Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 87825 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87825 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
All the while, Sadie is stone still at my side. Now she’s gripping the table with both hands, and if I thought her knuckles were white before, that was nothing compared to now. Her chest is unmoving, and I’m sure she’s holding her breath while she stares at her plate.
I swing my gaze between Jake and Sadie’s father as they go on about rings and engagement galas, venues, and even locations for the honeymoon.
And I can’t take it anymore.
Rising to my feet, I grab my glass of champagne and a spoon, then tap that fucker against the crystal. Everyone falls silent, all eyes on me.
“Forgive me for interrupting this charade, but how about we cut through the bullshit already?” Several people gasp, and Sadie’s father…well, I’m sure I’m about to be tossed out on my ass.
It’ll be worth it in the end because I can’t let them do this to her.
“Sadie has no plans to marry this jerk,” I say, pointing to Jake and his reddening face across the table. “Not only did he fail to ask her if she wanted to marry him, but he can’t keep it in his pants. Just ask his assistant.” Setting the glass and spoon onto the table, I step back. “C’mon, Sadie. Let’s get out of here.” I’m reaching for her hand when her father’s booming voice halts me.
“How dare you ruin this night for JJ and my daughter.” He rises and jabs a finger toward the entrance of the dining room, and the front door beyond. “I want you out of my house!”
“Gladly,” I say with a barely contained sneer. “But Sadie’s coming with me.”
She rises to her feet, but Joe’s thunderous baritone freezes her to the spot. “Where do you think you’re going, young lady? Your mother and I raised you better than this.”
I’m waiting for her to tell him she’s an adult, her own fucking person, and can make her own fucking decisions. But she doesn’t do any of it. Instead, she apologizes.
“I think we should go. I’m sorry if I ruined dinner.”
I want to throttle her. No, I want to spank the hell out of her ass. If anyone here should be sorry, it’s her father and his favorite chump. Before I can speak up again, she’s practically dragging me from the dining room, her desperate fingers curling around my arm.
Only the tears escaping the corners of her eyes keeps me quiet as I follow her outside into the bitter cold.
Chapter Nineteen
Sadie
As I wipe the moisture from my eyes, the silence in the car is deafening. I know Ashton’s angry at me, or at the very least, disappointed.
I’m disappointed in myself too, but I’m more angry at him right now for causing a scene. It was unnecessary and far from appropriate. He doesn’t know my father the way that I do, and public displays like that are not the way to get through to him.
Calm, logical discussions are the only way to gain any leeway with my father.
Ashton slows the car and makes a left turn, and I realize he’s headed toward his house.
“I want to go home,” I say.
He shakes his head like the stubborn, obstinate guy he is. “You’re coming back to my place.”
“I’m not in the mood for this, Ash.”
“I don’t care. What happened back there isn’t going to ruin this night.”
“Isn’t Bryce home?” I’m grasping at straws, but I don’t have the energy for any more arguments tonight. First, my father laid into me in his study earlier about everything from my dress to my date. And now this.
“Nope. He’s spending the weekend with his girlfriend, so we have the house to ourselves.”
“I’m not in the mood for this. Just take me home.”
“You got to come all over my tongue in that bathroom, sweetheart. Now it’s my turn. Besides,” he says, shooting me his patented smirk-like grin, “I think you’re overdue for another cock-sucking lesson.”
Ugh. If only my girly bits wouldn’t get so damn excited when he talks like that.
We’re silent for the next few minutes as he drives the rest of the way to his place. He pulls into the driveway and cuts the engine. We’re both shivering and rubbing our hands together in search of warmth by the time he unlocks his door.
The living room is dark, and the hallway beyond even darker. He grabs my hand and pulls me toward his bedroom, turning up the heat on the way.
We enter his room, and he flips on a soft light before the door shuts all the way behind us. And he wastes no time in undressing me. Considering I’m only wearing the scrap of fabric masquerading as a dress, minus undergarments, it’s pretty damn easy for him to get me naked.
“Get under the covers,” he says, his fingers working the buttons on his shirt.