Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
I sit up, pulling the blanket to cover my chest. Tigger jumps onto the bed and plops down in front of me, showing his belly for a rub. I give him what he wants because I always do so. It’s not long before Jackson returns with one of my shots.
“I should check my numbers.” He pulls off the cap as I reach for my phone.
“Already did.”
“What?” How did he check my numbers?
“I checked them.” Jackson presses the pen injector against my arm. His eyes lock with mine. I give a small nod, and he presses the end to make it inject. All of this catches me off guard, but not as much as when he kisses the spot. “Are you hungry?”
“I’m okay.”
“I’ll make something light. It’s Sunday, so my mom is going to be expecting me to come over for lunch.”
“Oh, right.” Is this going to be awkward? “I’ve been going to brunch there on Sundays. June normally picks me up.”
“Well, now I'll take you.” He drops a kiss on my lips. “You want to shower?” I nod my head. This is all a bit surreal. Jackson is acting like this is our norm. As though we’re this couple about to head out to his parents’ to hang out.
“Are you sure we should go together?” I’m not gonna lie, I’m kind of freaking out. Not because I don’t want that to be the case but because I’m unsure of what exactly this is between us.
“You think June hasn’t told them that you’re staying here?”
“Right.” I worry my bottom lip between my teeth.
“Is there a problem?” He folds his arms over his chest. Jackson seems defensive.
“I, ah—” I tighten the blanket around me, not sure how to respond or explain the mix of emotions and questions swirling in my head. To tell the truth, I don’t want to. I’m still trying to come to grips with them myself. For me, this is a lot at once. I’m not used to anything like this.
“It’s fine, princess.” He tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear. “I promise.”
I want to believe him, but too many promises have been broken to me before.
17
JACKSON
I could tell by the way my sister kept eyeing me that it was only a matter of time before she cornered me. The last thing I needed was for Paisley to overhear her doing so. I made a show of going out to the barn to check on the horses since I haven't seen them in a while. It didn't take June five minutes to come waltzing in—just like I knew she would.
"What's going on?" She puts her hands on her hips, ready to square off. She might be a pain in my ass sometimes, but I appreciate the fact that she’s trying to protect Paisley.
"Nothing." I shrug, not sure how much I should say. Paisley hasn't told her, and I don't want to spill all of her secrets. It's fucked because I’m basically being a hypocrite since I've been digging them up myself. When it comes to this, I have no solid ground to stand on.
"Jackson." She rolls her eyes at me. "When I was drunk, you talked me into helping you get her back to your place." June pulls an apple out of her purse, taking a bite before offering the rest to Penny Loafer. The horse eats it all in one bite.
"She didn't need to be staying at the motel."
"I'm not saying I don't agree with you there, but I asked Elliot about what happened to Paisley's room."
"What did he say?" That little shit. I gave him enough money to keep his mouth shut, but my sister can get information out of most people if she wants. I’m sure he crumbled like a cheap chair once June got her hooks in him. I'm surprised she hasn't gotten more out of Paisley.
"He didn't have to say shit. His ears turned bright red, and I knew."
"Why don't you know more about Paisley?"
"Because I told you. She's damn skittish. I think if she tells me too much and something spooks her, I'll never see her again." June pulls out another apple while walking down the stalls. "Is she in deep trouble?"
"No."
June's brows pull together. "Then what?" I can see the worry all over her face.
"Well, fuck. She is, but she isn't. Her family has a lot of pull, and they're not too happy that their daughter isn't doing as she's told." I fist my hands at my side, thinking about what it is exactly they want her to do. They’ll have to kill me before I’ll ever allow them to marry Paisley off to some asshole.
June cocks her head, thinking over what I said. "Tell me something." Shit, here we go. "Did you come here because of her?" I don't respond, not keen on lying to my little sister. "Damn it, Jackson."