Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 107376 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107376 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
We sit in silence, waiting for the right time, when Maddox glances toward me. “Do you think she’s ever going to forgive me?”
My lips press into a hard line, and I glance at Maddox, unsure how to approach this with him. I want to be honest, but every word that comes out of my mouth is only going to send him further into her arms, despite the fact he blew up her apartment.
Damn it.
I let out a sigh, knowing deep down I can’t lie to him, even if it means sabotaging everything I want. “Yeah, man,” I tell him. “The fact that she agreed to come and stay at your place says it all. She just needs some time to cool off, and then I promise, she’ll go right back to hanging off your dick while hating on mine.”
He smirks. “She really does enjoy busting your balls, huh?”
“Yeah, but the minute she stops, that’ll be the minute she’s done with me.”
Maddox lets out a heavy sigh, sinking into the seat and staring out at the compound ahead. “I don’t know what we’re supposed to do here,” he says in a gruff tone, slowly shaking his head. “No matter how much she claims to hate you, there’s no denying she wants us both, and despite already being that asshole, I don’t want to force her to choose.”
I nod, knowing exactly where he’s coming from. “You’re falling for her, aren’t you?”
He looks back at me, and I see the answer in his eyes before a single word sails out of his mouth. “I’m not just falling, man. I’m already flat on the ground, hopelessly obsessed with this woman. There’s no turning back for me now. I’m in it until she tells me otherwise.”
“Shit, that’s what I was worried about.”
“You?”
I shrug. “To be completely honest with you, I have no fucking idea. I’ve never been in love with someone before. I don’t know how that’s supposed to feel, but I know I’ve never felt like this before.”
“Like what?”
“Like I can’t fucking breathe without her.”
“Damn,” he sighs. “Hate to break it to you, Hunter, but you’re just as fucked as I am. You’re in love.”
“Shit.”
My head falls back against the headrest as I stare out at the compound, watching the guards make their rounds.
“What the hell are we supposed to do?” he asks. “Because I have to be real with you. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. I’ve had your back since the first day of kindergarten, and that’s never going to change. You’re like a brother to me, and I would give my fucking life for you, but Lyra . . . I can’t give her up.”
“I would never ask you to,” I tell him. “I see how much she means to you . . . and I’m not about to ask you to walk away, but I’m too fucking selfish. I’m not giving her up, not even for you.”
He sighs. “The way I see it, we have two options. Either we battle it out the old fashioned way—”
“A duel?”
“No, you fucking idiot. Rock, paper, scissors.”
I shake my head and roll my eyes. “Or?”
“Or we wait it out until one of us inevitably fucks up so bad that she forces us out.”
I let out a breath and fix him with a hard stare. “How badly would we have to fuck up? You blew up her home, and she’s still sound asleep on your couch. I don’t think there’s anything either of us could do that would have her walking away. I think she’s all in.”
He meets my stare. “And when she figures out I’m a killer just like you?”
“I don’t know, man. But the longer you keep it from her, the messier it’s going to get,” I tell him. “If you’re really in this, you have to trust her to know exactly who you are. Lay it all out and start this with a clean slate. Besides, considering how easily she accepted me, something tells me you’ll breeze through.”
Maddox laughs to himself. “Alright, so for now, we keep on keeping on. All three of us. Together.”
I glance at my best friend. “I always knew you and I were gonna be a package deal right until the end, but I never considered this would be the path it was going to take.”
He shakes his head. “Neither did I, man. Neither did I,” he says. “I know I joke a lot, but I draw the line at sucking your cock. If Lyra wants some sword crossing shit to go down, I’m gonna need at least a few shots first. And I ain’t bottoming for you. I’ve seen the size of that thing, and it ain’t going anywhere near my ass.”
I let out a sigh and shift my gaze out the window before reaching for my weapons and double-checking they’re ready to go. “Come on,” I tell him. “Time to go.”