Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
“All right.” I swallowed. “Did you know she was being bullied at school?”
“Not before today. Thinkin’ just my presence when I take her to school will help. If not, we’ll reevaluate in a week or so. She knows she’s got backup now.”
“I still don’t like it that she didn’t tell me.”
Iris moved from Sting’s lap to sit on the couch beside me. “Dani, you’re taking care of two teenage girls. You’re their guardian. Right?”
“Yeah. So I should have known.”
She shook her head. “How many jobs do you work?”
“Two. One at the coffee shop, one from home.”
“Really? How many hours a week do you pull?”
“Um…”
“More than fifty?”
“Not much more than that.” I have no idea why I thought I needed to underplay how much I worked. These people couldn’t judge me.
“How about you try again, darlin’.” Wylde spoke next to my ear, and I jumped.
“Fine. I work at least sixty hours a week. More when I can.”
“To provide for the girls and keep a roof over their heads and food in their bellies?” Iris raised a questioning eyebrow at me.
“They’re my sisters.” I lifted my chin. “I love them and will do whatever it takes to provide for them.”
“As you should,” Iris continued. “But did you ever stop to think that maybe they were trying to work this out themselves? To take care of you?”
I gasped and tears threatened. “I’m the adult,” I whispered.
“And there’s nothing saying you can’t need a little help from time to time,” Sting said. “Wylde? I assume you’re looking into the bullying?”
“Yep. Started working on that the second I found out. It’s being taken care of. The parents don’t nip it in the bud, I will.”
“I’m not sure I like the sound of that.” Knowing Wylde, there was no telling what he’d do if he had to be the one taking care of it. “Why not let me talk to the parents or the school, and you don’t have to be bothered with it.”
“No bother.” He grinned. “I enjoy taking care of bullies.” Again, he popped a bubble.
“Good. You’ll let me know if you need to take further action, Wylde. They may be bullies, but we’re still talkin’ about kids here.”
“Mostly.” I caught the muttered word and snapped my head in his direction. He gave me an innocent look. Sting didn’t appear to hear, but I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. He cleared his throat. “Understood, prez.”
“I’ll keep an eye out too,” Deacon said softly. He left the room and it was just the four of us left.
“I’m so sorry about this,” I said. “But I’m grateful you were all there to help me and keep the girls out of foster care. Even for a night.”
“You’re welcome, Dani,” Iris said with a smile. She gripped my hand then stood. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Is Wylde taking you to work?”
“Yep.” Wylde didn’t give me a chance to answer. And of course, he had a big grin on his face as he chewed his gum. He blew a bubble before snagging a tissue and getting rid of the gum.
“Good.” She squeezed my hand once more. “Good night.” Iris and Sting left together.
“Night,” I said, waving. “You’re taking me to work?”
“Oh, yeah. You think I’m going to leave you there alone with that bitch, Jordan?”
“She’s harmless. Though, I confess I have no idea why she did this.”
“She did it because she’s jealous,” Wylde said.
“Jealous?”
“Yeah, pretty girl.” He grinned. “She thinks we’ve got something goin’ on.”
I blinked. “But we don’t.”
“Not yet.” He winked at me, and I almost had to fan myself. He had boyish good looks with his wild hair and erratic temperament, but there was an underlying… something… about him that made me shiver.
“Not yet?”
He shook his head. “Nope. But there will be.”
Before I realized what he was going to do, Wylde leaned in and brushed a kiss over my mouth. I stiffened before shuddering as pleasure coursed through me. When I whimpered, he grunted and licked the seam of my lips. One hand went to my jaw while the other gripped my hair at the back of my head. He held me still for his kiss and I found myself accepting it greedily.
My whole body felt like it was going to go up in flames. All from a simple kiss. I’d fantasized about Wylde before. Who wouldn’t? He was boyishly handsome with a lean, hard body. He wasn’t overly muscular, but the veins and muscles of his arms and chest played lovingly under the T-shirts he wore. Myriad tattoos spread over any skin he had exposed except for his face. His fingers, his hands, even up the side of his neck. Now the man, the reality, was kissing me more passionately than I’d ever been kissed in my life.
When he ended the kiss, he rubbed my nose with his and smiled at me. My gaze was unfocused, and all I could really see was Wylde.