Total pages in book: 16
Estimated words: 14490 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 72(@200wpm)___ 58(@250wpm)___ 48(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 14490 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 72(@200wpm)___ 58(@250wpm)___ 48(@300wpm)
He tries to fight back, but I’ve got the upper hand and I have no intention of losing it. I slam my fist into his nose, the cracking of cartilage and bone ringing in my ears, blood streaming down his face. I knee him in the balls, send my other fist at his kidney, punching again and again until his garbled protests and insults die on his tongue.
It’s only when someone grabs my shoulders and pulls me away that I stop. My knuckles are bloody and my eye is starting to swell from where he landed a lucky hit, but I barely feel the pain. My eyes are locked on the man, bruised and bloody and unconscious on the dirty alley floor.
It’s then that I realize who’s holding me, pinning my arms behind my back and encircling them in metal.
The fucking cops.
By the time the memory releases me, the sky is dark and the highway has given way to a tiny, dusty road. I slow as I pass a town sign to read it.
Welcome to Sunflower Springs.
I have every intention of just driving straight through and continuing on my way back to the city, but it’s at least another seven hours drive and already the clock on the dashboard tells me it’s 8 PM. I haven’t had a peaceful night’s sleep since I was arrested, and the exhaustion weighs on me.
When I see a small sign decorated with fading hand-painted sunflowers, announcing rooms for the night at a Bed and Breakfast, I make my mind up. I slide the car into a space at the side of the road, throw it in park, and grab the bag containing my current possessions. It’s nearly empty, with one change of clothes and a scattering of my possessions. All my important shit is back at my apartment, where it has sat waiting for the last year. One more night isn’t going to hurt.
The air feels muggy and damp, the way it always does before a storm hits, and I frown up at the sky. Thick, dark clouds are rolling in, and I hurry up to the yellow door, not wanting to get caught in the rain.
It’s warm inside and smells of something sweet like home baking. I inhale deeply, my stomach growling at the delicious smell. The entryway is small and cozy, with patterned wallpaper and a green sofa with a small coffee table set out as a waiting area. The front desk is small, with a computer that looks like it’s seen better days and a thick logbook set out on top.
All of those details fade into nothingness when I set eyes on the woman behind the desk, though. Hell, the entire world ceases to exist, everything suddenly dull and unimportant compared to her.
Wavy blonde hair is swept up into a messy bun, but strands have escaped and hang around her face, framing her soft features. Wide, bright blue eyes meet mine, long dark lashes fluttering. Her rosy lips part as she inhales sharply, her chest rising with the motion. A blue and white dress with sunflowers on it clings to her figure, flaring out at the waist slightly, though I can’t see how far it reaches with the desk in the way. Is it short, showing off more of that creamy skin, or does it reach the floor, swaying when she walks? I’m suddenly desperate to know.
My blood is on fire, burning hotter and hotter the longer we stare at each other. Without question, she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. But there’s more, something in her stare, a spark that contradicts her sweet, innocent appearance, one that draws me in and makes me ravenous.
A loud boom of thunder shakes the world around us, followed by a flash of lightning almost as bright as the electricity zapping between us. She jumps, blinking rapidly, her tongue darting out to wet her bottom lip as she visibly tries to compose herself.
“Uh, welcome,” she greets, the words coming out in a rush as she wipes her hands down the front of her dress, looking away from me to her computer. “Did you have a booking?”
I walk closer to the desk, needing to destroy the distance between us. The pattering of rain on the windows fills the air, and I delight in the way goosebumps rise on her flesh.
“No, I saw the sign as I was driving through,” I tell her, my voice coming out dark and gravelly. It’s impossible to hide how affected I am by her, but I don’t even bother trying.
“Oh,” she breathes. Then, her brows furrow and she meets my eyes again. “You were traveling through? Tonight?”
I nod, confused as to why she seems surprised by this.
“Didn’t you hear about the huge storm coming?” she asks, gesturing to the windows where the storm is making itself known. “Bad time to be traveling.”