Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 68058 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68058 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“I’ll see you later,” I said.
He glanced behind me, then met my gaze. “There’s no need for you to see me again.”
“We’ll see who needs what.” I turned and saw Rogue walking toward us. I waved to him, then headed back toward the house. I had a phone call to make. I was going to save my father’s ass, and after that, I was going to make some changes in my life.
17
RHYS
When I dragged myself upstairs to bed, I thought taking on extra chores to exhaust myself had worked. I was so tired I was destined to fall asleep immediately—without thinking of TJ. I could barely put one foot in front of the other, but as soon as I collapsed into bed, a reel of everything we’d done the night before began to play in my head.
My hand was around my cock before I even realized it. I don’t think I’ve ever come so fast from jerking off. It was like I’d been caught up in a vicious storm.
I lay there, trying to catch my breath, wondering where TJ was and if he was thinking about last night too. If he was also…
No. I pushed that thought from my mind. Why couldn’t I just forget the damn man existed?
I should never have let him touch me. When I saw him on the porch last night, I should have run as far away from him as I could get.
I was drunk. I wasn’t thinking clearly.
You knew exactly what you were doing. Being drunk was an excuse to give in.
I’d known sleeping with him would be amazing, but I’d had no idea it would fuck me up this badly. I was addicted to him after one night.
You were addicted to him the moment he showed up in the barn.
How could someone who pissed me off so much be so damn hot? How could I need him this badly? It went beyond want, beyond any desire I’d ever felt for a man.
What if I was…
No. I didn’t feel anything except the desire to fuck him. It had to be because I hated him and what we’d done in bed was so close to fighting. I’d needed that release since I couldn’t actually beat him to a pulp.
I rolled out of bed and stepped into the adjacent bathroom to clean myself up. I considered taking another shower, but my need for TJ was like an itch under my skin. It wasn’t something I was going to be able to scrub off.
I stared at myself in the mirror. I looked as exhausted as I felt, but I wasn’t sure I could sleep. Instead of calming me down, jerking off had me wired. For a moment, I considered going downstairs and snatching a bottle of whiskey, but that hadn’t turned out well last night.
It really couldn’t have turned out worse. I was going to have to find a way to fall asleep sober. I considered the bottle of Tylenol PM in my medicine cabinet, but I hated the way the pills made it so damn hard to get up the next morning. Even a hangover didn’t slow me down that badly, and with Grant and Jacob gone for the night, I needed to be at the barn at dawn.
I tried listening to music, a boring as hell podcast, and some of those weird sound patterns that are supposed to be soothing, but nothing worked. By three in the morning, I hadn’t done more than doze. I wished I’d just taken a fucking sleeping pill, but now it was way too late.
I got to my feet and stumbled toward the door. Maybe a snack would help, or maybe I’d down something fiery and soothing after all.
Just before I reached my door, I heard footsteps in the hall. Was Rogue up too? No, I was certain he was asleep. If it were Rogue, I’d know it. I grabbed a gun and moved slowly to the door, now more awake than ever. When I jerked it open, gun at the ready, I saw TJ standing in the hallway, staring at my door.
“What the fuck are you doing sneaking around?”
TJ scowled. “I couldn’t sleep. I went to the kitchen to get something to eat. I wasn’t aware I had a curfew.”
“You know damn well—”
“I know I’m here because my father wants me away from home.”
“He wants you protected.” Pain flickered in his eyes, and it made my breath catch. There was something going on with TJ and his family that he wasn’t telling me.
“What the hell are you doing up and wandering around?” he asked.
“I can’t sleep either.”
“Really? I wonder why that is.”
He took a step closer to me.
I wasn’t drunk this time. I hadn’t even had a beer with dinner. I’d told myself that keeping my mind clear would stop me from doing something stupid like seeking TJ out for some more mind-numbing sex. It obviously hadn’t worked.