Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21169 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 106(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21169 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 106(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Those who care enough follow the four to Josef’s eternal resting place, while the others disband and head home. Can’t blame ‘em. Funerals are terrible affairs to begin with, having the sun beat down on you while dressed in a full black suit isn’t fun.
And then it’s over. Just like that, a man that was standing at my side less than a week ago, is gone. The permanence of death never struck me until now. Sure, I’ve been around it all my life, but this? This isn’t some cannon fodder grunt thrown into the battlefield; this is a man I respected in ways I never knew imaginable.
I stick around for a while, pretending to mingle with the remaining few, but do a pretty bad job of it. And it’s while listening to one of them drone on about some bullshit he’s dealing with at work that I see her.
She’s sitting under a willow tree, knees up to her chest, and hands covering her face. A few people hover close, probably wanting to express their condolences but don’t make a move to approach her.
I make my excuses and head over to her. We could both use a break from all of this.
“Hey, Kitten,” I call her by the nickname I gave her what must be twelve years ago. Back before my mind twisted her into the perfect sexual torture. It tastes disgusting on my tongue, like a demon speaking biblical. “You holding up okay?”
Hailey’s head snaps in my direction, as if she got a fright that someone came over. Her big blue irises are circled by red from all the crying. She doesn’t hold eye contact long before she turns away.
“No,” she admits, barely audible.
I don’t say anything. Instead, I offer her a hand and help her to her feet.
“It’s going to get better, Hai—” Before I can finish the sentence, Hailey flings herself into me. Wrapping her arms around my waist, she breaks down against my chest. I wrap my arms around her shoulders to give whatever comfort I can.
She’s a tiny little thing. Five-foot-four, maybe more, but no taller than the bottom of my chest. Wavy golden hair cascades down her shoulders, reaching down to the small of her back. And I’m certain if I wrapped my hands around her waist, my fingers and thumbs would touch on both sides.
Where most of her is dainty and small, her tits pressed against my belly definitely aren’t. And through the fabric of her black dress, I can feel the sharp beads of her nipples tickling my abdomen. It doesn’t take long for my cock to start twitching.
Fuck. Not now.
Sure, she’s a grown woman, but I shouldn’t feel this way about my ex-boss and ex-best friend’s daughter. For Christ’s sake, I was there on the day of her birth. None of these thoughts should be filtering into my head at all. She’s so close to family, this is bordering on too taboo for normal society.
And yet, I can’t stop myself.
Taking long, deep breathes to center my mind, I have to find a way out of this. I can’t be the big, scary monster when she needs me to stand in as a savior. A protector.
“You want to get out of here? Grab something to eat?” Dinner and drinks … more like a date than dealing with loss, but it’s the best I can come up with. “Might help get your mind off things.”
She breaks the hug and I instantly feel the void grow between us. I have to physically stop myself from pulling her back into me.
“Sure, that sounds nice.” She forces a smile onto her face, and it breaks my heart to see her fighting to be so strong.
“Wanna say goodbye to the rest before we head out?” I don’t know these people, but she might. Can’t let my overeagerness to have Hailey all to myself cause any chaos.
She shakes her head. “No, I just want to get out of here.”
“Then let’s do it, Kitten.”
She latches onto my hand tightly as we walk.
If there was any doubt in my mind that there was something wrong with me before, it’s gone now. I’m fucked up beyond repair.
But when it comes to Hailey Kimble, sanity is overrated.
2
HAILEY
Under different circumstances, this might’ve been a dream come true. Sitting opposite the man I’ve had a crush on for what feels like my entire life. Sharing a lunch and a drink in a swanky restaurant without a care in the world. Pretending that what we’re doing isn’t wrong, when I know how much my father would disapprove.
Still, there’s a part of me that knows Rex is only doing it because he feels bad for me. He wants to be a guiding light in the darkness and provide support in my hour of need. This isn’t the first time, either. I lost my mother a decade ago, and Rex was there for us. He carried my dad on his shoulders and brought him back from ruin. That’s where their friendship solidified, and ever since Rex has been a staple in our family.