Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 34955 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34955 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
I paused mid-step, then began walking toward them, unable to stop myself. I hadn’t seen JB since he left Shephard’s Stables working as a stable hand. Granted, Thatcher had done something to him, and I had never been told what exactly, but my gaze quickly checked his fingers and found all ten in place. That was a relief. He had a short beard now, but that was the only difference. When my gaze moved back to his face, he stopped walking. Shock then panic morphed his previous happy expression. His head swung left then right as he scanned the around me. Searching for someone. I could guess who.
Forcing my feet to keep moving forward, I smiled at the girl he was with. She looked from me to him, confused, and I wanted to wave my hand at her and say, “Hi, it’s me. I’m the problem.” But I doubted she’d find humor in it.
“Hello, JB,” I said, wishing he wouldn’t look at me as if I were a demon straight from hell.
“Uh,” he said, still scanning the area. “um.”
“It’s okay, JB. Thatcher isn’t here, and even if he was, I can promise you that it’s fine.”
His eyes finally landed on me, and he swallowed nervously. “We need to go,” he said, turning to the girl he was with.
“What’s wrong? I thought we were going to get snacks for our movie night,” she said, eyes narrowing as she looked at me.
“I, uh,” he backed up, trying to get away from me.
“JB,” I said his name. “It’s fine. I just wanted to see you and make sure you were okay.”
His eyes widened as he moved back some more.
“Yeah, good, fine, uh, we gotta go,” he stammered as the girl pulled on his arm, not liking that I was sending him running.
“What is going on here?” she demanded, letting go of him and placing her hands on her hips.
JB seemed oblivious to her distraught. He was verging on frantic now.
“JB!” she shouted his name.
He finally looked at her as if remembering she was there. The apologetic expression that touched his face made me feel guilty. I should have stayed away. I hadn’t realized he would react like this. What had Thatcher done to him? Did I want to know?
“We gotta go,” he told the other girl.
“I want my Reese cups,” she told him.
“We can get ‘em somewhere else,” he replied. “Just please, we need to go.”
I held up a hand. “No. I’ll leave you alone. Please go get your things. I’m sorry that I bothered you. I just wanted to see for myself that you were okay.”
He studied me for a moment, still reminding me of a rabbit about to bolt.
“Who is she, JB?” the girl asked, growing more annoyed by the second.
Since he wasn’t going to answer her, I decided I’d explain then leave.
“She’s mine,” the familiar drawl that always made me tingle also made me sigh in frustration. He was going to give JB a stroke.
Thatcher’s hand slid around my back, grabbing my hip and jerking me to his side.
JB’s panic-stricken face had me glaring up at Thatcher rather than smiling. He’d caused this.
“I didn’t do anything. I was just he-here t-to shop with my girlfriend,” JB stammered as his voice cracked.
“Seems Capri was being polite,” Thatcher replied, sounding casual. “You could work on your people skills.”
JB’s eyes were locked on Thatcher as if he were ready for him to attack at any moment. His girlfriend walked back over to him and shot an annoyed glance at JB and then toward Thatcher. I saw it the moment she took him in completely, and her eyes lit with interest. Yes, he’s a beautiful bad boy, and that is exciting, but he is mine.
Thatcher smirked as his eyes moved to me. He used his knuckles to lift my chin up some more. “What, little doll? I didn’t do anything.”
Both my eyebrows shot up. “Yeah, you did,” I reminded him, then waved a hand in JB’s direction. “He’s afraid to breathe the same air as me.”
The twinkle of amusement in Thatcher’s dark eyes made my heart flutter.
“You want me to fix it?” he asked, then slowly turned his gaze toward JB. “You’re upsetting, Capri,” he told him. “I thought we already covered what happens when someone upsets her.”
The distress on JB’s face and the tremble of his bottom lip like he was going to cry had me slapping a hand on Thatcher’s chest. “THAT isn’t fixing it!”
He sighed heavily, and then his eyes met mine. The promises mixed with threats as the corner of his lips quirked. “What is it you want me to say, little doll?”
The rumble of his deep voice was hypnotic. Except there was a guy standing in the parking lot with us looking like he might vomit or run screaming at any minute, all because of me.