Total pages in book: 21
Estimated words: 19305 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 97(@200wpm)___ 77(@250wpm)___ 64(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 19305 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 97(@200wpm)___ 77(@250wpm)___ 64(@300wpm)
Okay. Lying in the dirt and hoping I get away unnoticed is an option. A stupid one. I can tell him I’m here seeking answers, but it won’t go down well with the outfit I’m wearing. A short skirt that barely covers my ass, thigh-high stockings, and a top more akin to a bra than any shirt.
I should be scared, but I’m more embarrassed than anything else. The man behind him is going to lead this congregation when Reed goes wherever he’s headed, and this is a damn terrible way to introduce myself.
“It’s me.” Nervousness makes my voice crack when I speak.
“Valerie?” Reed gets off the porch to see me hugging the dirt. He offers a hand, and I take it.
“Let me not keep you, Reed. But know, my son, I’ll pray for you,” the priest says.
“And I for you,” Reed responds.
Reed wraps his arms around my shoulders and pulls me into him. I crumble into his muscular frame, draining whatever heat I can steal. We watch the priest descend the staircase and take a brisk walk to his car. Once he starts driving off, Reed leads me back into the warmth of his home.
“Come inside, pretty little thing. You’ll catch your death of cold out there.” That’s when it hits him. My outfit. Lustful eyes drink me in, and if I needed warmth before, I don’t anymore because they’re burning right through me.
Yes. This is a bad idea, and I shouldn’t be here. But I’d be lying if I said the way Reed Murphy stares at me isn’t exactly what I wanted when I arrived.
7
REED
Ican’t take my eyes off her exposed body. Valerie’s outfit barely covers anything at all and leaves nothing to the imagination. It doesn’t help that I've seen what’s beneath it.
Still, by outfit alone, her intentions are obvious. Her dark purple bustier corset is rimmed with light, see-through fabric. The straps are made of an equally thin fabric, with two bows above the shoulders to tie it together. Her short skirt, the same deep shade of purple, rides up her legs so high that a gentle wind could show off what she’s hiding beneath.
“What are you doing here?” I ask when my prolonged gawking forces a cheeky grin onto Valerie’s face.
“I came to see you.” Her eyes, like mine, wander. She inspects my muscles, the silver scars coating them, and of course, the enormous tent stretching the material of my gray track pants.
“At this time of night? It isn’t wise.” I wrap a hand around her waist, resting it loosely on the small of her back.
Valerie raises a hand to my cheek, brushing it with the back of her fingers before it slithers behind my neck.
“I had the same thought myself. It’s why I was hiding in your bushes.” She winks and gives me a smirk. “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.”
The priest. His arrival is horribly timed. If I had a little more time, I’m sure I’d be able to leave this place with the money and Valerie. But my clock started ticking when I answered Alfonso Cipriani’s call this afternoon. He’s going to send his bloodhounds on their hunt. The priest coming to claim his role is just another reminder that it’s time to get the hell out of Aurora.
“Not at all.” I won’t lie to her unless explicitly necessary. It’s easier to cut the conversation short.
My response changes something on her face. The sweet smirk she wore as she entered vanishes into a pout. Her eyes soften, and tears rim the lids. The hand she snaked around my shoulder tightens around my neck as she draws me close.
“Are you okay?” I tighten my grip around her waist and pull her into my chest.
She doesn’t cry—not immediately—but her words carry so much sorrow. “You’re going to leave me, aren’t you?”
Fuck.
I’m not ready to have this conversation. I blew into town a few nights ago and lost myself to fantasies of the perfect future with Valerie at my side. The consequences of my actions were, and still are, the furthest thing on my mind.
But running off and spending the rest of our days together, as beautiful as it sounds, is a delusion that had to catch up to me eventually. Why the fuck did it have to be tonight? Why would she part ways with her life for a drifter? Hell, I’m not even a drifter. I’m a conniving, lying bastard who saw an opportunity to abuse my power to get closer to her.
And good God, has it been fucking amazing, but it’s time for reality to set in. For the hard truths of this life to shatter the perfect image of our future together. No matter how badly it stings.
“Valerie, I—” I don’t know what to say. “You can come with me. I’ve got a boat. I’ve got cash. I can give you the life you deserve.”