Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 48700 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48700 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
The music is so loud, I can feel it thumping in my chest, but I can't tear my eyes away from him. A steady beep sounds beside my ear, but when Memphis turns to look at me, I forget about it.
His smoldering cobalt eyes lock with mine for a moment, a half-smirk playing around his lips. My heart flutters wildly at the sight.
The beeping grows louder, more annoying. I turn my head, trying to focus on Memphis and that wild grin. How he manages to stare at me and play at the same time, I don't know, but it's like his body knows exactly what to do.
God, he's incredible.
"I love you," I mouth.
His gaze flickers over my shoulder, his expression morphing into pure horror.
I glance over my shoulder on instinct.
My blood runs cold as I see Venom stalking toward me, his denim eyes narrowed and a gun in his hands.
No. No, no, no. He isn't supposed to be here.
I scream, terror firing through me as I scramble backward, trying to get away from him.
The beeping grows faster, drowning out the sound of the music.
"Kylie," Memphis says, his voice distant and desperate as Venom closes in on me.
Hands grasp my shoulders suddenly, pulling me away from danger. The beeping grows louder, an unbearable cacophony, until… silence.
My eyes flutter open, locking with Memphis's devasting cobalt eyes. Intense relief washes over his handsome face, and I forget how to breathe for a second. He's so beautiful, and somehow, so broken.
"Toto," he chokes.
"Memphis." My throat feels like it's been shredded by razor blades. I grimace, fear trickling through me. He must see it because he gently cups my cheek.
"It's okay, baby," he whispers. "You're okay."
"Where?" I ask.
"Hospital," he replies softly, his thumb caressing my cheekbone as he reaches for a cup on the table beside the bed.
The hospital? Why am I in the hospital?
Memories slowly creep in. Venom and Shelby. The accident. Everything I never told Memphis. Tears well in my eyes as I realize how close I came to losing everything.
He turns back to me with the cup in his hand, sees the tears in my eyes, and hisses a breath.
"Don't cry, Toto." The cup in his hand trembles as he reaches for the straw, his concern evident in the furrow of his brow. He holds it to my lips, allowing me to take slow sips, feeling it soothe my burning throat.
As the last sip trickles down, he sets it aside and carefully pulls me into his arms. My entire body feels as if it's been used as a battering ram, but as soon as his arms close around me, the intensity of the pain fades, no match for the way he makes me feel—alive and on fire. As if I'm home, safe, and nothing can touch me.
"Please don't cry, baby," he pleads, desperation in his voice as his lips brush my temple.
"Venom." I choke on his name.
Memphis's arms tighten around me protectively. "You remember?" he asks, his voice heavy with pain.
"I remember everything."
"He's gone and he won't ever hurt you again," Memphis swears, iron in his voice.
"Did you—?" I can't finish the question, afraid of the answer. Afraid of what it might mean for us…and for him.
"No. Had he still been alive when I got there, I would have, Kylie," he says, the truth ringing in his voice. He means it. "But he died in the accident."
I take comfort in the fact that Venom is dead, and in the fact that Memphis isn't the one who killed him. I know he would have done it—without hesitation or remorse. And I think it would have destroyed any hope of a future for us if he had. He walked away without legal consequence from what he did once. I don't think he would have been so lucky a second time.
"Shelby?" I ask.
"Shelby is going to make it," he says after a pause. "But it's not going to be easy for her. She was thrown from the van. It'll be a while before she walks again."
I process this, unsure how to feel about it. I don't want her dead. I just want her far away from us. So I nod, accepting what I can't change.
"She said she tried to warn me…" I whisper, licking my lips. They feel dry and cracked. "She wanted me to stay away from you so I didn't end up in the middle." Her warning might have been more effective if it hadn't been delivered wrapped in so much poison, but I doubt it. I don't think there's anything she could have said that would have kept me away from him.
He runs a gentle hand down my arm, choking on a groan. "God, I'm so fucking sorry, baby," he murmurs, his body trembling against mine. "I'm so sorry."
"For what?" My gaze flies to his in confusion, only to see unshed tears and agony burning in his eyes.