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)
“Can it wait until I get back? I don’t really trust you down here with her alone.”
“You don’t trust me with her,” I echo in disbelief.
Jonathan cuts me a look. He’s not sorry, the little bastard, and I’d punch him in the face if he were anyone else. “The last thing she needs right now is fucking relationship drama.”
“Where are you going?” I ask, not bothering to respond to his comment.
“I have an appointment,” he says vaguely. “Kennedy is afraid to see you. She’s hiding out in my room, but I need you to keep an ear out while I’m gone. Maybe walk up there and listen at the door just to make sure you hear her moving around inside. I don’t know how long I’ll be, and her mental state is like a fucking Yo-Yo today. All it’ll take is one bad moment for everything to go to shit, so I need to know you’re going to be fucking nice if you see her, and I would really prefer that you didn’t—at least not until I’m back and you guys won’t be alone together. There’s too much hurt there and she can’t cope with that right now.”
Hearing that pushes aside a lot of the feelings I’ve been wrestling with and brings my focus to her base level of well-being. My brow furrows with concern. “How is she doing?”
He shrugs. “I don’t fucking know. She’s taking a tour of all her emotions today. Right now, she’s lying in my bed listening to Metallica and sobbing into a pillow. I didn’t ask why, but it’s certainly not because I like them. I need to go out, but I can’t fucking leave unless I have your word that if you do see her, you won’t be mean to her. She can’t handle that today.”
“Where do you have to go?” I ask again since he didn’t answer the first time.
“I need to get tested.”
My heart stops and plummets down the empty shaft of my stomach. “What? Why?”
He cocks an eyebrow. “You really want to talk about this? Your face is saying no.”
Seething anger mixes with hot adrenaline and rages like a housefire through my veins. “Did you fuck her without protection?” I bite out.
“Yes,” he states unapologetically. “Not the first time, but after that I decided to so I could get myself tested. She’s still saying she wasn’t raped, and I still don’t believe her. I think for whatever reason, that’s what she wants us to believe. Maybe she thinks we’ll look at her differently. Maybe she just can’t bring herself to admit it. I don’t know. But I don’t believe I got there in time, and I sure didn’t see a condom wrapper anywhere when I entered that bedroom. She wouldn’t let me take her to the hospital, so I figured this way I’ll find out for myself. If I have anything, it’s safe to say she does because I always wrap it up, so then we’ll have to reason with her and get her some treatment, but… one step at a time.”
I’m too fucking stunned to speak.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he says, pointing at me.
“Have you lost your fucking mind?” I ask.
He shrugs. “It was the best way I could think of to check with her avoiding the hospital.”
“Forget fucking… diseases. You could have gotten her pregnant!”
“I took her and got her Plan B this morning. She already took it, we should be fine.”
“That doesn’t always fucking work,” I explode, launching up from the counter.
“Well, I did what I could with the tools I had. Fingers crossed, I guess.”
Fingers crossed?
Is he fucking kidding me right now?
“Look, I don’t know the exact right way to deal with all this, all right? I’m doing the best I can,” he states.
“Maybe your dick isn’t your most useful fucking tool, Jonathan.”
He shoots me a look as he turns around. “While I’m gone, maybe you should think about how you feel about her—how you really feel. I know we haven’t talked about this yet, and I know you’re pissed at me. I fucking get it, but this isn’t about you or me, and this isn’t the time for it. I’m truly fucking sorry if I hurt you. I’m not trying to hurt anybody, but she needed something you couldn’t give her last night, so I gave it to her. I had about three seconds to make a decision, and you know me, I’m pretty fucking decisive. I believe I made the right call. I’m sorry if you don’t like it. We didn’t have some fucking romantic night, she was just trying to work through some shit and she needed help. I was willing to be the replacement bad guy for her, and you weren’t. I know for a fact if you would have been willing to do it for her, she wouldn’t have turned up outside my bedroom door, so honestly, it’s on you.”