Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 77516 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77516 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“It is my fault. But even if it weren’t, it doesn’t change anything.”
“Deacon, I was fired because I broke the rules—”
“Shut up.”
She closed her mouth, but her eyes simmered with rage.
“I love you. You’re my responsibility because of that fact. It’s my job to take care of you. I went to Boris and leveraged against him to get your job back, because together or apart, I will always look after you.”
Her eyes softened.
“So, don’t say that shit about taking care of yourself and that you aren’t my problem. I will always protect you. I will always take care of you. I’m not letting the love of my life, my future wife, stay here alone. Don’t make me ask again. Pack your fucking bag, and let’s go.” I turned away, so angry that I couldn’t control myself. I had to look away, take a moment to calm the fuck down.
“Deacon…you said you wanted to take it slow. Staying with you—”
“Cleo.” I didn’t raise my voice. I just gave her that tone, the tone I gave Derek, the one that warned there would be fucking hell to pay if she didn’t obey.
This time, she listened.
We didn’t speak a word on the drive home.
I was so fucking pissed off.
She’d been living there all that fucking time.
I wanted to punch myself in the face and break my own fucking nose.
We left the car, and I carried a few of her bags, while she carried the rest. The lobby was deserted because it was so late, so no one saw us enter the elevator and head to my floor, her belongings in my arms.
Not that we had to keep it a secret anyway.
I unlocked the door, and we stepped inside.
She set her bags on the couch because they were heavy for her and she was still in heels. She sat beside everything and placed her hand on the large trash bag, because she didn’t own any luggage. She was like a foster kid going from home to home.
It was late and I had work in the morning, but I’d probably go in a few hours late because there was no point in trying to focus when I hadn’t rested enough. My brain wasn’t nearly as efficient.
She wouldn’t look at me. “Well…thank you.”
I didn’t even do it for her—just for myself. “You can stay in one of the spare bedrooms.”
She didn’t look disappointed, as if she hadn’t been expecting to stay in the master with me.
I had no idea how long she’d be there with me, and I didn’t want to jump into that level of intimacy right off the bat. A few months ago, I wouldn’t have cared about her moving in with me…and never moving out. But that was too much, too fast for right now.
She got to her feet again and carried her belongings into the other hallway, picking the bedroom across from Derek’s. It had its own bathroom, so she wouldn’t have to share when Derek was there. She set her trash bags on top of the dresser.
I came in behind her and placed her things in the empty closet.
The bedroom was bigger than the whole of her Brooklyn apartment. It was clean, safe.
She looked at it, her eyes devoid of thoughts and emotions. She didn’t seem to feel anything at all. She slipped off her heels and left them on the floor before she turned to me. “It’s beautiful…”
I could tell something was wrong. I could feel her energy, detect some kind of deviation from her usual self. But I didn’t understand what had happened, why her mood had abruptly changed. Was she mad at me that I’d forced her to come? Was she grateful? I really couldn’t tell. “What is it?” I could just ask her what I wanted to know, and she would give me a response.
She looked away, her arms across her chest. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
That was an answer I’d never heard before. “Why?”
She shrugged. “It’s late. You should go to bed.” She turned to her bag and pulled the supplies she needed to get ready for bed, like her toothbrush and toothpaste.
I couldn’t leave, not without this answer. “Cleo.”
She turned back around, her eyes guarded like she was embarrassed. “I just… I’ve been on my own for a long time. Ever since my parents died, I’ve always been the only person I could count on. I don’t have someone I can call when I get into trouble. I’m always taking care of other people…and no one ever takes care of me.” Her eyes watered a little. “I didn’t realize how much that bothered me until now. I have you…and it’s so nice to have that person…who will always be there for you.”
When I woke up the next morning, she was gone.
There was no sign she’d been there. She didn’t even make herself a cup of coffee.