Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22697 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22697 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Pushing my fingers into her hair, I held on to her for extra-long beats while the chaotic world spun around us, lost in her hair, her eyes, down deep to her sweet soul.
“It’s weird when I’m with you… I’ve never felt like more a changed man and my true self at the same time.”
Her eyes hung heavy, silence weighted like raindrops as we lost ourselves.
“I’ve never been the kind of person who needed other people to make me happy, but you make me laugh, and smile, and want to dance and sing and every other crazy thing on earth,” she confessed. “And eat cotton candy in bed every day.”
I snagged a pink tuft, dusting it along the button of her cute nose and then teasing it at her lips. She nipped it, and it dissolved on contact, turning her lips a deeper shade of pink than before.
“Here. Let me get that.” I darted my tongue out, licking away the sugary sweetness.
She groaned, thighs shifting restlessly. “Maybe it’s time we go home.”
“Mm, I like the sound of that even more,” I growled, lifting her easily and spinning her, our lips connected the entire time.
“Wait!” She pulled away from my lips, giggling. “I dropped the elephant!”
I turned with her in my arms, bending quickly to swipe the elephant into my hands while keeping her safely secured in my embrace.
“I vote we name him Peaches.” I dusted him off on my thigh and then passed it to her.
But her eyes weren’t on me or Peaches. They were trained over my shoulder, round with quiet horror.
“Babe?” I breathed, trying to get her attention.
“Look what he’s doing,” she mumbled, fear and anxiety rocketing through her words.
“Who?” I spun, sliding her down my body as my eyes scanned the crowd.
“Him.” She pointed, and there across the dusty aisle, shrouded in shadows, an man was yanking on a young lady’s arm. The carnival drowned out their voices, but the woman looked scared of the tage on his face.
Before I could even register what to do next, the man released the woman’s arm and then shoved her forcefully into the dust before looking over her, his arm cocked back.
“Oh, fuck no,” I spat, crossing the distance in a flash and hauling that useless fuck away from the woman.
I shoved him, over and over, until he was pressed up against the brick wall of a utility building, my hands shaking as I convinced myself why it would be a great idea if I didn’t throttle this motherfucker into the hospital.
I couldn’t say words, only saw red as every overwhelming urge to pile drive any useless piece of shit who abused a woman. The man was gasping for breath, face red and turning an awkward shade of blueberry before I did the only thing I could think to do to protect us both from my rage and I slapped him across the face.
Not just any slap but enough to knock his fucking teeth out and leave him with a knot on the back of his head when it smacked against the brick wall. I loosened my hold on his neck, and he whistled and gasped for breath, his fingers at my throat, clawing to release him completely.
“Who the fuck are you?” he spat, blood pooling in his mouth.
“Your worst nightmare, motherfucker.” I tightened my hold on his windpipe again, choking off his oxygen supply just to show him I could.
His eyes flashed worried again, hands clawing desperately before I let him drop in a heap to the dusty ground.
“Useless.”
I kicked at his behind, the cloud of dust forming in his wake as he scrambled away like a crab enough to bring a smile to my face.
“Thanks, mister.” The woman who’d been hovering out of view was at my shoulder now, appreciation on her features. “He’s been on my ass for weeks, begging me to take him back.”
I shook my head, eyes refocusing into reality as I took in her anxious features.
“You may want to check on your girl, though. She doesn't look too good.”
My mind raced, for the first time turning to lock eyes with Daphne.
Except she was crumpled on the ground, face in her hands.
My heart fell.
“Oh, Jesus.” I rushed to her side, lifting her face in my palms to take in her features. “Are you okay, baby?”
She shook, every muscle trembling as she barely shook her head. I swallowed the lump of fear in my throat, adrenaline still running through my muscles after throttling that fuckhead, and now here she was, expecting me to be the tender man to rescue her.
I stalked straight toward the parking lot, piling her into my truck and locking her up safely with the seat belt before I roared off back to my house. We were pulling into my driveway less than five minutes later, and I was carrying her into my bedroom, sliding her into my bed, and murmuring softly in her ear.