Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 111359 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 557(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111359 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 557(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Fuck. Just, fuck.
This guy could be anyone. Could have done anything to her.
“What happened?”
“I don’t know,” Melody whispered. “I really don’t. She started talking online to him and he said all the right things. And that he didn’t want her to meet with him until she was comfortable. He even said that she could bring a friend with her. They talked for two weeks until she was begging him to meet up.”
Christ. So he’d lulled her into feeling secure around him. But then what?
“I said I wanted to go with her. But she told me they were meeting somewhere public. Hannah told me that if she was going to do this, then she needed to trust him. What I didn’t learn until later is that they met at a restaurant in Lafayette where he lived. That she had a great time. But slowly, she started changing. She grew more distant. We thought it was normal. You know how you get when you’re first dating someone and want to spend all your time with them.”
“Don’t recall you ever wanting to spend all your time with me, sugar,” Brye said with raised eyebrows.
Melody waved her hand through the air. “Ugh, that’s because I already knew you. It wasn’t new love. We went straight into the old married couple kind of love.”
Brye frowned. It was clear he didn’t like her describing their relationship like that. It was also clear he heard the note of longing in her voice.
“Did you want that new love feeling?”
“What? No, of course not!”
“Are you lying to me?” Brye asked in a surprisingly firm voice.
Melody stiffened and looked at him.
Hmm.
“Someone’s heading toward a spanking,” Tanner sang, winking at her when Melody glared at him.
“I am not!”
“Yeah, you are, sugar,” Brye told her in a low voice.
She gulped and looked up at her man nervously. “Crap.”
“Mel, Hannah?” Raid asked impatiently.
“Right. Um. When she told us she was moving to live with him, we were concerned, but what could we do? But then, she stopped answering our texts and even put her house up for sale. We were so worried, but she wouldn’t talk to us.”
“And then she came back here?” Tanner asked.
“Yes, and she won’t tell us what happened. But she’s different. It’s not just the way she dresses, but the way she acts. Hannah was always a hugger. She was always so happy and animated. Now, she hates being touched, she doesn’t smile. She wears a lot of black baggy clothing, when she always wore color. She was happiness and now she’s so sad. And I think she’s lost weight.”
“I don’t think she’s sleeping, either,” Brye added. “Every time I see her, it’s like the bags under her eyes have gotten bigger.”
“And she’s really jumpy,” Melody added. “We’re all worried that he did something to her.”
Fuck. Fucking motherfucker.
His hands clenched into fists. If there was something he hated, it was people who abused those who were smaller than they were. Kids and women. People who couldn’t fight back.
Those sorts of people were scum.
“You think he hurt her?” Tanner asked in a low voice. “Wouldn’t she tell someone? Jake? Or you guys?”
Melody licked her lips. “I thought she would . . . but she’s not our Hannah. She’s acting so quiet and secretive. Hannah was always so social. Now, she goes to work or stays home. I had to threaten her to get her out the other night. That’s not normal for Hannah. She loves being around people. That’s what she does. She looks after people. I guess . . . we’re not used to looking after her and I feel like we’re doing a terrible job.”
“It’s not your fault, Mel,” Brye told her, tightening his hold on her.
But Raid saw the guilt on her face. He knew that she thought it was.
“I think we should have protected her better. She hasn’t even been to Saxon’s recently. And that’s something she needs.”
That was something that had made him hesitate more than once. But if Hannah was in his life, if she was ‘the one’, then he’d do whatever was necessary to keep her happy.
Hell. More than once, he’d thought about spanking that round ass of hers. Especially the other night when she’d started walking home in the dark. Yep, several times he’d thought of spanking her.
If she needed him to take some BDSM classes on tying her up, he’d do that too. He liked being in control. He just didn’t like following rules. So having to follow the rules at Saxon’s didn’t sit right with him.
“I’m just . . . I’m really frightened.” Melody looked up at Brye, who ran his finger down her cheek. “It worries me that she never smiles anymore. That she dresses differently and acts so strange. That she’s trying to push us away. She’s hiding something and . . . and I don’t know what to do. I usually know what to do.”