Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 35767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 179(@200wpm)___ 143(@250wpm)___ 119(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 179(@200wpm)___ 143(@250wpm)___ 119(@300wpm)
He hated it.
His scarred face had been what brought them back.
His downward slide had brought them wealth.
Pushing those thoughts to the side, he sat up as the door opened. The blonde child services worker pushed her chest out and sent him a smile.
He wasn’t interested in petty smiles. If he wanted to get his rocks off, he had places he could go or women to see.
Sex wasn’t something that was high on his list of things to do right now.
“Mavis, I’d like you to meet Mr. Brown.”
The blonde moved out of the way, and Luca stared at the young woman who stepped forward.
He’d not seen Mavis Miller in a long time, and who stared back at him now wasn’t a little girl. In fact, Mavis didn’t even look like a teenager. Not even close to it.
She looked like a fucking woman.
A curvy woman at that.
Her raven hair was pulled back into a ponytail. He saw her face was pale, and she looked so fucking nervous.
He didn’t like the pounding of his heart as he stared at her, or the twisted feeling in his gut. This was his ward. He’d just become her guardian, and yet he felt an answering pull in his dick.
Pushing those fucking forbidden thoughts aside, he stared at her. Her eyes were the brightest blue that stole his fucking breath.
“Hello,” she said.
Even her voice sounded sweet. What the fuck was with him right now?
“You’re Ryan’s kid?”
She nodded her head.
“Leave us alone,” Luca said, turning to look at the blonde, who was still there.
“It’s not appropriate—”
“You called me down here because she is now my responsibility. I’m taking her home, and you think being alone with her for five minutes here is inappropriate? I’m about to take her far from here, think about that. Fucking system pisses me off.”
Still. The blonde stormed out of the room, and he was alone with his ward. The door slamming closed made Mavis jump.
“I don’t know you,” she said.
“Not a lot of people know me.”
“Mom kept telling Dad to change your name. That you wouldn’t want a kid.”
“I guess he never got around to it.”
“No.” She glanced down at the floor.
“You got a lot of stuff to bring with?”
“I don’t think so. Just some clothes. Not a lot.”
“Look, if you’re wanting to take stuff from their house, we can. That house is already bought and paid for. It’ll belong to you come your twenty-first birthday. I’m going to have it locked down and stuff packed up. It’ll be there when you need it.” He got to his feet.
Her gaze ran down his body, and it was in that moment he realized she’d not flinched at the sight of his face.
“Do you want to come with me?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t even know me.”
“Dad always spoke highly of you. He said you were a good guy once.” She looked down at her hands.
“Do you need to see a therapist or something?”
“Why would I need to see a therapist?”
“Your parents died.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay, fine. The offer will always be open for when you need it.”
“I don’t need it.”
He didn’t like her attitude.
“If you think for a single moment you’re going to give me a problem, think again. I will have your ass dumped in the first available boarding school before you even know it. Do you get me?”
“I got it,” she said.
He saw her teeth were clenched. She clearly wanted to say something else, but he wasn’t interested in saying anything more. “Excellent. Now sit down and color while I’ll go and handle the crazy lady.”
Luca didn’t know for sure, but he thought he heard her laugh. When he looked back, she was sitting at the table, arms folded, glaring off into space.
Whatever.
He didn’t have the energy to deal with her shitty behavior. Heading out, he got to the blonde and told her exactly how it was going to go and what she was going to do to make his life easier.
Luca always got what he wanted, and now that he was a damn guardian that wasn’t going to change.
****
Five days later
Mavis stood at her bedroom window and stared out at the monster of a man that was now her parent. Her guardian. Her babysitter, whatever they wanted to call him. He’d come out of nowhere for her. Pressing her palm flat against the window, she felt the chill of the fall morning, but it didn’t hurt. It didn’t make her pull away with a gasp.
She didn’t feel anything.
Ever since the cops had turned up at the boarding school where her parents had dumped her, she hadn’t felt anything.
No pain.
No sadness.
Nothing.
She hadn’t even cried over the death of her parents.
How weird was that?
She didn’t feel anything.
The man downstairs, Luca Brown, he was … different. Not just because of the giant scar on his face. When she looked into his eyes, she didn’t see pity or sadness. There was none of the cloying guilt that made her feel sick to her stomach just by watching him. No, he’d seen her.