Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 46751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 187(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 187(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
I don't know because I've never been the girl too afraid to try. Even when it's meant falling on my face over and over, I've tried. I know failure. I've been chasing my dreams since I was sixteen, watching doors slam in my face again and again. And every time, I've picked myself up, dusted myself off, and gotten back in the saddle. I have no regrets because I've never stopped trying.
I don't want Gideon to be my first regret. He could be if I let him.
That realization pulls me from bed. I cross the room in the dark, my feet silent on the plush carpet. The door to the living room squeaks open. Light trickles in from the kitchen, spilling across Gideon's face.
The couch is far too small for him. His feet hang over the end. He shouldn't be on it at all.
He turns to look at me, as wide awake as I am.
"You okay, Sparrow?"
I don't say anything. I just walk up beside the couch and hold out my hand.
He sits up, eyeing me curiously. But he slips his hand into mine. He even hauls himself to his feet when I tug on his arm. I lead him to the bedroom, not speaking.
"Sparrow…"
"You're right about everything you said, okay?" I whisper, pushing the door closed behind us. "I am afraid. But I don't want you to be something I run from and live regretting."
"You think I'd let that happen?" He turns, pulling me into his arms. "Never, Kenna. Never."
I rest my head against his chest, feeling at ease for the first time since I ran from him this afternoon. "Can we take it slow, please?"
He tips my head back, brushing his lips across mine. "As slow as you want to take it, Sparrow."
"Maybe not too slow."
He grins, pulling me down into the bed with him. I'm not sure what I expect, but it isn't for him to drag me back up against his chest with his arms wrapped around me. He nuzzles his face against the back of my neck, pressing a soft kiss to the sensitive skin there.
"There's plenty of time to play later. Right now, I'm going to hold you while you sleep. You have an early day, and we both know you haven't slept at all."
He's not wrong about that.
I melt into him, my eyes fluttering closed.
At the last second, I remember something he said earlier. "Hey, Gideon?"
"Yeah?"
"You better not have been kidding about you not snoring, Marine."
His body shakes against mine as he laughs. "Go to sleep, Sparrow."
Chapter Five
Gideon
"Well, well, well," Zayne says, strolling into the lobby with his arms crossed and a shit-eating grin stretched across his stupid ass face. "Look who finally returned from the dick appointment."
"You know you were an accident, right? The condom broke."
"Ma was supposed to swallow you," he retorts, his maniacal smile not budging. "But here we fuckin' are anyway."
"How are we brothers?" I shake my head, genuinely mystified how I got saddled with his big ass.
"Dad didn't pull out."
"Jesus Christ," Zion mutters, coming to a dead stop in the hallway. "Why do I always walk in at the wrong fucking time with you two?"
"Because your older brother is an idiot."
Zayne flips me off and then chuckles. "Seriously. You were gone all day yesterday. What's up?"
"New client," I mutter. "I'm only here to get some shit."
"What shit?" Zion asks.
"Cameras. She has a stalker. He's been leaving her fucked up little gifts."
"How fucked up?" Zayne wants to know.
I pull up the poem on my phone and toss it to him before striding to the supply closet to grab a couple security cameras to hang around her apartment. The complex probably won't allow me to hang any around outside, but no one said I couldn't put them up inside her place in case anyone breaks in. I'm also going to rig one up to hide by her front door somehow. Maybe in a plant or something inconspicuous. She's on the first floor so she has an outside entrance to her apartment.
I also grab alarms for all of the windows. Home security systems are great, but the reality is that they're ineffective when used alone. Most monitoring companies just don't give a shit. Half of the time, they don't even have updated contact information for their clients. They collect their fees, call in alarms to the PD, and call it a day. It's not enough, especially when the PD is tied up on other calls. It may be an hour before anyone is able to respond to an alarm call. Motherfuckers with bad intentions know this. They've done it long enough to be aware they've got time to get in, grab shit, and get out.
But if you make enough noise, someone notices. Window alarms like these make a whole helluva lot of noise if they're set off. It's usually enough to scare off anyone trying to break in, especially in areas like apartment complexes where they're more likely to be caught.