Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 61531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
“Haze, this…this…maybe he’s right. Heath—your dad, he will murder Gabriel if he caught wind. This…this isn’t like—”
“You and my dad? I know. Gabriel’s made that very clear. Unlike you, we don’t get our happily ever after.” I pull away, needing space.
“Hey,” she says to me, “that’s not fair.”
Shit. I’m a jerk. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. It’s just…I want it to be like you and Dad. I want us to be okay. I want us both to go to my dad. He has to understand. I did for him and—”
“Hazel, I get where you’re coming from, and I agree with you, but you have to understand. You’re his daughter, his only child, who he loves and would do anything to protect. Gabriel is his best friend. Shit, as far as I can tell, his only friend.” We both chuckle, knowing how true that is. “This will truly crush him. It will be like being stabbed in the back and front. I…I don’t know what to say here, but I…I…shit…” Dropping her bag, she goes to our mini-fridge and pulls out our mini bottles of vodka. She twists off the top of one, hands it to me, then grabs another and takes a swig.
“Fuck,” I grunt, the liquor unsettling my already weak stomach.
“Fuck is right. I mean…Gabriel, huh?” She turns to me, her curious stare asking for more.
“Yeah.” I throw myself in my chair. “He’s so powerful, and ruthless, and dominating. He’s this entity in my world that breathes life into me. He’s attractive and kind in this broody sort of way. He handles me with utter care yet dominates me in a way I can’t even put into words. He…owns me. And I’m in love with him.” Forgetting my upset stomach, I swallow the rest of the shot.
Violet does the same, looking just as lost. We’re both quiet for some time before she breaks the silence. “So, what’s your plan?”
“I don’t have one.”
“Have you talked to him about any of this?”
That question has my bottom lip quivering, remembering the missed call and Evan answering. “No.” I wipe at my wet face. “He called me last night, but I guess I passed out. Evan said he kept calling, so he answered. Gabriel didn’t say anything, then hung up.”
“Oh shit.”
“Yeah. So, who knows what he thinks. He had rules, and I disobeyed.” Her brow raises again, her eyes widening, but I hesitate to further explain. She has that do-tell expression on her face, but I’m not ready to share those details. “I just want to talk to him. Tell him it’s not what he thinks. I love him. Maybe I am being selfish. I’m asking him to give up everything to be with me. Maybe that makes me the one in the wrong.”
Violet comes up to me, placing her hand on my shoulder. “I think you’re acting human, like anyone who has a heart would. I think he is too. There’s a lot at stake. I can’t lie to you and tell you things will work out because let’s be honest, I’m scared for you, but whatever happens, I’ll support you. I’ll do what I can to smooth things over with your dad. But I think you need to talk with Gabriel. Do you know he doesn’t want this?”
His silence tells me so. “He let me leave without a fight.”
“Maybe he was torn. Maybe he didn’t know how to react. Guys are dumb sometimes, no matter how old they are.” She gets a sly smile out of me. “What do you want to do?”
I say the first thing that comes to me. “I want to talk to him.”
Violet nods. “Then let’s go talk to him.”
I sit up straighter. “Wait—as in go home?”
“Yep. Screw classes. Let’s hop in the car and drive to his place. Or work. Or…shit, do you know where he would be?”
I put some thought into the day and time. “Normally, he works from home.” She nods and grabs for her purse and keys. “Wait, what will Dad say? What are you going to tell him?”
“Nothing. We can be in and out, and I’ll be home before he calls. Our little secret.”
My eyes tear up. “You’re willing to do that? Lie for me?”
“It’s not a lie. It’s forgetting the truth.” She winks at me, then pulls me from my seat and drags me to her car as we make the short trek home.
It’s early evening by the time we pull into Gabriel’s driveway. I relay the code to Violet, the gate opens, and we pull up to his lavish estate. Violet gasps. “Is he from some kind of royal descent?” She pushes her head into the windshield, staring up at the house.
“No. He just loves money and power.”
“More than your dad? Wow.” I know she’s trying to ease the tension of what I’m about to do, but with every second that passes, my anxiety threatens to take me out before I even make it inside. “Do you think he’s home?”