Total pages in book: 167
Estimated words: 157175 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157175 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
‘Boo,’ I whisper in her ear, and her palm slaps on her chest as she starts.
She turns on her stool and glares at me, fisting the front of my T-shirt and yanking me forward. ‘Next time I call you, ring me back, Ward.’
‘Fuck, you’re sexy when you’re mad.’
Her scowl turns into an impish grin. ‘Then kiss me.’
‘What do you say, baby?’
There’s no hesitation. ‘Please.’
I pounce, lifting her from the stool to the island and utterly ravishing her bones. God, is there anywhere I’d rather be? Nope. Just glue my mouth to hers and let us be done with it. She is like the finest of wines, and I am an expert in that wine. ‘Spread your legs.’ They open and I move in, our mouths wild on each other. This is what happens when we’re apart too long. Starvation. I can’t get enough of her.
‘Jesse,’ she pants, her voice full of warning, though her relentless tongue doesn’t let up. ‘The kids.’
I’m about to say fuck ’em, getting a bit carried away with myself. But, instead, and very reluctantly, I prise myself from her lips before I take it a step further and push her back down onto the island. ‘Have you shown them the picture?’
‘No, of course not. I wanted to wait for you.’
‘Over dinner, or now?’ Truth be told, I want to do it now. I’m excited.
‘Now.’
I grin, knowing she read that in my eyes as I help her down. ‘Did you find shoes for your friend?’
‘Yes, a perfect match for the dress. She hung on for as long as she could to meet you, but she was going to be late for her date if she waited any longer.’
‘Another time.’ I try not to sound too casual. I know how much this new friend means to her. I need to at least pretend I care. ‘Maybe when I drop you to yoga?’
‘She’ll love you, and you her.’
‘Of course she will. I’m the fucking Lord of The Manor.’ Flipping her a cheeky wink, I find my stride and take us out to the garden. The creak of the trampoline with each jump grows louder as we walk, my smile growing with it, until it comes into view and I see my boy and girl springing up and down, laughing. And there’s another person. ‘Who’s that?’ I ask, my eyes set on the woman, her dark hair flapping in the air and around her face.
‘Oh.’ Ava sounds surprised, but not concerned. ‘That’s Zara. She was coming out to say bye to the kids. I thought she’d left already.’
I smile at the woman’s back. She’s a bit overdressed for playtime on a trampoline. ‘She’s got some energy.’
‘Why is she wearing her new dress?’ Ava asks, confusion now creeping into her tone.
I look at the black lace number, something uneasy settling over me, a weight on my shoulders that I can’t shake. My feet slow as we approach. Along with my heart.
And then it stops completely when the woman turns towards us. It’s a moment in time when I think I know what I’m seeing, but it’s so far beyond my comprehension, it takes my brain a moment to catch up. But the second I see her deep-set blue eyes, there’s no doubt. They look as troubled as I remember, and as she stares at me, they fill with hatred.
‘Oh fuck.’
She’s changed her hair colour. The blonde is gone, replaced with a harsh shade of mahogany that doesn’t suit her complexion at all. She’s always been pale, but now she looks bloodless. Heartless. Emotionless.
‘Lauren.’ Shock and fear has paralysed me.
Why didn’t I know she’d been released from the institution? We should have fucking been told! I need to get my kids off that trampoline, away from her and her murderous, fucked-up clutches, yet I can’t fucking move.
‘What a surprise.’ She walks to the netting around the edges of the trampoline, poking her fingers through the holes to hold on, a little breathless, but her words are as clear as day. ‘Nice to see you, Jesse.’
‘Lauren?’ Ava asks, confused. ‘This is Zara. You know each other?’ She drops her hold of me and takes a few steps back. I dare not take my gaze from the woman who nearly sent me to the grave twice. My babies are a few feet away from her, their bounces now slowing, too, their instinct telling them that something isn’t right. Fucking hell, how did this happen? Ava’s new friend, the one she’s been doing yoga with all these weeks, having coffee and going on shopping trips with, is my murderous ex-wife? I swallow, my body starting to shake. It’s a result of a bit of anger, but mostly, it’s fucking fear.
I need to play it cool. Not give the kids anything to worry about. Fucking impossible when faced with this woman. I know what lengths she’ll go to in order to ruin me.