Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 75585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“Yes, and she knows I’ve been working at the club. She hates it and she keeps threatening to leave school. I can’t let her do that.”
“We won’t,” Val said.
“I don’t have a lot of options. I’m kind of at the end of my rope. I really shouldn’t be here. You need to take me home so I can get what I need for my shift at Pound.”
“No.”
I pulled away from him and moved to the side of the bed. “Please, Val. If you care at all, let me work off the debt. I don’t need your family after me on top of everything else.”
He shook his head. “You’re not going back to that storage unit. You’re not going to live there, and you’re not going to work at the club anymore. I’ve had enough of other men looking at you.”
“Then what the hell am I going to do? Run? How far would I get before your father found me, even if you refused to look?”
“Baby, I didn’t bring you home just for the night, I brought you home to stay. This is your home now, and you don’t have to work anywhere because I’m going to take care of you.”
His words nearly made me fall off the bed. “Are you fucking serious?”
“You won’t accept an apartment from me, so you’re moving in here. You’re not staying in that storage unit one more night.”
There was no way this was happening. “I can’t do that.”
“I’m not giving you a choice this time.”
“You can’t pay my debt. You already told me that.”
He grabbed my arms and pulled me toward him. “I’m going to do it anyway.”
When I met his gaze, I could see how determined he was, but I couldn’t let him do this. “I can’t fuck up your life too. I’m bad luck.”
He gave me a gentle kiss. “You’re the best luck I’ve ever had.”
“Better than your father taking you in?”
“Yes.”
I scowled at him. “You can’t mean that. You don’t have to say things like that to me.”
“But you are, because I don’t have to be afraid with you. Do you really want to leave?”
Of course I didn’t. But needed to. “No. I want to be right here with you, but I don’t understand what this is. What is happening between us?”
“How many times have I told you that you’re mine and I’m going to protect you?”
“But—”
“You deserve this. You deserve to be cared for. You’ve been carrying way too much of a burden on your own.” He pulled me into his arms, and I let myself relax against him. I wasn’t going anywhere.
“That’s what Ava says, but how else is she going to get what she needs?”
“How about you? Have you gotten what you needed?”
Thinking about myself had seemed like too big of a luxury. “Not until you.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” He kissed me again, harder this time, and I let myself sink into it.
I truly wanted to believe staying here with him was possible, but as good as it felt, as warm as he was, as strong as his arms were around me, something in the back of my mind told me I didn’t deserve this.
33
VAL
After a lengthy kiss, I spooned myself around Liam and pulled him against me. It felt so good to relax with my body pressed to his. I had so many questions. Why hadn’t his parents left their money to him and Ava? And who was really after him? I needed answers, but I needed to hold him more. We dozed for a few moments before he said, “I need to tell you something,” and the peace was broken.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s possible there was someone following me today.”
I pulled him tighter against me. What had my people missed? Tony said they had eyes on the stalker. “What did the person look like?”
“Really tall, maybe 6'5". Italian with longish hair.”
Shit, he was describing Tony. “You don’t need to worry about him.”
Liam rolled over to look at me. “What do you mean? Are you going to send someone after him? Are you going to kill him too?”
“No.” Color rose into his face, and anger hardened his eyes. He understood now.
“You’ve been having me followed.”
“I put people on protection detail for you.”
He huffed. “So you have people following me?”
“For your own safety. You could’ve been killed the other night. And then at the diner—” How had I let that slip? I was really fucking it up today.
“At the diner…what?”
“There was a guy watching us from the parking lot. He looked a lot like the guy who attacked you the other night, like they might be brothers.”
“And you didn’t tell me? You just dropped me off at—Oh fuck, you’ve been watching the storage unit, haven’t you?”
“Yes. I’ve been there some nights, and when I couldn’t be, I’ve had someone else who works for the family keeping you safe.”