Total pages in book: 165
Estimated words: 154925 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 775(@200wpm)___ 620(@250wpm)___ 516(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 154925 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 775(@200wpm)___ 620(@250wpm)___ 516(@300wpm)
“No, we do not. And we don’t play by anyone’s rules but our own, and Kyle should have remembered that before he blew his ass up,” Ian vowed. “So, you up for this, Mae?”
For the first time since that building had gone up, she was. This was what she needed. Not to be treated like a damsel in distress. She needed to be treated like she could handle this, like she could win.
“I’m ready.”
She walked out of the hospital with an aching body and heart.
And a real purpose. She wouldn’t be weak again. Not for anyone.
Definitely not for Kyle Hawthorne.
Part Two
Here
Chapter Eight
MaeBe looked down at the man she’d just kicked in the balls and wondered where her sympathy had gone. It—like many things in her life—had fled with Kyle Hawthorne’s “death.”
Things like her dignity. Her open heart. Her confidence—though she’d pretty much gotten that back.
Still, she should feel for the guy. She’d been excellent at what Tag called Ball Breaking 101. And she’d learned the proper way to punch a chick in the tit.
She holstered her gun as the door came open and West Rycroft came through, Glock in hand. She preferred her SIG P238, but she’d left it in her laptop bag. It fit her hand properly and was easy to conceal. She’d gone to the gun range with Erin and Charlotte and tried pretty much every handgun possible. The two women had argued about what would work best while MaeBe had shot at a big picture of some man’s lower half. The SIG had been the easiest to blow away the crotch with, and now she and Wanda were besties.
And yes, she’d named her gun after the Scarlet Witch because she could make men magically disappear when she brought it out. Drinking in bars was so much more fun with Wanda in her life.
“What the hell is going on? Hey, show me your hands or I’ll shoot.” West might be new to the job, but he took it seriously. He’d been her constant guard the last few weeks. He’d been willing to spar with her after she’d proven she could take him down, but he still consistently held back, so she preferred sparring with Erin. They’d gotten along quite well. So well, she’d wished she could work off her stress in a different way. West had gently hinted he wouldn’t mind guarding her more personally.
If she could force herself to do it. If she could get over the asshole on the floor long enough to get her sex life back. Not that she’d had much of one before.
She wondered if Ian would get her a sex tutor. He probably would. The big guy was surprisingly open about those kinds of topics.
“It’s me,” Kyle groaned. “And I can’t show you my fucking hands because they’re the only things keeping my balls on my body right now. Fuck, Mae. Did you have to do that?”
She sighed and looked to West. “West, Kyle’s back. In my defense, I thought he was a ghost since he’s supposed to be dead. I certainly would never hurt a poor alive guy by ensuring he’ll never have sex again.”
West frowned and stood down, seeming to understand the world wasn’t about to explode. “I thought he was dead too. I thought that was why you’re so sad all the time. Wasn’t he your boyfriend?”
“No,” she said.
“Yes,” Kyle replied at the same time. He managed to get to his knees. He used one hand to balance himself as he stood. “And she obviously knows I’m not dead. I was pretty sure that was the worst-kept secret in the world. Now, if you’ll give us some privacy, I would appreciate it.”
“We do not need privacy.” She wasn’t about to be alone with the man. She’d gotten over him. Mostly. “What he needs to do is call his uncle or his mom and have someone pick him up. Unless you have a car now. Also, don’t try this again. I’ll change my alarm code.”
“And I’ll figure it out again.” Kyle managed to stand up straight with the merest of grimaces. His eyes narrowed as he turned to West. “I suggest you walk out of this room right now. Go and do what you should do and call your brother and brief him on the situation.”
“You are not his boss.” God, the man was still so arrogant it hurt. Once she’d thought it was a kind of sexy trait. Now she saw it for what it was. Kyle believed he was the center of the universe, and for some reason he wanted something from her. Likely information of some kind. She was almost certain something had gone down a few days before because Grace and Sean had come into the office and Grace had looked worried.
She stayed far away from any information concerning Kyle.