Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 162138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 811(@200wpm)___ 649(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 162138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 811(@200wpm)___ 649(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
“Because he’s a pussy.”
That earns me a light laugh and a touch of a smile that she tries to hide by turning her head away, but I saw it. I heard it. The sound makes the chains around my heart rattle. Seeing the way she keeps pressing her lips together to keep from laughing makes my mouth twitch, like if it’ll finally form a smile after all these years, but I restrain myself. This time around, she’ll be the one working for my smiles.
“Pack a bag,” I say again.
She blinks. “I can’t just leave because you demand it.”
“No?” I close the distance between us. “I think you owe it to me.”
“I owe it to you to leave with you?”
“You owe me for a lot of things.”
She stares at me, pinning her dizzying brown eyes on mine. They fall to my lips momentarily, and I know she’s picturing them on hers again. I want to kiss her so fucking badly it hurts, but I won’t. I shouldn’t have done it in the first place, but when I saw her close her eyes and that shithead step forward, I felt like I was being sucked into the ground. And her dress? My God, that fucking dress. I want to fucking burn it after the images played out in my head of him slipping his hand under it while he kissed her. Thankfully, none of that actually happened, but it doesn’t make me any less upset about the possibility. Kissing her wasn’t part of the plan, but it’s all it took for me to confirm what I’ve always known — she was made for me. For me. No one else.
“I have work,” she says quietly.
“I’ll pay you.”
“What?” Her voice hitches. “You’ll pay me for what exactly?”
“For you to leave with me.”
She stares at me for a long moment and finally laughs lightly. “And then what? What’s your plan after I pack a bag and leave with you?”
“You’re going to marry me.”
“What?” She shrieks, taking a step back with a horrified look that further fuels my anger. “I am not getting married.”
“Oh but you are.“ I cross my arms and grin. “It’s okay, though. You won’t have much paperwork to do since you already have my last name, De-li-luh Duke.”
Her jaw drops. Shock looks beautiful on her. She turns her back to me. I take advantage and check her out while she’s processing this. My memory didn’t do the reality of her justice. For a while, I tried to convince myself that it was just a college fling and that the only reason she intrigued me was that she was different from the rest. I’ve tried to trick myself into believing that when I saw her again, I wouldn’t feel what I felt back then, and I was right. I feel more. How the hell is that even possible? How could I feel more than I felt back then, when she consumed my every waking thought? I take a breath and exhale slowly. I need her to agree to this.
“You. Owe. Me, Lyla James.” I pause for effect. “Or do you prefer Delilah Duke?”
“Why do I need to marry you?” She twirls back around. “Where will you take me?”
“Chicago, then we’re making a stop in Fairview. After that, I can bring you back here if that’s what you want.”
She drops her eyes from mine. I watch as she processes this bit of news. Her face is more expressive, as if the walls she always had up have slowly been chipping away. (This also pisses me off.). After a moment, she sighs. I wait for her to speak. She doesn’t. She wraps her arms around herself as if it’s the only thing holding her together. The look of defeat leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, but I didn’t come here to make things easy for her.
“You’ll get one million dollars if we stay married a year, two million if it’s two,” I say.
Her gaze snaps to mine. “Why?”
“I need to get married in order to receive my inheritance.”
“Oh.” Her brows pinch but the expression clears quickly. She shakes her head. “I can’t do it.”
I gawk at her. Who the fuck turns down that kind of money? I know for a fact she hasn’t touched a dime in the bank account she had set up before she fled. She transferred some things to the new one, so she’s still making residuals from the college merch sold with her name on it, but that’s dwindling for both of us. I even got into her apps, which is how I know Prescott was helping her out for some time. She paid him back for it, though, and this apartment is rented. The only financial burden she has are student loans and her car, but with rent, food, and other expenses, I’m sure it adds up quickly. She went from having everything she wanted to only buying what she needs. She gets paid well at the sports center, but that’ll never be anywhere near a million dollars. This should be a no-brainer for her.