Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
They can fuck off. They’ll be lucky if I ever let them see her again. I could erase her from their lives and give her a whole new one. I slam my laptop shut.
I got Paisley’s dinner done before she made it back to the kitchen. I left it on the counter and made myself scarce, trying to get my temper under control. Time isn’t working to cool me down. I need something else.
There’s no way my little princess is going to help me burn off my aggression. I shook her up as much as that fuckhead did. I swear I want to track him down and finish what I started. It’s taken all of my self-control not to.
I knew that wouldn’t be a good idea, but I did tell Blu to check into him. There is no way this was his first time going after a woman, but I’ll damn well make sure that it will be his last. Blu can handle it for me.
I’m thankful when I exit my office that Paisley is nowhere in sight. I don’t want to face her right now. I’m being a fucking coward. But when she told me I was scaring her, it was like I stepped on a landmine. Then, the second my eyes met hers, wide with fear, the mine went off. Something switched inside of me at that moment. It’s a look I never wanted to see again.
I look to make sure she ate her food before I check her sugar readings on my phone. Then I head outside to the casita behind the house. I have a whole workout area out here. I push open the bay doors to let some fresh air in before changing my clothes. Once finished, I jump onto the treadmill to burn off some of what happened tonight.
After three miles, I know this isn’t going to do shit to help me, so I go to the bag next. I don’t bother to wrap my hands. It’s stupid, but the burn of the bag on my knuckles might help.
A sound catches my attention. I spin around to see Paisley standing in the open doorway. Her puffy eyes are red, letting me know she’s been crying.
“Paisley?” I walk toward her. “You okay?” It’s a dumbass question.
Of course, she isn’t okay. Some fuckwit tried to assault her tonight. Then I went and almost killed him in front of her. Paisley is so sweet and soft. I’m sure my actions were a shock to her system. Her parents might be shit, but they’ve managed to keep some of the darkness from the world away from her. I hate that I had to show her that side of me, but I wouldn’t take it back. I will always do what needs to be done to protect her at all costs.
“Just checking on you.” She shrugs, dropping her head when I get close. I don’t want her hiding her face from me.
“Look at me,” I order and inwardly curse myself. She’s not one of my men that I can bark orders at when shit goes sideways.
“Never mind,” she huffs, turning away from me. Or she tries at least. I don’t let her. Without thinking, I grab her wrist, halting her from trying to run from me. That wouldn’t help with how I’m feeling right now. It would be fuel to the fire that is already raging inside of me.
Seeing her red eyes, however, does temper me. So does touching her. The thing I’ve been trying not to do since the bathroom. I didn’t know how that would go over for either of us. Which scared the shit out of me. That’s saying a lot since nothing scares me.
Until her.
I gently put one finger under her chin, making her lift her face for me. “You’ve been crying.”
“It doesn’t matter.” She sniffles. Fuck, I’m a piece of shit.
“You want me to call June?” She probably needs comfort or to talk to her. Not me who scares her.
“No.” Another little sniffle leaves her. The sound cuts through me.
“I’m sorry for the shit that went down in the bathroom.” Should have thrown him out the second I noticed how much of his attention had been on her.
“Why are you sorry? You saved me.” I study her face. Her full cheeks are flushed.
“I’m not sorry for saving you. I’m sorry that you had to see me that way.”
She tilts her head to the side, her nose scrunching. “What way?”
“You were scared of me.”
“What?” She shakes her head, sending her ponytail swinging back and forth. I want to grab it and release her long locks. The same ones I got to see spread across my pillow in my bed last night. A bed where I lay down next to her while she slept. “I’m not scared of you.” Paisley places her hand on the center of my chest. “But I don’t care much for how you’re treating me now.” She licks her lips. “You’re being cold.”