Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
I knew it was only a matter of time before she let that one slip.
“I’m handling it,” I hiss. “Keep your voice down or our parents will want to know what’s going on.”
Dempsey’s nostrils flare. “Oh, they know something’s going on because I just bust through the front door looking for you.”
I scramble to sit upright and smack his shoulder. “You can’t tell them!”
“Why the hell not?” he demands.
“Because you know how Dad gets. He won’t ever let me out of the house.”
“Maybe you need to be locked away where it’s safe!”
Gaping at him, I sputter, “Seriously? You’re going to take his side? Since when?”
“Since the threat of you getting kidnapped. For fuck’s sake, Gem!”
“No one is kidnapping me.” I dart my gaze to my doorway to make sure my parents aren’t there. “Plus, your fiancée is investigating.”
“It’s probably that freak at your school,” Dempsey says, eyes narrowing on me. “What’s his name again?”
“It’s not him.”
“Your problems started when he came into the picture!”
“Demps, it’s not Two.”
“Two. That’s right. Who the fuck is this guy anyway?” He pulls out his phone. “I’m going to look him up. What’s his last name?”
I knock his phone out of his hand and onto my bed. “It’s not Two.”
“How the hell do you know for sure?”
“Because he’s my…he’s my…” I bite on my bottom lip and then cringe. “Boyfriend?”
Dempsey stills, cocking his head to the side. “Since when do you have a boyfriend? And why do you say it like it’s a question?”
“It’s…we’re…” I sigh heavily. “Complicated.”
“Because he’s hiding something?”
Yes.
“No,” I rush out. “It just is. Can you leave it be?”
He gapes at me like I’ve lost my mind. “There’s someone leaving notes for you, threatening to take you, and then you drop a boyfriend bomb on me when you’ve legit never dated anyone before. I’m supposed to just let all this be? Fuck that. I want to meet this guy so I can vet him myself.”
How did this go from the stalker being the problem to Two being the problem?
“Fine,” I rush out. “You can meet him. As far as the stalker, I’m handling it. Just don’t involve our parents. Please, Dempsey. I’m begging you. I’ll never get to leave the house and I…” I trail off. “I really like Two. If I don’t get to see him, I’ll be miserable.”
Dempsey scowls. “Did you have sex with him?”
“What? No! Why do you even care?”
“Because we don’t know anything about this guy,” he growls. “He could be using you.”
“Get out,” I snap, thrusting a finger at my door. “I’m done talking about this. If you breathe a word of it to our parents, you’re dead to me.”
He flinches at my words, clearly stung by them. Well, I’m stung too. I don’t appreciate being woken up getting the third degree.
“Promise me you’ll be careful. I’ll back away as long as you promise me that.”
I relax and give him a nod. “I promise. Now what’s our cover story for you bursting in here so late?”
Dempsey flashes me a devious grin. “I’ll just tell them I didn’t know where pregnancy tests are sold and thought you might know.”
“You’re a dick on so many levels.”
“It’d be kind of funny to see Mom’s face twist into one of horror imagining me already knocking her best friend up.”
“You haven’t really knocked her up, though, right?”
“Fuck no. A puppy is hard as hell. A baby? That sounds like torture.”
He ruffles my hair, making it all go in my face and earning an agitated sigh from me before he saunters out of the room.
I wasn’t lying when I told him I’d be careful.
If it means spending all my time with Two or Dempsey or my parents to keep me safe, I will. I just want to have options. If Dad finds out, I’ll have none.
Two
Her brother wants to meet me.
Officially.
And apparently, I should be scared.
Gemma fidgets nervously in the passenger seat of my car. She checks her phone for the millionth time.
“He’s not going to beat me up,” I say, gassing it when the light turns green. “You can stop panicking.”
“You don’t know Dempsey. He’s a punch first, ask questions later kind of guy. Plus, he’s super protective over me. Our only saving grace is Sloane will be there to run interference.”
I reach over and take her hand in mine, squeezing it. “It’ll be fine. If shit gets tense, I’ll start talking about Cedarwood Mansion. That usually does the trick to put the mere mortals to sleep.”
She snorts out a laugh. “Turn there. And you’re right. I can imagine the utter look of boredom on my brother’s face. He slept through most of his classes in high school. Just pretend you’re his professor.”
I’m glad that she seems to lighten up as we make our way through her brother’s neighborhood. Our final destination is a small home with Dempsey’s nice-ass car parked out front beside a police SUV.