Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 86177 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86177 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
She huffed.
“Don’t give me that. Of course I didn’t forget, your tortilla is gluten-free. As a matter of fact, I told them to put the salsa on the side.” I wheeled around a deep crack in the asphalt, juggling the three breakfast burritos and drinks.
And now my girl offered a pleasant bark.
Her ears pricked like razors, and we both glanced toward where the passenger door thrust open as if I’d given a lift to the Incredible Hulk. Jordyn rushed out of the vehicle, palms on top of her head. She spun around, glaring at the 76 Station across the street. The line for fuel was nowhere near as hectic as the one still at the Mexican spot.
She set eyes on me and visibly deflated in her crumpled sweatsuit. Shrapnel pierced my heart. I remembered that feeling. Every day, the second I awoke from a night terror, the cruel whispers of the worst acts anyone had ever done to me rang through my mind. It got until I didn’t want to sleep. Didn’t want to wake up either.
I closed the distance between us as Jordyn ran toward me, her body wired tight with fear. A fear I hadn’t meant to inflict. I held the cardboard boxes wide so that she could loop her arms around my neck. The tortured expression returned for the brief second it took Jordyn to rise on her tippy toes. She pressed her wet eyes into my neck as if she needed the physical stimuli to remind her that this was real. That she was safe.
I kissed the top of her head. “You were asleep.”
“I know,” she murmured.
“That’s all?”
Jordyn settled back onto the heels of her feet. “What?”
“I thought you’d tell me off for leaving you in the car. I remember what it feels like. I’ve awakened with the same thoughts as you before.”
A smirk twisted her plush mouth as she relieved me of the cup container. “I’m learning to be more appreciative. My mouth is no longer a weapon.” That twist turned another notch and became suggestive, and then, as if realizing that she didn’t have to pay me physically for not leaving, she heaved a sigh. “I’m glad you didn’t leave.”
“How many times do I have to tell you, JorJor? You’re not a burden. A problem. A bother.”
“I know.”
“Nae. You don’t.” Arg. She said I sounded Scottish. Maybe the Scot rose up when I needed to get something through her thick skull. Like Da and Mam—ahem. No dwelling on them. I blocked Jordyn’s path as we strolled toward my Gladiator. “Jordyn, you’re everything I realized I needed.”
“When?” Always a comeback with this one. Still, she tugged her bottom teeth through her lip, grinning. “When, Jamie?” Her tone carried a lilt that almost made desire pull me deeper than I should allow. “When did you realize I was everything you needed?”
“Stop teasing me, JorJor.”
The look in her eyes read that it was the only card she had up her sleeve.
Little did she know.
The teasing ended when I noticed her fingers digging into her palms. I took her hand in mine and lifted it to my lips to kiss the tiny, vicious half-moons. “Do that again. Ye’ll be in trouble.” Note to self: breathe in when aroused so that you don’t sound so husky. And Scottish.
Holding the sodas at her side, Jordyn rose on her tippy toes toward me.
Before her lips could meet mine, my peripheral took control. I focused on the police cruiser that slowed down the street. I’d seen one driving slowly while placing my order at the outdoor counter. Should’ve checked the serial number beneath the to-protect-and-serve emblem on the driver’s door. Was it the same squad car? The same cop? Nah. Don’t be paranoid.
I smiled at Jordyn. “You stayed up all night with me while waiting for Rebel. So, I thought I’d get us the best burritos we’ll ever have and allow my—” I cleared my throat. Still felt weird to call them family. “Everyone to wake up before we drop in.”
“Is there something you’re not telling me, Jamie?”
“What?” I followed her to the truck.
“I get it. You’re very strategic. With regard to that list you had. You’d wanted me to get comfortable at your house. Were your folks on the list? Maybe a ‘make sure Jordyn feels comfortable before we drop by my par’—?”
“Not my—” I bit my tongue. She didn’t need to know how angry I was with the others.
Jordyn paused at the passenger door.
Clearing my throat, I grabbed the door for her and helped her inside. “Fingers and toes?”
“We are having this discussion.”
After helping Rebel into her seat, I went around to the driver’s side and climbed behind the wheel. Staring straight ahead, I couldn’t stop the animosity that turned my tone into steel. “I don’t consider them family anymore.”
“Why not?”