, but Max’s bark indicated she was anxious, so he’d backed off at the last second to give her breathing room. He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
Logan didn’t waste time controlling Skylar. Instead of arguing with her to listen to him, he wrapped his arm around her waist and grabbed her ponytail, tugging her head back so he had full access to her mouth. When she struggled against his hold, Ty thundered, “You’re a dead man,” from the stage, and the atmosphere in the bar went wired.
Logan ignored all of it and slammed his mouth over Skylar’s like he’d wanted to from the moment he laid eyes on her. She fought him for a nanosecond, then her mouth opened to his and the kiss ignited. He drank her in and didn’t let up, even when he heard a scuffle close by. He knew Ty wouldn’t strike him and risk hitting Skylar, so he deepened the kiss to lay his claim before Ty, the town, and God. He’d fought to protect his country. Lost the only family he’d known trying to keep this nation safe, but he was done sacrificing himself for others. He intended to be selfish for once and take what he wanted, what he suspected he’d needed all along to chase the nightmares away: Skylar.
The door opened behind them, and a cold breeze hit his back as he tightened his hold on Skylar, pinning her soft curves to his body. He registered several gasps of surprise when the door closed with a thud, and it sent the hair on his neck standing on end. Like he’d been trained, Logan reacted without thinking, knowing exactly who he would find when he turned around. Ripping his mouth from Skylar’s, Logan swung her behind him so she was protected, and raised murderous eyes to her half brother, Chance Bear.
_______________
I’d only had enough time to steady my legs after Logan’s fiery kiss, when I realized what was happening. The urge to kill had never overcome me so quickly, but there it was, burning like a fire in my belly. Chance might be the richest man in the county, but I realized today, I was far richer for the friendships I had. He could keep his money. I would take being rich in friendship and love over his life any day.
I opened my mouth to order Chance out of my bar or I’d shove a bottle up his ass, but I was cut off when three high school friends pulled me back and stepped in front of me. “Get out, you unbelievable asshole!” I tried pushing through Woody, Hayden, and Mark, but they wouldn’t let me pass. “Let me through, so I can kick him in his tiny balls.”
Logan glanced back and smiled at my outburst, but Chance didn’t even flinch.
My older brother was an average-sized man with dark eyes that seemed to pierce through you when he was angry. And he looked angry. No. Scratch that. He looked almost wild as he searched the bar for someone who wasn’t me.
Chance had always been an enigma to me. Native Americans valued family and tradition to the exclusion of almost everything else. They protected Mother Earth and her resources while trying to preserve their dying way of life. They’d never been savages, no matter what the history books told you. They’d been protecting their land against European intruders, just as the white man had protected his when he thought they were being threatened, yet Native Americans were deemed savage for doing the exact same thing: protecting their families and way of life. Family and tradition were the most important things to all First Nations tribes, yet here he stood, ready to take from his only living relatives because his father had poisoned him against their mother.
As if my threat mattered little to Chance, he ignored my outburst and kept scanning the bar. His searching stopped and his eyes grew even wilder in the low light of the bar. Then he tipped his head back and thundered, “Kenzie!” followed by an ancient native battle cry that sent chills running down my spine.
Logan moved in front of Chance when he took a step forward, stopping Chance in his tracks. Then Ty moved in next to Logan and crossed his arms in the universal man speak for ‘not a step farther.’ One by one, the rest of the bar patrons formed a semi-circle behind them both, pushing me farther back with each step until I was standing next to Kenzie and Jordan, with Max at my side.