Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 140184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 701(@200wpm)___ 561(@250wpm)___ 467(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 701(@200wpm)___ 561(@250wpm)___ 467(@300wpm)
I crack a smile and tip back my beer. “The swamp creature Kennedy somehow came out of said she was going to call the cops. She might’ve. I broke her boyfriend’s nose.”
He nods. “She’s a lot of talk. I doubt she’ll actually do it, but if the cops do show up for you, don’t say a word. I’ll call the lawyer. I have the pictures, and I’ll keep Kennedy’s clothes in a bag in case we need to show evidence of the attack. Did her mom even know who you were?”
I nod. “She recognized the resemblance. I cannot believe you ever fucked that woman.”
“Who, Tracey?”
I nod.
He makes a face and shakes his head. “I never fucked her. The night I met her, I was drunk and she seemed fun. She sang bad karaoke and sucked my dick in the parking lot because I paid for her drinks. I happened to see her at the bar again a second time. I was pretty drunk, so when she invited me to go home with her, I went. But she was wasted, couldn’t even walk without falling over laughing. By the time I got her to the bedroom, I knew I was going to leave, but she asked me to grab her a bottle of water before I left. I went to the fridge to grab her one, and when I got to the kitchen, I saw Kennedy. I took one look at her and… well, you’ve seen her.”
I crack a smile.
“Those eyes of hers, I just…” He shakes his head. “I knew I wanted to come back to see her, but she was cagey. Probably because I had her alone in the dark in her apartment and she’d had bad experiences before, but I didn’t know that at the time, I just knew there wasn’t a shot in hell she’d want to see me again when I met her like that. So, I took a detour. When I went back to the bedroom, I woke Tracey up so I could give her my number. Then I started seeing her so I had a reason to go over there, but I never fucked her. I didn’t want to fuck her. I wanted to fuck Kennedy, but it took her some time to warm up to me. Then, when she did, I was dating her mom, so my detour became a roadblock.”
“Well, seems like you found your way back to her,” I remark.
“Yeah,” he murmurs, looking pensive.
I take another swig of beer, then set the bottle down and focus my gaze on it as I address this next thing. “In the car, Kennedy seemed to have some concerns about how you would feel if that guy had done anything to her. Obviously, I told her you’re not an asshole and wouldn’t blame her for shit like that happening to her. That you’re not such a fucking fossil that you hold some fucked up, archaic belief that a woman loses value if another man touches her.”
Dad cracks a small smile, shaking his head. “No, I’m not such a fossil.”
“Good.”
He looks over at me. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’re coming off a little protective of her.”
I shoot him a look. “I am not protective of her. Just verifying the accuracy of information I gave someone.”
“Ah.” He nods knowingly as he stands up. “That makes sense. I know how important accuracy is to you.”
I roll my eyes at him and grab my beer. “Whatever. Go comfort fuck your jailbait.”
He smirks, shaking his head. “The only one of us who might go to jail tonight is you. Make sure everything is locked up before you go to bed. If the doorbell rings, don’t answer it until you know who’s there.”
I drain what’s left of my beer and lean back to call after him, “Make sure you use a condom. I don’t need any more siblings.”
Chapter nineteen
Kennedy
I let the scalding hot water beat down on my flushed skin until there’s none left in the pipes. I scrubbed at my flesh until it was red and agitated, and then I scrubbed some more.
The water is cold when I step out of the shower. I feel cold, too, right down to my bones.
I’m torn between wanting to get out of the bathroom as quickly as I can so I can climb under the soft, warm covers in Milo’s bed, and knowing that as soon as I open this door, I’m no longer in control of things.
Milo will want to talk about it, and I don’t. Milo will have his own idea of how I should be taken care of, and I bet I won’t agree with him.
Once he makes up his mind about what constitutes the right thing to do, he can be pretty stubborn, and I just don’t know if I can deal with it tonight. The last thing I want right now is to be treated like a child.