Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 122550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
“Jilly.”
She gasped, turning to see Regent walking up the footpath.
“What are you doing here?” This was the third time she’d seen him this week.
He paused, and she saw his eyebrow rise. She could see that because her front stoop was so well lit up that it felt like the middle of the day.
Still, she had sounded kind of rude.
“Sorry. I, um . . .” Hadn’t he just been here last night? So what was he doing here again? And did he have anything to do with the security light?
Duh.
Of course he does.
No one else would have had an extra security light installed at her house.
“Did you put in another security light?” she asked.
“Yes. The old one wasn’t enough. And we need to upgrade your security system.”
“My security system is fine.”
“It doesn’t work.”
She narrowed her gaze. “And how would you know that?”
“Do you really want to know?”
Yes. No. Yes.
Shit. It was better not to ask questions when dealing with the Malones.
Just do what you’re told.
Mama’s advice wandered into her head. And she knew what she was supposed to do. Simply submit and give in.
The truth was that the security system had given up the ghost a while ago, but she hadn’t had the funds to get it fixed.
“I don’t need a security system.”
He stepped forward, and she noticed he was holding a bag.
“You’re a young woman living on your own. You most definitely do require a security system.”
“No one is interested in me. Lots of women live alone. It’s not the eighteen hundreds and I don’t need a man to protect me.”
Now, having a man to get rid of the spider who had taken over her bathroom, that would be handy. She’d attempted to extract him, but he’d fully taken up residence and wasn’t moving.
Suddenly, she realized Regent was standing right in front of her. How had he done that? Had he teleported?
More likely you were too busy thinking about Clive to notice him moving.
Freaking Clive.
It was time to serve him with an eviction notice.
She felt terrible, though. Because where else would he go?
“Feeling sassy tonight?” he asked in a low voice. Reaching out, he placed a finger under her chin, tilting her head back.
Jilly gulped. What was she doing getting sassy with a Malone?
Danger. Danger.
“Who me? That doesn’t sound right,” she said with a laugh that sounded entirely fake.
Why did it feel so good when he touched her? Her body was heating just from that simple touch on her chin.
“Well, I didn’t think so either. But you definitely sounded sassy right then. Do you have a gun?”
“What? No!”
“Some way to defend yourself? Do you know martial arts? Self-defense? Do you have a Taser? Mace?”
Crap.
“I don’t think that is any of your business.”
“You don’t think so? When you live here and your family has such close ties to mine?” As he moved his finger from her chin, she instantly felt the loss.
He stared down at her.
Damn, he was intimidating. Jilly swallowed heavily.
Remember who he is.
He’s not really a friend. He’s a Malone.
The Malone.
The person most people in this city feared the most . . . and she had to be cautious.
“Sorry,” she whispered hoarsely. It was all she could manage through the fear building inside her.
She was an idiot.
His face tightened. He didn’t look happy.
Instinctively, she took a step back, bracing herself.
“Fuck.”
The word was spat out and she jumped at his vicious tone. She wasn’t sure that she’d heard him swear before.
Another step back.
“Jilly.”
“Yes?”
“What are you doing all the way over there?”
His voice had softened now. She didn’t understand him. Back and forth. Hard and cold to soft and gentle.
It was confusing and made her head hurt.
And what did he mean all the way over there? She’d only taken a few steps, glancing around her, she saw that she was pressed up against the front door.
Oh.
How had she moved that far without noticing?
“I, um, well . . . ”
“You keep thinking that I’ll hurt you, don’t you? That I’m like your father.”
Well. No.
She didn’t think that exactly. But he could be scary. And he was mad at her.
And in her experience that tone of voice usually led to being yelled at, put down, and sometimes slapped around.
God. She wished she were stronger than this.
That she could stand up for herself.
Perhaps she really did need to get some of those things he’d talked about. Mace was probably a good idea.
“I’m doing a terrible job of convincing you not to be scared of me, aren’t I?”
Wait. Was that regret in his voice?
Her father had never regretted anything he did. Even if he later found out he was in the wrong. He just ignored that and kept going.
But Regent actually sounded apologetic.
She didn’t know how to deal with it. She wasn’t prepared for a man who knew how to be sorry.
“I, um . . .”