Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 68698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
My mouth watered.
She also had a black bag in her hands that I hoped held enough clothes and toiletries for her to make it a few days at my place.
Because if I could help it, I wouldn’t be bringing her back here until she could watch over herself. If I could convince her to stay with me permanently, even better.
“Make sure you lock the door well,” I said.
She shot me a “I know what I’m doing look” that always set my blood on fire, even when I was younger and dumber, and locked the door.
She then tested the door lock.
“That kid that was here trying to steal your television,” I said. “Who was that?”
“That was my neighbor.” She paused. “My fifteen-year-old neighbor.”
“Well, your fifteen-year-old neighbor’s mother is about to hear from me when I don’t have some unknown task to take care of,” I grumbled. “I think my bike should be here by now.”
At least, I thought KD was following behind with my bike. I wasn’t quite sure. Nor was I sure if it’d even be in the parking lot now that I knew where Morrigan lived.
“She already knows her son is an asshole,” she whispered.
I gritted my teeth and took the stairs, this time stopping on the second step and holding my hands out for the woman behind me. “Come on,” I said when she didn’t come at first. “This’ll save you the time and the worry. I won’t drop you.”
“You dropping me isn’t what I’m worried about,” she said as she placed her hand on my shoulder.
I felt a wave of contentment wrap around me when she placed both hands on my shoulder and leaned forward. Catching her behind her back leg, right under her ass, I pulled her onto my back, and got clocked in the face with her bag.
“Sorry,” she murmured quietly, right into my ear.
“Then what are you worried about?” I asked as I took the stairs, her bag bumping against the front of my chest now where it’d slid to her wrist.
“Nothing,” she whispered.
And, for once, she actually sounded completely honest. As if there really was nothing wrong.
Though, we both knew that one for a lie.
There was definitely something wrong.
It just wasn’t something I’d caused.
Yet.
CHAPTER 10
You’re as smooth as titties and whiskey.
-Likely not a Chris Stapleton song
MORRIGAN
I wasn’t sure how I got here.
One second, I was feeling the lowest of low—I mean, getting the life choked out of you would do that to you—and the next, I was in Aodhan’s arms.
Though, I knew that I hadn’t started there.
Once I’d passed out, I knew that I had hit the ground. I also knew that Aodhan’s friend, KD, had helped me. And by help, I mean pulled me into his arms.
As if that wasn’t scary enough—and thank God that KD was one of the good ones—Aodhan had gone after the man that had tried to kill me.
Though, I knew none of this firsthand. Everything that I was hearing was by either Aodhan or KD—whom I’d met briefly in the alley beside the gas station.
I was also piecing everything together that’d happened before that.
My memory had big, gaping holes in it.
Such as, I’m not sure how I got over there once I’d left the gas station’s front door.
I also wasn’t aware of why I’d gotten attacked.
I just knew that I had.
And for the life of me, I couldn’t identify the man that’d been doing the attacking if my life depended on it—and frankly, it just might.
“It’s here,” Aodhan said, bringing me out of my contemplation of the night.
My throat hurt.
As in, really, really hurt.
I had no clue how badly getting strangled could hurt.
But talking was getting easier.
The heat from Aodhan’s body was also making me sleepy.
I yawned as he set me down on my feet.
“Are you okay?” he asked, bringing his arm up to my side and latching on to my upper bicep when I started to sway.
“Fine,” I whispered, finding that it was easier to whisper than to do anything with some effort behind it. “Tired. Hit a wall.”
Having episodes always made me hit a wall.
Being strangled and having an episode? That was a recipe for a nap.
Aodhan’s body heat, his spicy scent, plus those other two things? That was a cocktail of perfect napping.
But, Folsom needed help.
And she wouldn’t have told us to come had she not needed it.
Though, I’m sure that she needed it from Aodhan and not me. I wasn’t of much use, I was sorry to say.
Aodhan mounted the bike, then held his hand out like he always did when I was mounting behind him.
Though, what was different this time than all the previous times, was that he was reluctant to let it go.
How did I know he was reluctant?
He held on like his life depended on it, his gaze staring down at my hand.