Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 47714 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47714 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
I didn’t answer, but another message popped up just as I was about to set my phone down.
Ethan
I didn’t like seeing you with that biker the other day.
My stomach roiled with unease.
My phone vibrated again as I set it down next to me.
I logged in again and got back to work, ignoring any new texts.
About an hour later, I was making good progress when a knock on the door made me jump.
I glanced at the time in the upper right corner of my computer screen. After eight.
Telling myself it was probably a neighbor who needed something, I grabbed my cell—a habit Jaxton had drilled into my head—and padded across the small apartment. I didn’t even think to check the peephole as I twisted the lock because the building felt so safe.
The second the door swung open, I froze.
Ethan stood there, framed in the hallway light. His smile looked friendly, but something about it didn’t match his eyes.
“You’ve been ignoring me.”
His casual tone didn’t fool me. It was too rehearsed.
“I—uh, I’ve been busy. A paper due for Research Design and Methods.” My hand tightened on the edge of the door as I tried to block the opening with my body. “I’m not done yet, and it’s late. You need to leave.”
He stepped forward, and I backed up so he didn’t brush against me. Unfortunately, Ethan took it as permission to come in.
“I won’t stay long.” He strolled past me into the living room like he owned it. “We need to talk about our project.”
I wasn’t comfortable having Ethan in my personal space, especially when I’d never given him my home address. So as I closed the door, I thumbed a quick 9-1-1 text to my brother. Then I turned to him. “You need to leave.”
He took a step toward me. “I don’t get it. We were working. We were close. Until he showed up.”
“Who?” I asked, even though there could only be one man he was talking about.
Ethan’s head tilted, his eyes gleaming with something dark. “You know who. The biker. The one who picked you up the other day.”
My throat went dry. “Drift’s just a friend.”
“Sure he is.” He let out a small laugh that held no humor. “You think I didn’t notice the way you looked at him? Or the way he looks at you? He’s in the way, Alanna. And if you’re not with me, then you’re not with anyone.”
I took another step back, pulse hammering in my ears.
“Ethan, I’m serious. You need to leave.” He reached out to grab my wrist, and I yanked it away just as my phone rang. The band Black Rebel Motorcycle Club blared from the speaker. “That’s my brother. He checks in with me every night. If I don’t answer, he’ll have every Redline King on my doorstep in minutes.”
The part about Jaxton’s reason for calling was a lie, but the cavalry he’d send to my rescue wasn’t. Not after the text I sent him. My brother didn’t mess around when it came to my safety.
The warning was enough to make Ethan take a few steps back, his arm dropping to his side.
My phone rang again.
I swallowed hard and answered, pressing the phone to my ear instead of using speaker mode like I usually did when I was home alone. “Hey, Jaxton! Hope you and Lark had another amazing day in paradise.”
My voice came out overly bright, sounding fake to my ears. Thankfully, my brother saw right through it.
“Stay on the line.” His tone was calm but clipped. And dangerously controlled. “You alone?”
My throat tightened. “I’ve just been chipping away at a paper that’s due. Haven’t even worked on my research project yet since I needed to wait for Ethan to come over for that.”
Jaxton was the smartest person I knew. He’d definitely get the message I was sending—I wasn’t alone because Ethan was here.
Ethan’s jaw flexed. He didn’t move closer, but his eyes stayed fixed on me, unblinking.
“Got it,” Jaxton growled.
“I’m fine, though,” I quickly explained, before he popped a blood vessel or something. That was the last thing he needed while on his honeymoon. It was bad enough that I had interrupted it with my text. “Just tired. Really looking forward to wrapping up this assignment. The jump from my associate’s classes to this program has been tougher than I expected, even with the lighter course load.”
Ethan frowned and shook his head. “You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. You’re a great research partner.”
I forced a small laugh that sounded brittle even to my own ears. In large part because he’d literally threatened to report me to the school for an academic violation. “Thanks, Ethan. That means a lot.”
“Don’t like the possessive thread in that little asshole’s voice.” Jaxton sounded like he’d happily reach through the phone and rip Ethan’s balls off.