Total pages in book: 181
Estimated words: 181613 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 908(@200wpm)___ 726(@250wpm)___ 605(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 181613 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 908(@200wpm)___ 726(@250wpm)___ 605(@300wpm)
“Is Aspen here?”
She frowns. “Who’s asking?”
I push up my visor, and her attitude immediately changes, as she nearly spills her tea on the pavement. “Jesus, Levi?!”
I plant my hand against the door. “Is she here or not?”
“Um … I think so…”
“Get. Her,” I growl. “Now.”
The girl immediately turns around and skedaddles off, leaving me so impatient I nearly storm inside after her. But then I’d most definitely get expelled.
When Aspen finally shows up through the gap in the door, she barely steps close enough to see me.
“So it really is you,” she mutters as she clutches the door. “I thought she was joking.”
“We have to talk.”
She snorts, her red hair cascading over her shoulder. “Gee, that sounds familiar.”
“Can I come inside?”
She looks around and then outside, like she’s concerned someone might’ve heard that. “We’re not supposed to talk, remember?” she hisses.
“I know that. Who do you think told you that?” I retort.
She looks up into my visor, her freckles nearly bouncing in the light cast outside, and I’m at odds with how much I want to grip her face and study them up close.
Resisting, I clear my throat. “It’s important.”
“That’s what I said, and you pretended you didn’t care,” she says, tapping her chin. “No, actually, I remember you were distinctly offended.”
I clutch the door tightly right above where her hand is situated and lean in so close I could shut this visor and cut off a piece of her hair with it. “It’s about Grey.”
Her pupils dilate, and she suddenly grabs my arm, hoists me inside, shuts the door, drags me to the kitchen, then folds her arms. “Talk.”
I’m glad all of her fellow sorority members are either upstairs or out, and that we have the kitchen to ourselves.
“He’s dealing with or is part of the Bonesmen Brotherhood.”
Her thin brows draw together, lips pursed. “Oh … kay.”
Of course, she doesn’t believe me. “It’s true.”
“Where’s your proof?” she asks.
“I don’t—I saw him with my own two eyes, Aspen.”
She tilts her head. “Where?”
“A Bonesmen Brotherhood club. He stepped out looking grimy and jumped into his car, so I followed him.”
She grimaces, her nose crinkling in the most Aspen way possible. “You followed him?!”
“Because I don’t trust that fucker.”
“Of course, you don’t.” She scoffs, rolling her eyes. “You don’t like me hanging out with him. Scratch that, you don’t like me hanging with anyone.”
“This isn’t about you,” I say.
“Then why are you here?”
“To warn you.” I grab both her arms and get up close and personal. “You have to stay away from him.”
She seems shocked I’d grab her, but I can’t stop myself, not when it comes to her.
“He’s my boyfriend, Levi.”
“He isn’t right for you,” I grit.
“And you base that on what? His leaving a club?”
“Because I just saw him murder someone,” I answer through gritted teeth.
She’s quiet for just a second, and in just that one second, there are more emotions on her face than in the past damn month. And God, I’d forgotten how much I’ve missed talking with her about just anything, doesn’t matter what.
But that one second is enough to remind me exactly why I haven’t.
“You murdered someone,” she hisses, her face contorting right in front of me. “Someone I loved.”
Of course she’d remind me of my darkest moment.
I release her from my grip. “This is different.”
“You come here accusing Grey of the very same thing you did without a shred of proof. At least I know for a fact you killed Mavis.”
There it is. The bullet that keeps lodging deeper into my flesh.
My jaw tightens. “Do you?”
Thunder suddenly strikes outside, and the lights flicker.
But she and I are still staring at each other without moving even an inch.
“You said it yourself, you killed her,” she says. “You’re a monster. And monsters don’t go around accusing other people of being monsters.”
“I saw what I saw,” I growl. “Grey isn’t good for you, Aspen.”
“Oh, and you are?” She scoffs, offended.
“I never said I was, Firefly,” I say, swallowing away the lump in my throat at the thought. “Or that I wanted to be.”
“Get out.”
Thunder ripples through the sky, and I can hear the rain pitter-pattering onto the roof tiles.
I can’t help but wonder if the rift between us had already opened up before the night Mavis died.
“Didn’t you hear me?” She shoves me. “Get. Out.”
I let her push me around.
I don’t want to leave, but when her hand connects with my rippling abs to push me away again, I can feel the hesitation in her fingers, the pain it inflicts to drive me away like I’ve driven her out.
But I’m already broken beyond repair, and I grab her hand mid-push, forcing it to stay. And she lets me.
Just a few more seconds.
Please.
Just a few more.
Her breathing comes out in short, delectable gasps, and all I wanna do is close the gap and suck them right out of her mouth.