Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 63842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
“I’m sorry,” she said. Her voice was raw.
“Ain’t a Goddamned thing for you to be sorry about,” I said, harsher than I’d meant to. “He’s terrorizing you, and you’ve never had a way to fight him before.” I bent down to look down into her eyes, needing her to really see I meant business. “If I’m the person who helps you feel safe to release your emotions, then it’s my fuckin’ privilege to be here for you.”
She let out a breath and turned her face back against my chest. “Thank you so much, Rip,” she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper.
“You thank me when I lay that son of a bitch’s head at your feet, Jade.” I hadn’t meant to let that slip and half feared she’d pull away from me.
Jade went completely still, even held her breath for two full seconds. Then she relaxed against me once more. “How about you turn your brother loose on him instead. Seems you might have a better shot of staying out of prison that way. And I think…” She trailed off. “I think I might need you to not be in prison, Rip.”
I let out a long, slow breath. Had she phrased it any other way, I might have told her not to worry about me going back to prison. But the thought she might need me and I wouldn’t be with her smacked me in the face. I realized then and there I was completely, totally, and thoroughly fucked.
“You’re not always going to get your way by melting my heart, Jade.”
I thought I felt her smile against my chest. “Of course not.”
Yep. I was fucked. And I couldn’t be Goddamned happier about it.
Chapter Twelve
Jade
I wrapped both hands around my coffee mug and let the warmth seep into my palms. The sky above stretched clear blue with only a few wisps of clouds. Two weeks since Eric’s call, and I’d managed to convince Rip that I needed fresh air beyond Haven’s walls. The man took such good care of me, it made me smile. Rip was a world away from any other relationship I’d ever known.
The coffee shop patio offered exactly what I needed. I could sit here in the pleasant mid-morning sun and enjoy being my own person.
“You good?” Rip asked, standing at the edge of our table, a shield between me and the rest of the world.
I nodded. “Yeah. Better than good, actually.”
It was the truth. Two weeks of quiet had helped settle my nerves. Rip had been beside me whenever I needed him, while Mia and I tentatively began rebuilding our broken friendship. Best of all, there had been no other word from Eric. Whatever legal maneuvers Rip’s brother launched either worked, or the other shoe would drop any minute now. I chose to believe the former.
Rip looked down at me, his dark gaze scanning my face. “I’m getting another coffee. You want a refill?”
“Please. Same as before. Thank you, Rip.” I meant it for far more than the obvious reason and, judging by his expression, I thought Rip knew that.
His features softened. “I’ll be right back.” He leaned in and threaded his fingers through my hair in back and pulled me to him to kiss my forehead. Then he turned and I watched him walk into the coffee shop, broad shoulders pushing through the door, and felt a flutter in my chest that had nothing to do with fear. We’d shared a few more kisses since that night in the security office, but that had been all. True to his word, Rip never pressed me. Hell, he never initiated intimacy other than to drape his arm around my shoulders lightly when we sat together to watch TV.
I closed my eyes and tilted my face toward the sun. The sounds of traffic, conversations, and the occasional burst of laughter wrapped around me. Normal life. For the first time in a very long time, I believed I could have this again.
“Enjoying yourself, Jade?”
My eyes snapped open. Eric stood on the other side of the table, perfectly groomed in tailored gray slacks and a pale blue dress shirt. I glanced toward the coffee shop door. No sign of Rip.
“You can’t be here,” I said, my voice steady despite the sudden racing of my heart.
Eric pulled out the chair across from me and sat down, arranging himself with practiced ease. “Public place. I’m just getting coffee.”
“There’s a restraining order.”
“Is there?” His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I must have forgotten.”
He looked exactly as he always had. Perfect hair, perfect clothes, perfect posture. The image he’d carefully crafted to present to the world. I used to find his polish attractive. Now I saw the hollow shell it concealed. And its purpose. He used his money, power, and expensive good looks to lure people close to him. So he could sink his claws into them and take their very souls in a way they’d give in to his desires willingly. Including myself. Before.