Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 80643 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80643 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
He can’t seriously be jogging alone in the middle of the night, even when he’s being hunted by a rival fucking mafia.
Shit, shit, shit.
Need to go.
Now.
I quickly shove my shoes on, head out the front door, and book it down the route I know he takes, fueled by rage and fire and raw fear that takes me by surprise.
No one is going to touch him.
Not a fucking soul.
Stupid, fearless fucking Vancliffs, thinking the world is made for them.
13
Noah
My phone buzzes in my pocket when I’m only halfway down Red Row.
When I look at the screen and see that it’s not another call from Torin, something bursts inside me like a balloon getting popped, and I don’t know if it’s relief or anger.
Bree: Where’d you go, you sexy fucking stripper?
Had to step out.
Okay, well I’ll be outside when you get back. Did I tell you I miss your cock?
I don’t know when I’ll be back.
Saaaad faaaace. If you’re not here then who’s going to fuck me?
You like football players, right? The guys Rayne invited seem nice and maybe one of them is down to fuck.
Meh. They’re hot, but you’re better. I haven’t felt your dick inside me in so long. I’d let you have my ass…
Sorry, B. Something came up.
It’s another blatant lie.
Nothing came up.
Nothing other than my inability to fucking think, and even though I’ve been tense all day and I’ve never needed to fuck someone more than I need to fuck someone tonight, it’s not going to happen.
I don’t want her.
I want him.
And I can’t deal with that realization, not even a little bit, especially when Torin looked me in the eye and reminded me exactly who I really am at the worst possible time.
My phone vibrates again and I rip it out, rage flaring in me as I look at the screen.
It’s Bree again.
Um… tell me if this is weird. Because if it is, I’ll back off. But Torin likes girls too, right? Because he’s awful, but he could probably at least give good dick, you think?
I want to hurl my phone onto the fucking asphalt.
I tap out a reply fast, having to fix typos a handful of times.
Yes, it’s fucking weird. Torin is off-limits.
God. Sorry. I’m drunk.
I can’t believe you would ask me that.
I hate him, too, Noah, it’s chill. I wasn’t seriously considering it, and I honestly didn’t even think you’d care.
No. Just *no.* A thousand fucking times NO.
I’m not going to sleep with him, Noah. I thought you’d laugh at the idea. I’m really sorry. The fuckface left after you took off, anyway.
It’s fine, Bree. I’ll talk to you later.
Why do I care?
Why should it make a goddamn moment of difference to me who he fucks?
My lungs are burning by the time I hit the border to the park at the end of Red Row, but it’s not because I’m running particularly fast. From the moment I left Onyx House I felt like every drop of air was being systematically sucked from my lungs.
I needed to get the fuck out, but now that I’m standing under the neat row of trees that line the park, all I keep doing is turning my head to look back at Red Row.
Since he sat near me, I couldn’t shake the memory of how his mouth felt on mine, and now it’s living inside me like an untameable animal.
I don’t like him.
I just like… the way he feels.
And that’s why I can’t go home and be in his presence right now.
I turn my head back around to face the park. The night air is cooler now, with a breeze blowing in for the rain showers that are supposed to start overnight. The sky is covered in a blanket of clouds, and I head forward on the path that cuts through the park, lit only by the occasional lamp post.
I focus on my footsteps on the pathway, cutting under the canopy of trees.
I don’t bother running anymore, because it’s clear that nobody saw me leave and no one’s going to come after me.
Minutes and minutes pass as I stroll silently through the park, listening to the sound of the crickets in the night air.
When I hear the branch snap, at first I think it’s paranoia.
I’ve been skittish all week, and I’m sure it was nothing.
Then I hear another noise.
I turn around fast, looking all around me.
The path is surrounded by trees and shrubs, and although this park is beautiful in the daytime, I realize I’ve never actually been down here when it’s so dark.
Very dark.
I can’t even see down some of the branching paths.
And when I face away from Red Row, I see down further onto the road below and my spine goes cold.
There are red tail lights down there on the road.
Ones that weren’t there before.
Fuck.
Nowhere feels safe anymore.
I turn around as my heart rate ticks up, and I take off in a jog back up toward Red Row. My chest tightens as I run, and I hear another rustling sound from somewhere to my right as I start to run faster.