Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
And I do.
He whispers, “Think, babe.”
And I’m so damn tired that I lose the fight in me. Melting back into him, I utter hoarsely, “I give up, Rock. I can’t. Not today.”
A loud cough at the doorway draws my attention.
Well, well, well. If it isn’t Mr. You’re-My-Responsibility-But-I-Don’t-Have-Time-For-You!
Nox stands in the doorway, jaw tight, looking as if he’s holding himself back from doing something bad. His cold-blue eyes meet mine. The vein in his temple sticks out as he growls, “Having fun?”
Rock’s body shakes with laughter and his breath warms my neck. The strong arm between my boobs tightens a little and my eyes widen. So here I am, between two hottie-commando men. One has me wrapped up, the other looks like his order of protection just turned to an order of elimination.
And I’m just here, hanging mid-air in some hot guy’s arms.
My brain adds in a sing-song voice, “Awkward!”
Cheeks flushed hot pink, I thank the heavens above when Rock sets me down on my feet. He sounds amused when he tells me, “Tomorrow, you rest up. But you have what’s called an active rest day. So no lyin’ in bed all day, okay? Find something to do that keeps you moving. Go for a walk around the house or some shit, but don’t let your muscles seize. That’s your mission tomorrow.” Looking up at Nox, he smirks, “Laters, Lily.” Then he’s gone.
Standing face to face with a still pissed Nox, I find myself getting pissed, too. Nox just has that effect on me. I swear this guy must’ve been conceived through backdoor action. There’s no way being that much of an asshole is natural .
Turning my back, I gather my towel and water bottle before uttering casually, “Haven’t seen you in almost a week.”
When I turn back around, he slowly places his hands in his cargo pants’ pockets and grumbles, “Been busy.”
And that, my friends, is the straw that broke the camel’s back.
You know when you send someone a really long, heartfelt text message? You put so much effort into that damn text message and are so excited to send it and all they send you back in return is pissy ‘ok’?
Well, I hate that ‘ok’ text! And every second answer that comes out of Nox could be classified as an ‘ok’ text message.
Gah! Infuriating man!
My eyes flare at his short and curt answer. Placing a hand on my hip, I spit, “You’re such an asshole!” And that’s not all folks. Oh no. I don’t stop there. “And a bully!”
Nox remains impassive. Which, not surprisingly, only spurs me on. “And I don’t think I like you very much.”
A minute passes, we don’t take our eyes off each other. And now…I’m mortified.
Nox hasn’t moved an inch. His face remains blank. He never gives anything away. This, of course, makes me angrier. I fume in silence. What is it about this man that makes me go from zero to bitch in less than a second?
Apologize. Not his fault you’re takin’ the crazy train to loopsville.
I mentally sigh. Yeah. That wasn’t cool.
Just as I open my mouth to apologize, a shrill siren shrieks throughout the house.
What the frick?
Dropping to my knees, my eyes widen and I cover my ears while hyperventilating. Not a second later, I’m hoisted over Nox’s shoulder. He runs down the hall with me bouncing up and down like a rag doll.
This is serious. Something’s wrong.
Nox shouts orders over the siren, but I can’t make out any of it. That freakin’ siren is so shrill, it’s going to make my ears bleed! All I can do is grip the back of his tank tightly and hold on for dear life.
Petrified and about to pee myself, I lift my head to see Nox run me right out the front door. Right out the front door and into a waiting black van.
No. No. Not again!
With no care at all, he throws me into the back of the van. I land in a seat with an ‘Oomph’ and he quickly seats himself next to me. As soon as the door closes, Nox booms, “Go!”
And we do.
Shaking like a leaf, I turn my wide eyes to my protector and see something familiar in his hands.
Ahh, hello old friend.
Nox holds up the blindfold and I internally grimace. Clearly, now is not the time to argue. Nodding once, I turn my back to him and he places the blindfold over my head. My butt pressed against his thigh, I almost whisper, “Where are we going now?”
He sighs and answers just as softly, “I don’t know, Lily. I don’t know.”
Chapter Eight
One of these things is not like the others
Lily
So here I am, standing in the middle of a dingy motel room.
I’m here after spending almost seven hours in the back of a van with Nox. This might not have been an issue if the guy knew the meaning of the words ‘lighten up’. Alas, this is Nox we’re talking about. The guy’s meaning of relaxed is sitting in a hardwood chair while watching me sleep.