Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 64885 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64885 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Pushover, my ass.
Gareth grunted at that, then smoothed his hand over the exposed skin on my back, the cream-colored dress I wore dipping low. The touch was familiar and welcome and it always gave me so much hope. He was affectionate in public, barely even allowing me to be out of his sight for more than a few minutes at a time. And while I could chalk that up to his protectiveness, there was more to it. I would go as far to say a steady friendship had built between us. Our nights were spent talking and laughing, watching reality shows that made me cringe, or shopping online together just because we could.
And yet every time we went to bed, he’d give me a chaste kiss on the forehead before firmly turning over and falling asleep.
At least I slept easier in his bed. Something about his presence kept the nightmares away.
After the event finally wound to a close, I said goodbye to my friends, happy to have that settled feeling in my heart knowing the girls genuinely were my friends now.
“Did you have a good time?” Gareth asked me on the ride home.
I smiled at him from where I sat in the passenger seat of his car. I really loved Charleston’s version of Gareth. He was more at ease here, not using a driver or hiring staff for his home. He was less ready to jump in front of a bullet at a moment’s notice here, and when we went home, it was just the two of us.
“I really did,” I said. “I gave the girls my new phone number. I'm going to have texting friends now.” I bit my lip. “What if I don’t text the right way? What should be my first text to the group chat?”
“Well, I certainly wouldn’t text them like we have before,” Gareth chuckled as he turned into the drive of his Charleston home. “Unless you plan to contend with Hendrix, Asher, and Wes.”
I laughed at the joke. He so rarely made them.
“Most people start with hi,” he continued.
“You don't think I should open with a story? Something interesting?” I asked as I got out of the car and we headed into the house.
“You could do that,” he said. “Whatever you decide will be great. They all love you.”
His words made my heart expand.
“This is all so new to me,” I admitted. “I'm worried about making a mistake. I’ve never had real friends before. I don’t want to push them away.”
“You won't make a mistake. They’re good people. They don't know everything about your background, but they know enough. They’re not going to abandon you.”
I nodded, lingering outside the hallway that led to Gareth’s room. He’d seen right through my panic, understanding the worry immediately.
Everyone in my life had abandoned me in one way or another. My mother, even though she lived with me. My father, even though he spent almost every waking hour dictating me. My cousins, never once offering help when they witnessed the abuse. My supposed friends, children of allying families, who kept me at a distance because of my father’s historical rage.
I chewed on my lip, trying to push those thoughts away. Daisy, Brynn, and Savannah weren’t like that.
I was more than ready to get out of this dress, and I was almost feeling confident enough to ask for help—
“I have to catch up on some work,” Gareth said, shutting down the thought immediately. “What are you going to do?”
“First thing I'm going to do is get out of this dress,” I said. “Then I'm thinking TV in bed.”
“What a rebellious angel,” he teased.
Gareth leaned closer to me, giving me another one of those soft forehead kisses. They were nice, but not exactly what I needed. “Don't wait up,” he said before heading toward his office.
I stood outside his door for a little too long, contemplating stomping after him and making him see me.
See me like he had that night a week ago. Like a flesh-and-blood woman instead of a delicate piece of glass he needed to protect. See me like he had when he’d texted me that night, guiding me straight into an orgasm, making me realize I truly had everything I needed to get myself off.
But I really did want to get out of this dress, and after so many nights of sleeping together without being touched, I was starting to believe that he didn't want anything more.
He’d certainly been fine after it, and it didn't seem to bother him much in the days since. Maybe it was only as world-shattering to me because I'd never experienced that before.
I contemplated that while changing into PJs and climbing into his giant bed. I turned on the TV, but after trying and failing to find a show that would distract me, I finally shut it off, and shifted lower in his bed. I shut my eyes, but sleep evaded me, my mind whirling with red-hot thoughts I couldn’t shake.