Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
All around us, other volunteers clean, cook, and plan logistical things that sound almost as detailed as my Navy missions, with the addresses, menu plans, and timings to coordinate amongst every volunteer and family in need on this side of the city. More than once, someone asks Talia for her advice or checks that she’s still happy to add her bakes to the meal boxes because they’ve had more requests for her chocolate cherry cakes or raspberry flapjacks. Talia’s smile never falters, and she agrees to everything readily, seeming genuinely happy even scrubbing something burnt off the bottom of a pan.
Once the first pile of dishes is done and on the rack to drip dry, Talia peels off her gloves and excuses herself to the bathroom. I watch her until she’s out of sight, fighting the urge to follow after her because I don’t want to freak her out. That would be too far, I tell myself and grab a towel to dry off the cutlery.
But five minutes pass, then seven, and she still hasn’t returned.
Where the hell is she? She should have been back by now. My ability to give a shit about what anyone thinks about me following her goes out the window. I abandon my damp apron and gloves and stride out of the kitchen to the dimly lit hall beyond.
The door to the kitchen closes behind me, muffling the noises of cooking and planning. I focus on my new surroundings, taking everything in as fast as I can, my entire body on alert the way I’ve trained for half my life.
“...new Italian place on third?”
I go still as the voice reaches my ears, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. I know that fucking voice.
Daniel.
Three long strides take me around the corner, where my eyes immediately lock on Daniel and Talia. She’s cornered, her back against the stone wall outside the bathrooms, Daniel’s hand braced beside her shoulder in a false show of casual confidence, blocking her exit.
“I’m just really busy with baking and volunteering, and you know I go back to school at the end of summer. I don’t think it’s a good idea to go on a date right now,” Talia answers with utter kindness, being so much more sweet to him than he deserves.
He doesn’t even deserve to breathe the same damn air as her. For all her attempts at niceness, I can see the way discomfort is making her muscles tense, her shoulders bunched up and her eyes keep flicking between Daniel and the arm that’s essentially trapping her in place.
“You can find time for one date,” Daniel argues, his tone calm but condescending. “How about Thursday?”
My teeth clench so hard my jaw pops. I want to rip his fucking tongue out. It’s clear he’s not taking no for an answer, and fuck knows how long Talia’s been trying to get him to back the fuck off.
I’m already moving before Daniel makes his next mistake. The fucker leans forward, closing the distance between them. Talia scrambles backward, but she’s already flat against the wall and there’s nowhere left for her to go. She turns her head to the side, trying to avoid Daniel’s mouth as he zeroes in on her, going in for a kiss that is entirely unwanted.
Yeah, ripping his tongue out sounds fucking great right now.
My hand fists in the collar of Daniel’s shirt, and I yank him backward, away from Talia. I shove, forcing him to lose his balance and crash to the cold ground on his ass. He’s a big guy, not far off my own build, but that just means he falls even harder.
“Dude, what the hell?” Daniel groans from the floor at our feet, shock and anger written all over his face.
I scoff, sneering down at him. “Stay the fuck away from her.”
“What the fuck? I was just being nice!” Daniel snaps back at me, pushing up on his hands, angry eyes flicking between me and Talia.
Talia looks shell-shocked, her lips parted and her eyes wide. But she doesn’t speak up in Daniel’s defense, and her silence tells me everything I need to know.
I step towards him, barely able to resist the urge to crush his fingers under my boots. “If you ever make her uncomfortable again, I’ll knock your fucking teeth out,” I spit at him, meaning every single word.
To Daniel’s credit, he only pales a little, then his features quickly rearrange themselves into a threat.
“You wouldn’t dare,” he tells me with entirely misplaced confidence. There’s very little I wouldn’t do for Talia even if she doesn’t realize it yet. “I’m a personal trainer, man. I work out for a living. You think I’m easy to take out? Fuck. If you want a fight, I’ll give you a fight. Show you what real strength looks like—”