Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 43198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 216(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 216(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
And the truth is he did save us. But that’s not why I’ve fallen in love with him.
He reaches between us and puts a finger at my clit. Already sensitive, it pushes me over the edge, and soon we’re coming together, both grunting our releases.
Both of us are looking into the other’s eyes. I’ve never felt this close and so vulnerable to someone in my life.
He leans up to kiss me, and the lingering taste of me is still on his lips. He brings his hand up and strokes it across my cheek. “I liked seeing you happy today.”
I wrap my arms around his neck, not ready for this to be over. “Thank you for today. And thank you for sharing your family with Eli and me. We’ve never had that.”
“They love you, you know. Both of you.”
I look into his eyes, and it takes every bit of control to stop from asking him if he loves me. He’s already given me so much. I can’t expect him to fall in love with me, just like that.
He cups my face. “You know we need to finish our conversation from earlier… about making this permanent.”
I bring my hands up and cover his. “I think… I think that we should wait until this is over. The court case, the custody battle, all of it. I’ll never be able to repay you for everything you’ve given me.”
He stiffens. “You don’t owe me anything, Lindsey. I wanted to help you and Eli.”
I look away from him, disentangle my body from his, and stand up. Grabbing my clothes off the side of the bed, I hold them in front of me. “I’m going to take a quick shower.”
I get into the bathroom, turn the water on, and don’t even wait for it to heat up. I climb in and gasp as the cold spray hits me. But that’s exactly what I need. I need something to wake me up from this la-la land I’m living in. There’s no way that Miller Brody wants anything permanent with me. He’s a fixer, and tomorrow, when the custody battle is over and everything returns to normal, he’s going to come to his senses and see that we don’t have a lot in common.
The shower door slides open. “Can I join you?”
I nod without looking at him.
He stands behind me and grabs my loofah off the shelf. He squirts soap on it and slowly starts scrubbing my body. He does it quietly and thoughtfully, and I slowly start to let my defenses down.
“Talk to me,” he says.
Instead of talking to him about us, I tell him, “I’m worried about tomorrow. What if the Davenports win?”
He sounds so sure. “They’re not going to win. Lindsey, I promise you that they will not get Eli. I won’t let it happen.”
“But how do you know?”
He turns me and looks into my eyes. “Because Zach and Logan are interviewing a witness right now. He was paid by the Davenports to cut your sister’s brake lines and to run her off the road.” He huffs out a breath. “They paid to have your sister murdered.”
I recoil and put a hand to my stomach. I feel like I’m going to be sick. I know he thought that could have been the case, but actually finding out it is true is another matter altogether. They murdered my sister. I’m hunched over, the spray hitting me in the back, and I have to take deep, even breaths to calm the roll of my stomach. When I'm able to pull myself together, Miller pulls me to him. “They’re going to pay for what they did. I promise you that they will pay.”
And then it comes to me. “They’ll be going to jail, right? They have to. They can’t get custody of Eli.”
Miller nods. “Yeah, Zach and Logan have built a solid case. There’s no denying it. They are presenting everything to the local PD and the FBI right now. They want them arrested before the proceedings tomorrow afternoon.”
I wrap my arms around Miller. “Thank you. Thank you so much. I wouldn’t have survived if I’d lost Eli too. You saved us.”
He doesn’t say anything, just holds me to him.
I press closer, memorizing the way it feels to be held like this, wishing time would just stop here… before tomorrow has the chance to change everything.
CHAPTER 22
MILLER
Lindsey’s sitting next to me in the courthouse while we wait to be called in. Skyler, Bree, Aria, and Ozzy walk through the doors. My mom and dad follow behind them, and Mom sits down on the other side of Lindsey and holds her hand, patting it. “Everything is going to be okay.”
Skyler pulls Lindsey and me into a quick hug.
“Zach and Logan will be here,” she says. “They’re just running late.”
“Have you heard anything?” I ask quietly. “Did they arrest the Davenports?”