Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 34187 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34187 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
At the lowest time in my life, I realize I might have gained my very own guardian angel. I never saw Xavier as more than a friend, but then he went to prison for me. I’ll never forget his sacrifice. He’s the one person I can tell anything, the one person I trust above all else. He’s also the man I’ve built up in my little fantasy world as being the perfect husband. Only problem is, I forgot he’s still a killer. How can I be with a man who’s capable of taking a life? I’m torn between my growing feelings for him and my fear of what it means to love a man like Xavier.
Did I have to kill the man who beat Tillie? No. But I’m headed to prison anyway, so why not get an added bonus? Tillie defended me to anyone who would listen, but I still never expected she’d be almost religious in coming to see me every Saturday. I also didn’t expect to fall in love with the beautiful, spirited woman. Seeing her smile now is worth the extra time I’m spending away from my brothers in Kiss of Death and the comfort of home. Unfortunately, my little Tillie is a magnet for trouble. Good thing she has me to protect her, because there is nothing I won’t do for Tillie. Nothing. If I have to kill for her again, so be it. Anyone who touches her is dead. May God have mercy, because I won’t.
Adult situations, graphic language, and violence, which may be a trigger for some readers.
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Chapter One
Xavier
“Hey, Sugar.” The one bright spot in my life was Tillie St. Martin. Ironic, because the night I found her was in the middle of the worst damned storm I’d ever tried to drive through. That was also the night that changed both our lives forever.
I think I had a weird sort of connection with her from the second she looked at me over her shoulder, soaked to the skin in ripped and blood-stained clothing, with an angry-looking bruise forming on her left cheek. She was walking down a two-lane country road at one in the morning. Nothing good happens at one in the morning if you’re forced to walk on a deserted road in the middle of a storm.
“I did it, Xave!” She grinned brightly at me through the bulletproof glass. She had the wall phone to her ear and looked so happy my heart was breaking.
Then I frowned. “Wait a minute. You’re not moving to San Diego with that creep you were telling me about last month, are you?”
“What?” She jerked back, a scowl on her face. “You honestly think I’m that stupid?”
I had a moment of panic. Clearly, I’d fucked up. I just wasn’t sure how. “Of course, you’re not stupid!” I rubbed my hand over the back of my neck. “But I’m not sure what I said to make you think I’d think you were stupid?” She raised her eyebrows. “OK, clearly, we need to start over.”
She broke out into giggles. “You’re so cute when you think I’m irritated at you.”
“I kinda thought I’d said something to thoroughly piss you off.”
“Pfft.” She waved away my words. “I could never be pissed at you. You’re my hero after all.”
“Aww, Tillie. You have no idea… Seeing you smile, how much happier you look now… You kind of gave me a whole new outlook on life.”
“Oh?” She was still smiling but she looked genuinely curious. Not like she was humoring me. “What’s that?”
“Sometimes, the outcome is worth the fuckin’ consequence.” I grumbled out the words, but it was the fucking truth. Yes, I was in prison. Would I rather be on the outside with my brothers? Sure. But I could pull my weight with the club in prison same as I could out. Given that I had some good connections here in Terre Haute, I figured I’d make the best of a bad situation. Like I said, some things were just worth the cost.
Tillie’s face softened and she put her palm against the window. I put mine over hers against the glass. I’d never actually touched her skin, but I could imagine how her hand would entwine with mine. She was twenty-three years old. Way too fucking young for me when compared to my thirty-eight years, but her life experiences made her seem older sometimes.
“You ended my nightmare, Xavier. I will never take that for granted. I’d be dead if it weren’t for you.”
“Only thing I ever want from you is for you to be happy. You never have to come back here, Tillie. I know this is a scary place sometimes. But if you do come by occasionally, I hope you always have a smile this bright on your face.” That got me another beautiful smile, but also a trembling chin and two tears from her pale green eyes. “So. If you’re not moving to San Diego with Dipshit, what’s got you all smiles, Sugar?”
She gave a watery laugh as she swiped at her tears. “I did it.”
“Well, yeah, you said that.” I grinned, trying not to chuckle but failing miserably. “Gonna have to give me an antecedent to go with your pronoun, baby.”
That really got an amused laugh from her. “Really? Antecedent?”
“Hey. You’re the author between the two of us. You should know those kinds of words, what they mean, and how to avoid making me say them.”
“Fine. It refers to buying a house.” She bounced in her seat excitedly.
I grinned. “You’ll have to show me pictures when you get moved in.”
“Oh, I will.” Her grin got even wider. “Want to know the best part?”
“What’s that, sweetheart?”
“I’m moving to Terre Haute.”
OK, this was unexpected. She lived an hour and a half away but had never mentioned she was moving, let alone anywhere close by. “Honey, why would you move to Terre Haute?”
“Two reasons.” She straightened, her smile still really wide. “First, Terre Haute has way more affordable housing. I found a house for half the price in Terre Haute than I could find in Indianapolis.”
“I could see that.” I tried to keep a lighthearted expression on my face, but I could tell something was up. “But why get a place of your own at all? I thought you were happy to stay with your folks.”
“Well, that’s the second reason.” She still smiled and still seemed happy, but also… sad? Scared?