Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 136731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 684(@200wpm)___ 547(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 684(@200wpm)___ 547(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
A small smile plays at her lips, and she rolls her eyes at the question. “I’ve led a very sheltered upbringing, Julius. Went to a very strict, very catholic all-girls school. My sisters and I weren’t allowed friends. All we had was each other. We only ate at home or at high-end restaurants. Junk food wasn’t allowed, although Veronica and I managed to bribe one of my father’s men to get us a pizza one time. Interaction with boys was a definite no. I’d never even seen the male anatomy up close until my wedding night. My life was… is…” She pauses and frowns at the loss of words, before whispering, “I would change a lot about my life.”
Bitterness seeps out of those words, and I want to know more about her, but I shouldn’t. It’s a catch-22. Get to know more about her, risk becoming attached to the little woman. Don’t ask the questions I feel I need to ask, hand her over not knowing things I should’ve known.
Alejandra is hiding something, and I plan to find out what. I will need to push, I will need to poke, prod, and chip away piece by piece to reveal what’s on the inside, and by the end of it all, she won’t like me very much, but that’s life.
Suddenly, she’s irritated. “Why are you being nice to me? This would be so much easier if you’d just yell at me and slap me around.”
“You want me to slap you around?” I ask in mild disbelief.
“Well, no,” she admits. “But it would make things simpler. I would know how to feel if you did. I can deal with hatred. I don’t know what to do with indifference.” She peeks over at me quickly before looking back out the window. “Or maybe that’s your plan. Maybe you want me confused.”
I shake my head. “Nope. No plan. Regardless of how I treat you, you’re still my prisoner.”
“Oh, Julius.” She breathes in deeply then responds tiredly on an exhale, “A prisoner is no longer such if she wants to remain jailed.”
Damn, she’s good. But I refuse to bite.
With that bold statement, we drive on, and thick silence replaces heavy conversation.
Firstly, burgers are delicious. Julius ordered us both chocolate shakes to go with it and I have to admit, I was a little appalled.
It did not sound appetizing in the least. But then our meals arrived. One bite of that juicy, tender meat in a bun and I was in heaven. I didn’t think too much about my company, only how much food I could get into my mouth at once. Chewing with gusto, a pleasure overload flowed from my toes all the way up to the very hairs on my head.
Then I spotted Julius smirking at me, an almost affectionate, teasing lilt to his voice when he stated, “You eat like a pig.” For all that dreadful statement said, he looked awfully pleased by the knowledge.
Mouth full, I glared at him, jerking my chin to the ketchup dribbling down his chin, and garbled, “Like you can talk, asshole.”
His smile stretched wider, and I reached across the table for my shake, taking a sip just as a hiccup threatened to rise and, oh, my God… heaven itself could not have formed a better pairing than burgers and shakes.
It was official.
If I lived this out, I was going to get happily fat.
A moan escaped me, and in all the excitement, I bounced my heels on the floor in wordless pleasure, gripping my burger tight in both hands, my eyes closed as I tried to process how amazing it was and how I had been missing out. And Julius’s eyes crinkled at the corners as he continued to eat quietly, watching me.
It would be the first of many days where I would question my entire being. Had I lived a day in my life, or had I merely existed? I didn’t know much about the world, but I knew a whole lot about the underground. Things most women would swoon dead away from, I would barely flinch at. I was an old soul trapped in the body of a twenty-four-year-old, and here… now… Julius had given me something I would cherish for always.
He had given me a taste of normal.
He had lent me his sister for the morning, showing me how regular siblings should interact. He had given me burgers, and although I would never admit to it, I would’ve given anything to Julius then, had he only asked.
It felt appropriate that I should express my gratitude. Taking another big bite of my burger, I murmured, “So… thanks.”
When his expression turned solemn, I wished I had kept my mouth shut. But then he swallowed and spoke, his eyes never leaving mine. “Welcome.”
I looked down at the table in relief and ate the rest of my burger with a smile on my face.