Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 72756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
“What did Aaron do? Summer?”
“I have to go,” she says, dashing a hand over her shining eyes. “The police are probably looking for me. I've made everything worse for everyone.”
Is that a fucking bruise on her wrist? I move, grabbing her arm and examining the fresh purple finger marks over older, yellower spots. “Tell us everything. NOW.”
She pulls away until her back's against the wall, looking up at me with big, scared eyes. Fuck, I can't do anything right. It's not her I'm out to scare. I hold up my hands and back off.
“Grayson asked for Dad's permission to court me. Officially. They made a big announcement about it at dinner. I found out last night along with everyone else. We might as well be engaged.”
“The fuck you are. You're coming with us.”
“I can't! Dad's the only family I have. My whole life is here. I'll figure something out.”
I turn away to pace. I need to move before I do something I regret. “I'm glad I ran. Fucking glad. Smartest goddamn decision I ever made. Everything that man touches turns to shit and somehow he spins it into a profit.”
“Well, we can't all run, can we? Where would I go? What would I do?”
“You think I knew when I got free? It's a fucking miracle I'm alive after everything I did trying to kill the pain. You'd have me, us. We'd take care of you.”
“Really?” She goes from sad to furious in a microsecond. Good to see she still has a fucking backbone. “And how long would that last? How long until you ran from me, too? When Dad stopped caring and you weren't jealous of your friend anymore? What then? I know my life must seem small and horrible to you, but it's the only one I've got and I know how to deal with Dad. I just freaked a little, okay?”
“So you're just going to go back? I can't fucking believe this.”
“Crash.” Preacher's tone is laced with warning. “Go walk it off.”
I look at her, but all I can see is my mother choosing a life that killed her slowly with safety over freedom. Over me.
“Fine.”
11
PREACHER
That fucking idiot.
Devil laughs. “Man, I knew it would get under his skin, but—”
Idiots. “You, too. Get out,” I order Devil. “Go make sure Crash doesn't do anything stupid, and if he lands a good hit, I don't want to fucking hear about it because you deserve it.”
“This is my room!”
I glare at him until his shoulders finally drop and he nods. Once we're alone, I turn to Summer. “Alright, trouble. We haven't been formally introduced, but I'm Preacher, and you and me are gonna have a little chat.”
She pulls the sheets up to her chin to hide her nudity, and it wobbles a little. Without Crash around to stay angry at, it's clear that the stress and anxiety are catching up fast. I sit down in front of her on the bed and put my hand on her leg over the blanket.
“I didn't mean to mess everything up,” she says with a little hiccup in her voice.
She fucking gorgeous, and I get why Crash didn't want to leave right away. Everything about this girl is triggering my need to claim and protect her. But she's not some random woman one of us brought home to have some fun with. She's Crash's step-sister, and since it's obvious he still cares, that makes her family. Who the fuck knows what happened between her and Devil last night. She seems to have caught his interest as well, which is a hell of a lot to deal with for someone who grew up in a fucking bubble.
“Hey,” I say, forcing my voice to remain gentle and steady. “You're safe with us. Nobody's going to hurt you here, alright? Not on my watch.”
Her eyes are wet and she's sniffling, but she nods and manages a little smile.
I rub her leg gently, and she slowly relaxes. “You wanna explain to me why you can't just go home and tell your father you don't want to date that Grayson asshole? Just because he likes you doesn't mean shit, does it? You're an adult, Summer.”
With the sheet tucked in under her arms and pulled tight across her gorgeous tits, she puts her hands in her lap and stares at her fingers. “I know, but you don't know what it's like in our house. It's not that easy. Grayson asked for permission to court me, and Dad made a big deal out of announcing it in front of everybody. That might as well have been an engagement announcement. If I just… refused.” She shrugs, and I see the glimmer of a tear in her eye. “It would weaken Dad's position. Grayson wants to take over the Hall of Grace, and Dad likes him because he's got all these big ideas about how to bring in more viewers and more money. I never thought Dad would talk about retirement, but now all of a sudden he's acting like Grayson is the boy he never had. Maybe I'm being unfair. He's never done anything to me, but I've hated him from the first time I saw him.”