Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 59146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
The woman in my bed had no idea. She had no clue how close to the edge I rode thinking about something happening to her. The second I saw Brett, he was a dead man. Then I’d go back to prison, no matter what kind of pull Knuckles had, and Juniper wouldn’t have anyone to watch over her. I didn’t want her to know my past and what I could do if pushed too far, even as I knew there was no scenario where I had a relationship with her without telling her my past.
There was a time I’d gone home to someone. I’d never particularly enjoyed married life, but having someone to talk to in the evening had been nice. I’d never had the kind of feelings for Natalie I found myself developing for Juniper and didn’t know how to process them. If she looked at me the way Natalie had looked at me the day she brought the divorce papers to jail for me to sign, I didn’t know if I’d survive. It hadn’t bothered me then. In my mind, Natalie deserved better than me from day one. Same was true for Juniper. The difference with Juniper was that I wanted to make myself better so maybe I could deserve her. Maybe not in the eyes of the world, but in Juniper’s eyes.
From the bed, Juniper stirred. “Inferno?”
“Go back to sleep, honey. I’m just watching over you. Keeping you safe.”
I heard the cover rustle as she moved. “Come to bed, Jonah.”
I turned. She’d moved the blanket back and lay half-curled on her side, one arm raised, beckoning me next to her. I crossed the room and crawled into bed beside her. She rolled into my chest, wrapped her arms around my waist, and hooked one leg over mine. I pulled her tight, needing her weight to tether me to her as long as she’d let me.
She pressed her face to my shoulder and let out a long, even breath. “I can’t sleep if you’re not here, dumbass.”
I chuckled before settling, her head tucked under my chin. She fit against me like she belonged right where she lay. I held her as tightly as I dared. The tension left my body as her warmth surrounded me. I listened to the rhythm of her breathing until the world went silent and the dark arithmetic finally balanced itself out for the night.
Chapter Ten
Juniper
My whole body ached like a motherfucker. My palms were the worst. The skin had tightened around the deeper cuts where the gravel had bitten in, and the grit I’d missed in Inferno’s shower stung and throbbed.
Inferno was already awake. He sat on the edge of the bed with a first-aid kit open beside him, the contents laid out in a neat row on the nightstand like he was setting up for surgery. “Let me see,” he said, and I gave him my right hand without arguing.
He worked in silence as he cleaned the abrasions gently but thoroughly and applied antibiotic ointment and a bandage to both palms. Once done, he pulled back the covers. “Knees,” he said, and I pulled the hem of his T-shirt up to my thighs. He gave the scrapes on my knees the same gentle treatment as my palms.
When he finished, he closed the first-aid kit and set it on the floor. I flexed my bandaged hands, testing the give of the gauze. They hurt, but they were properly cleaned and tended now. The ointment had a numbing agent in it so the pain, while still there, lessened considerably.
“I’m not going to open the shop today,” I said. His posture relaxed somewhat, the relief obvious.
“Figured.” I got the feeling closing the bakery today hadn’t been a decision I needed to make because Inferno had likely made preparations. Probably had a sign on the door and every fucking thing.
I should have been angry, but I wasn’t. The anger had burned off somewhere in the long, dark hours of lying awake in his bed while he sat by the window, and what was left was a dull, heavy ache in my heart. The shop was part of this now. Not just my grandmother’s legacy, but a battlefield I hadn’t chosen. I had no idea why Brett had chosen this path for me, but I had to deal with the fallout.
My phone rang from somewhere in the tangle of sheets. I found it under the pillow, the screen showing a number I didn’t recognize. I almost let it go to voicemail, but something made me answer.
“Is this Juniper Renner?”
The voice on the other end was warm, professional, and practiced cheer I’d heard from Brett when he dealt with people around us. “This is David Mercer with Mercer Commercial Properties. How are you today?” I said I was fine, because that’s what you say. “Great, great. Listen, I don’t want to take up too much of your time, but I’m calling on behalf of a client who’s expressed interest in your property. The bakery building.” He paused, and I could hear the smile in his voice even as dread settled over me. I felt like I was in a scene from a horror movie. “They’ve asked me to present a cash offer so we can do a quick close.” He quoted a price that was so low for the area, it was laughable.