Total pages in book: 180
Estimated words: 168587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 843(@200wpm)___ 674(@250wpm)___ 562(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 168587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 843(@200wpm)___ 674(@250wpm)___ 562(@300wpm)
“What is it?” I sit up straighter on my bed.
He walks over and sits down on the side, holding out an envelope for me. “Go ahead, open it.”
I gently pull apart the seal and remove the card inside. I read over it and frown. “I don’t understand.”
He rips it from my hands. “It’s a gift card.”
“To a doctor. What’s wrong with me?” I’m not sick. Why the hell would he get me this?
“It’s for your tits, babe.” He points at my chest. “He’s the best plastic surgeon in California. He’s booked out for the next year, but I got you in, in three months.”
“Oh.” My shoulders slump.
“I’ve already told him the size I want. And I’ve already spoken to your mother. She’s going to go with you, and you guys will spend a few nights there. They’re going to look amazing.”
I stare down at my hands, and he grips my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
Why wouldn’t I be okay with him wanting to change my body? I mean, how dare I be confident and like how I look? I didn’t get to pick who I spent the rest of my life with, so I shouldn’t be surprised. My sister was killed, then this guy shows up in our lives, and I’m just handed over like a piece to be traded. “He’s going to be powerful,” my mother told me. “You’ll be set for life.” That doesn’t matter when your life is hell.
“Nothing.” I lie because he won’t care, just like the rest of them.
That’s when I knew I’d never have a say in how I live my life. If I refused anything that Luke wanted, my parents would make sure he got it. After that, he just kept changing things about me. My father joined in on it too. I always walked into a room and was already greeted with things that I needed to work on. A personal trainer to stay in shape. A diet. It was never ending. I had to drop eight pounds for the wedding. The dress was designed in the size that Luke wanted it. Then I had to make sure I fit into it.
Maybe Tyson could be different in this aspect. He doesn’t want me to look a certain way, so it seems. It never hurts to ask.
TYSON
I enter the apartment and master suite to find her walking out of the bathroom. She comes to a stop and looks down at the floor for a long second before her eyes slowly lift to look at me through her long lashes. She’s already showered, her hair still damp and makeup off her face, dressed in one of my T-shirts. My cock instantly gets hard noticing her hard nipples through the thin fabric.
“Can I color my hair?” she asks softly.
“No.”
“You didn’t even consider it,” she growls, her eyes narrowing on mine as she lifts her chin.
“Why do you want to change it?” I ask my own question, curious of her answer. I’m pretty sure I already know, though.
“Never mind.” She turns to walk to the bed, but I grab her upper arm, bringing her to a stop.
“Did Luke make you bleach it?” I wonder. Maybe he prefers blondes.
She bows her head, biting on her lips nervously. I reach out, letting my knuckles run over her breasts, noticing how she pushes her chest into my touch. I bet she’s begging to get off right now. “I asked you a question, Lake.”
“No,” She answers softly.
“Then who?” I ask.
She looks up at me, her eyes red. “My dad.”
“Why would he care what color your hair is?” I snort at the thought.
She swallows. “He said I looked too much like Whitney,” she whispers. “We weren’t even allowed to mention her name. So the fact that he thought of her every time he looked at me disgusted him.”
Lake and Whitney looked nothing alike, other than they were both brunettes. But even that wasn’t identical. Whitney’s was darker, and she kept it shorter—just below the shoulders. Why would it bother him how Lake looked? That doesn’t make sense.
Reaching out, I take a piece of her hair and twirl it around my finger. I step into her, letting go of it. I slide my fingers through the damp strands to the back of her head and I gently tug, forcing her eyes to meet mine. “If you want to change your hair, then change it.” I don’t want to give her permission to change something that she doesn’t like about herself. Her body has already been altered because a man told her it wasn’t what he wanted.
Her eyes light up, our earlier fight forgotten, and her plump lips pull into a big smile. She throws her arms around my neck. “Thank you.” She presses her lips to mine to give me a kiss. It’s innocent and thoughtless on her part. Just an action of gratitude.