Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 72756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Dad’s gaze moves to Grayson, and suddenly I realize what’s coming.
Oh no.
“Grayson,” he says as I feel my soul shriveling up and looking for a hole to crawl into. He can’t be serious. “You’ve been an invaluable assistant, an open ear and a helping hand at my side through tough times. It was always my dearest wish that I could pass on the Hall of Grace and its holy mission to a cherished member of my family, but that was not a path given to me. Not until now. It’s my great joy to share the news that Grayson has asked for my blessing to court my lovely Summer.”
No!
Dad must see the horror in my eyes, but he continues without missing a beat. “I accepted gladly. I would love nothing more than for Grayson to join my family and help make the Hall of Grace everything it can be. The Heavens themselves will be the limit, and I, for one, cannot wait for the wedding. To the happy couple!”
Surrounded by surprised congratulations, I shotgun the rest of my glass.
7
DEVIL
“Crash! Get your damn phone!” Wait. He’s not here.
My first idea is to call Crash to let him know he left his phone in my crappy motel room, then realize how fucking stupid that thought is.
With an annoyed sigh, I pick it up from the table so I can find his room and throw it at him. It’s still buzzing. “Summer,” the screen says.
Fuck, he did say I could shoot my shot.
“Hello, beautiful,” I say smoothly. “How can I tempt you this evening?”
For a moment, there’s silence. “Who is this?”
“Devil, at your service.”
“Is… Is Crash there?” There’s an edge of panic to her voice that takes a lot of the fun out of teasing her.
“What’s wrong, baby? I don’t know where step-bro is at the moment, but maybe I can help.”
“I…” she trails off, then gathers herself. She whispers, as if she’s afraid of being overheard. “I need to get away from here, right away, and I didn’t know who else to call. I’m hiding in the bathroom, but they’re going to notice I’m gone pretty soon. Please.”
I put the phone on speaker and drop it on the table, pulling on my boots while we talk. “I’ll text you from my cell so you have my number. Send me your location and hang tight. I’ll try to track Crash down.”
“Hurry,” she pleads.
Then there’s a knock in the background. “Summer? Are you okay?” a woman asks, and the line goes dead.
Fuck. I shoot her a text and wait. “Come on, girl… You can do this.”
A response comes through while I’m on my way to Crash’s room, but he’s not answering and I don’t have time to track my moody friend down. I hop on my bike and head to the highway. Hopefully, there aren’t too many cops out today, because I’m planning on flying low. I lean in as I rev my bike and feel it leap under me like a tiger going for the kill.
Every one of the twenty-five minutes it takes to get there feels like an eternity. I pull right up on the sidewalk in front of a confused doorman who stares at me like I just fell from the fucking moon.
I stare right back and fire off a text to Summer. “Out front.”
“Sir, you can’t park your motorcycle here,” the doorman finally gets out. “Should I call the valet?” He says it carefully, like he means police, and in this part of town, they might even show up.
Whatever. I hold up a hand while I watch my screen for a reply.
Less than thirty seconds later, Summer bursts out of the front door. “Get me out of here.” Even terrified, she’s fucking gorgeous. But I can save my fantasies of her looking up at me with those big, innocent eyes for later.
The doorman makes a grab for her. “Miss, he’s—”
“Hands off, fuckface!” He’s lucky Summer tugs her arm free before I get there, because I’m not as fucking gentle. “We’re going.” I swing my leg over my bike. “Get on.”
“I…” She looks down at her deep red dress, which hugs her in all the right places, but the pencil skirt is going to make riding a bitch.
Fuck. I swing right back off, give her a quick glance up and down and make a split moment decision. I kneel and grab the bottom hem of her dress with both hands. “How attached are you to this?”
“What do you mean? You’re not going to—”
“Summer! Get back here, you ungrateful child!” Her father storms through the doors, red-faced and furious. He doesn’t get any fucking happier when he spots me. “You! Someone, call the police! That criminal is going to kidnap my daughter!”
“Sorry, babe, no time to decide.” I yank the fabric, and it tears high enough to give me a glimpse of pretty white panties. Summer shrieks in surprise.