Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 154037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 770(@200wpm)___ 616(@250wpm)___ 513(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 154037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 770(@200wpm)___ 616(@250wpm)___ 513(@300wpm)
My heart fisted when he said it, a thousand memories slamming me at his words. They shouldn’t mean much of anything. But to me? They’d meant everything.
“I just know what I want, Otto, and I’m finally going to go after it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to use the restroom, grab another tasty drink, and then take a little whirl around the club to see if anything catches my eye. Maybe I won’t require a ride home, after all.”
I tossed my hair over my shoulder, giving him as much sass as I could muster, acting like every interaction I had with him didn’t make my very untrustworthy legs quake.
Irritation buzzed through his demeanor, though he cracked a grin. “Just make sure he’s not a biker. Or a douchewad with a tiny prick who thinks he’s God’s gift to women. Or wearing a goddamned suit, for that matter. Last thing I need is for you to go breaking my heart.”
I had to hold back a scowl. I didn’t think he had the first clue about breaking hearts.
“You pretty much just whittled my options down to nothing.”
He tugged on a lock of my hair. “Exactly the point.”
Ugh. I wanted to stamp my foot and scream. Instead, I strutted off the dance floor, and I lifted my hand above my head and gave him a middle finger as I went.
I could feel the ripple of his chuckle follow after me.
Frustrating, infuriating man.
Still, a smile threatened as I wound through the horde of people packed in Kane’s and headed down the hall to the left of the dance floor toward the restrooms. I pushed into the women’s and went straight to the sink, trying to gather the disorder of thoughts that whirled around me.
This need to let go. To set myself free.
All mixed up with the bindings that had always tied me to Otto.
Blowing out a sigh, I washed my hands and dried them with a paper towel, then I blotted it against my face before I stepped back out into the hall.
I came to a halt when I saw who was standing directly on the other side.
Tanner.
Unease twisted my stomach.
“Tanner, hey. What are you doing here?”
A frown pinched his brow, and I saw the hurt and frustration spin through his green eyes. “Was out with a friend and saw you come this way.”
The twist in my stomach lessened. “Oh…well…”
I trailed off, not even sure what I was supposed to say.
“I haven’t heard from you,” he said.
Okay, so he was just going to toss it out there. Make an awkward situation even more uncomfortable.
Tanner was another failed attempt at me trying to spread my wings. To break out and fly. He was definitely good looking. Not quite a biker, but he was a mechanic and was covered in tats which I was pretty sure was my thing.
I’d truly given dating him a shot, but it couldn’t be helped that I’d wanted to vomit when he’d set his hand on my thigh when he’d kissed me.
He’d tried to talk me into giving it another try, but I didn’t see the sense in dragging it out when we’d clearly hit our end.
He and I were just not it.
I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but also, I’d been totally clear, and he’d still texted me a bunch of times trying to pressure me into changing my mind.
I was not about that.
“Um…that’s because we broke up.”
He took a step forward, and there was something about it that made me take one back. “I thought we were going to talk about that?”
“And I told you that would only prolong the inevitable.”
I gasped when he snatched me by the wrist. “Come on, Raven…I don’t understand what happened.”
A tiny shock of fear thrummed through my spirit, and I wrangled my arm free of his hold. “I told you that it didn’t feel right to me. Let’s leave it at that.”
I tried to keep the tremble from my voice, but my breaths bottomed out when he pushed in closer and backed me into the wall.
Panic started to well. Old fears rising up at someone touching me when I didn’t want them to. Ringing blared in my ears, and his voice was garbled when he said, “But we could be so good—”
Except he didn’t make it to the end of the sentence before the shockwave of aggression rocketed through the air. A fiery ferocity that froze him to the spot.
“I’d think twice about touching her when she made it plenty clear that she doesn’t want you to.” The words coming out of Otto’s mouth were daggers.
Sharp and impaling.
Tanner glanced over his shoulder at Otto who raged behind him. A beast that vibrated malice. So tall he nearly touched the ceiling. Shoulders so wide I thought they might be brushing each side.