Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 122(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 122(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
“Why would you say that?” The elevator stops, and Mace grabs my hip to pull me over as two other men step onto it.
“Mr. Monroe,” they both greet Mace.
“Afternoon,” he says back to them.
One of them hits the button for the lobby, and the elevator grows quiet until my purse meows again. Then thankfully, the doors open for the lobby.
“Don’t,” he warns in a low voice, and I realize Mace’s hand is still on my hip, and his hold tightens. I purse my lips because I was going to try and make a quick escape. “I said I’ll give you a ride home. My driver is waiting.” The elevator descends, and when the doors slide open again, there’s a black SUV waiting ten feet from us.
“So you mean your driver will give me a ride home.” I can’t help but make the small correction.
“I’m giving you a ride.” His hand slips to the middle of my back, guiding me toward the SUV. Does he think I’m going to make a run for it? He opens the door for me and waits. “In you go.”
“You’re always so bossy.”
“And you’re always a brat.”
“I’m not a brat.” I stomp my foot, and his eyes drop to my silver-sparkled sneakers. “I didn’t mean to stomp my foot.”
“Because it’s a habit?” I glare at him. “In,” he orders again as he suddenly slips my bag off my shoulder.’
“Hey!”
“Get in and I’ll hand you your bag.”
“That’s catnapping.” A bark of laughter comes from him, surprising Bingo, who lets out another meow. Mace’s laugh echoes off the concrete walls.
“Fine.” I slip into the SUV, and Mace peeks into my bag. Bingo hisses at him.
“A bit of a grump?” Mace smiles down at the cat like he’s adorable. Bingo is a mess at the moment. Patches of his hair are missing, along with an ear. Life hasn’t been easy for him, but I’m going to change that. “What’s its name?” he asks, handing me my bag back.
“Mace,” I lie, and he lets out another laugh.
“Glad to see you got my name right for once.” He smirks.
What the hell? When did he get a sense of humor?
TWO
MACE
“I didn’t invite you in,” Briar protests as I walk past where she’s standing and into her apartment.
“I’m not a vampire, Briar. It doesn’t work that way.”
“Polite society would disagree with you. Most of them wait for someone to welcome them into their home.”
“If I did that, I’d die an old man out in your lobby.” Something brushes against my pant leg, and I see a kitten has come out to say hello. “Who is this little guy?” I ask as I pick him up and begin to pet him.
“He is my son, and I’d like you to take your hands off of him.” Briar says it dramatically as she removes the cat she called Mace from her bag.
Immediately the kitten in my arms tries to get away from me so he can go to see the older cat.
“Wait,” Briar warns. “Maybe just hold him a little longer. Just until Bingo relaxes.”
“Bingo?”
“Mace.” She glares and then goes into the kitchen.
I glance around the apartment that looks like it’s been decorated by Briar. Her favorite color has always been yellow, and I see so much of it here. There’s a drawing she’s done that’s framed over the couch, and I remember her mom showing me a picture of it. She’s truly gifted in everything she does, and I can’t imagine her not being good at whatever she fell in love with.
When we were kids, she said she wanted to have a farm and own a million animals. I remember thinking even then that she would probably do that if she wanted it badly enough. She was so determined, even if she was a little erratic. The chaos is what I fell in love with because it was so different and exciting.
I’m not sure Briar ever knew how I felt about her. When we were younger, I was so shy it was debilitating. When I finally got the courage to tell her how I felt, Heath and Meadow had a falling out, and from then on, I was the enemy along with my twin.
Briar looked at me with disdain every time Heath and I were near her and Meadow and took the opportunity to call me the wrong name. I’m almost positive she does it on purpose, but sometimes I can’t be sure. Even though I knew why she hated me, and part of me understood it, my feelings for her never changed.
She and Meadow are like me and Heath, and I would have stood by my brother a hundred percent if he was hurt the way Meadow was at Heath’s rejection. The problem was that I didn’t want to wait for Briar to finish with college. I wanted to tell her exactly how I felt, but Heath shut it down. He said they deserved to go to college and live their lives, and so he told his now almost-wife that they couldn’t be together. That was the catalyst for Briar hating me, and I’ve been having to deal with that fallout ever since.