Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 129986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Afterward, he collapses on top of me.
I’m sick, so I curl close and kiss him. I play with his hair and touch his beautiful face, and when he whispers how much he loves me, I commit the worst sin of all: I believe him.
Chapter forty-four
Aubrey
It’s a long, exhausting day.
I have a shift at work, then a shower. Mom and I commiserate while I make dinner and she tries not to stare at my bruises.
If she thought about it, even for a few seconds, she might realize the hand that made them was too big to be Anae’s. She might even think about when she has seen me with Dare, and his propensity for touching my face.
She must not think about any of that because when he starts texting me, there’s not even a glimmer of doubt on her face.
He’s right.
She fucking loves him.
And I get it. Her first impression of him was heroic. He made sure it was. First impressions are hard to shake, and Dare knows what he’s doing.
I’m not as freshly traumatized tonight, so I put on one of the little pink nighties he bought me. I know Dare likes when I wear really girly sleepwear, and this one is comfy to boot.
I don’t bother putting on panties before I climb into bed. I’m actually so tired when I curl up, I think I might fall asleep, but when I try to, I’m wide awake.
Dare taps lightly on my window.
I didn’t leave it open tonight, so I push back the covers and go over to let him in.
His lips tug up at the sight of me in one of my cute nighties. He must take that as a sign I’m in a Dare-friendly mood tonight.
He’s still dressed for the day in jeans with a gray hoodie and a white T underneath. I watch him lock the window, then he turns back and looks down at me.
His gaze rakes over me. I can feel it glance across my mostly bare shoulders and collarbone, dip lower to graze my breasts.
He reaches for my waist and pulls me closer.
I lock my arms around his waist and look up at him.
He leans down and kisses me, a nice soft kiss. “You’re a sight for sore eyes,” he murmurs.
I smile, briefly laying my head against his firm chest and enjoying the safety of his arms encircling my waist. When I pull back, he catches my hand. I let it linger for a moment, but I’m tired. “Come to bed,” I say, our fingers touching for another second before I drop his hand and climb up on my mattress.
Since he’s staying the night, Dare strips down to his underwear before climbing under the covers with me.
“How was your day?” I ask once I’m snuggled up against him with his arms around my waist.
“It wasn’t great,” he says, stroking my hair.
A frown flickers across my brow and I glance back at him. “Why?”
His gaze is pensive like he’s still working out how to approach it. “We need to talk about some stuff.”
I roll on my back, still with his arms around me, so I can look at him. “What kind of stuff?”
“Legal stuff.”
I sigh. “I don’t suppose you’re suggesting we do government homework together.”
His lips tug up, but he looks sad. It’s the only smile I’ve ever hated. “Nothing I can get the nerds on, unfortunately.”
“What’s wrong?” I ask gently, reaching up to caress his face.
He presses his hand against mine, trapping it against his skin. “I need your help with something, and you’re not going to like it.”
A wave of dread rolls over me. “What is it?”
“Did you talk to the cops today?”
I shake my head. “I’m supposed to go back tomorrow.”
He nods, his thumb absently stroking my skin. “I fucked up a few things the other night. Part of it was because she was there, part of it was you. Working on my own, I wouldn’t have made these mistakes, but when you do shit like this with other people, it’s easy for things to go wrong.”
I’ll have to take his word for it. I’ve never committed crimes with anyone before.
“Anae rolled over on me. I expected she would, but the problem is… If they run tests on the clothes you wore that night, they’ll find bodily fluids.” His gaze drifts to the bruises he left on my jaw. “You have my fingerprints on your face. Maybe there were glove fibers in your mouth, or… inside you. Anae’s telling them she didn’t act alone, that I kidnapped and assaulted you, and if they investigate…”
“They’ll find out you did,” I say softly.
He holds my gaze for a moment, then drops it and nods.
If she goes down, he goes down with her.
How poetic.
“You got caught in your own trap,” I murmur.
His jaw tightens, but he neglects to comment. “There’s another option,” he tells me. “Her mom’s lawyer met with mine today. They said if you don’t press charges, if you say it wasn’t really a kidnapping and you went with her voluntarily but then shit went sideways, a lot of the charges can go away. She can plea down to a stay in a psychiatric facility, and she’ll stop screaming about my involvement. They won’t have any reason to run tests on your clothes, and since you’re not going to do anything with that rape kit… As long as you maintain that I wasn’t there when you go over your new statement tomorrow, this can all go away and I don’t catch a charge at all.”