Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
“I’m walking you home, Oli.”
“I’m just next door.”
“Yep,” he agrees. Stepping out onto the porch, he waits until both Gemma and I are outside before closing the door behind us.
The nervousness I felt earlier in the evening comes back in full force as we walk side by side to Kourtney’s. And even knowing this was not a date and that there will be no good night kiss, I still feel that rush of excitement and anticipation like it’s a possibility the closer we get.
When we reach Kourtney’s house, I step up onto the porch while he stays on the walkway below me, with Gemma between us. “Night, Bax.”
“Night, Oli,” he mutters quietly, tucking his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
Not wanting to make things awkward, I unlock my door, then turn to give him a smile before I shut it. I slide the lock into place, resting my forehead against the door.
I finally get what Holly told me earlier today. With Bax just looking like he does and being so cool and interesting, I imagine that if he’s invited women to his house, cooked for them, and let them experience all that is him—and those times being while he was likely trying to sleep with them—they would need a support group when things ended. After spending just one evening with him, I think I should join their group as a preventive measure.
CHAPTER 6
Bax
I don’t know what wakes me up, but before my eyes even open, I hear a low growl come from Gemma, then I feel her bound off the end of my bed. She takes off toward the living room barking, right before I hear the distant sound of glass shattering.
Tossing back my covers, I sit up, slide open my nightstand, press my finger to the digital print reader button on my safe, and grab my gun. Sliding the clip into place, I pick up my phone and dial the police while I make my way down the hall, doing a sweep of each room and turning on lights as I go. With dispatch on the line, I clear the house while telling them a burglary might be in progress.
Nothing is out of place, no broken windows or glass. There isn’t even evidence of Ira accidentally knocking something over. I’m about to tell the woman on the phone that she can tell the officer en route it’s a false alarm when I step into the living room, and Gemma runs from the front door, to me, then back to the door again. Seeing her on high alert, something ugly and dark slithers around my insides, and I jog across the room to the door. The moment I swing it open, Gemma rushes out ahead of me in the direction of Kourtney’s house.
“Send the officer next door.” I spit out Kourtney’s address and drop my cell to the ground so I can have full control of my weapon as I run barefoot across the cold, wet grass to Kourtney’s front door. The porch light is off, but Gemma is at the door, waiting for me.
“Oli, open up!” I shout, scanning the front of the house. It’s dark and quiet—too quiet. I pound again, this time harder than before. “Olivia!”
The front door jerks open, and Olivia falls against me, with her entire body shaking uncontrollably.
“Someone threw something through the window,” she whispers as I use my much larger frame to back her into the house.
“It’s okay. The cops are on the way.” I flip on the living room light, then move us to the hall, out of the way of any windows. Gemma moves with us, sticking close to Oli’s other side so she’s sandwiched between us. “Did anyone come into the house?”
“No, I don’t think so.” She shivers, her fingers digging into my back. “I… I couldn’t get to my phone. I left it in the kitchen to charge and was too scared to come out of my bedroom.”
“Shhh, you’re safe.” I wrap my arm tighter around her and slide my fingers through her hair, cupping the back of her head. My instincts are pushing me to search the house, but I can’t seem to pull myself away from her.
When there is a knock on the door, her body jolts against mine, and Gemma begins to bark.
“That’s just the cops.” I tip my chin down to meet her gaze. Getting her nod, I look at Gemma, who is facing the hall and growling. “Gemma.” She looks up at me. “Easy, girl.” With a chuff, she faces the hall once more but stops growling.
Letting Olivia go, I walk around the corner into the living room. After placing the safety back on my gun, I set it on the chair next to the door, where the bag I brought over last night still sits. Olivia stays behind me, her fingers never leaving my side they’ve been wrapped around. Opening the door, I see the officer isn’t one I recognize. Then again, I don’t have a lot of contact with the police in town.