Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 28319 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 142(@200wpm)___ 113(@250wpm)___ 94(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28319 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 142(@200wpm)___ 113(@250wpm)___ 94(@300wpm)
“What are you doing here, Storm?” she asked, her tone carefully neutral.
“I came for you, baby.”
3
BLAKELY
My breath caught in my chest at the intense look in his dark brown eyes, and I didn’t like how much Storm still got to me after all this time. He would always have a place in my heart for everything he had done for me when I was kidnapped and for about four years afterward, but he was the last person I expected to see at the Westland Riders MC clubhouse. The man had practically avoided me like the plague for the past two years, so what in the heck was he doing here, saying crap like that? And what was up with him using a term of endearment like “baby” when talking to me?
Torn between the desire to get up and throw myself in his arms or to stay right where I was and give him the silent treatment, I pressed my lips into a flat line while I lamented the fact that he was hotter than ever.
He’d added a lot of muscle to his tall frame since the last time I’d seen him. His dark brown hair was a little longer, and my fingers itched to push back a lock that had fallen onto his forehead. His beard and mustache were cropped short and only accentuated his plush lips. And seeing the new tattoo on his neck—a black skull with red eyes, nose, and mouth—made me wonder how much other ink he’d added to his sexy body since I’d last seen him.
But just because Storm made me feel as though my panties were about to spontaneously combust didn’t mean that I was going to welcome him with open arms. Not after all this time.
Getting to my feet, I planted my fists on my hips. “You came for me? What does that even mean?”
“Not sure I can be any clearer, baby.” His lips curved into a cocky smile that somehow irritated me but also made him hotter. “I don’t make a habit outta dropping into another club’s compound without a damn good reason. You’re here, so I’m here.”
Butterflies swarmed in my belly at his declaration, but it would take more than some pretty words for me to forgive him for leaving me alone for so long. “If that were true, you would’ve been around more over the past two years. Or like…at all. Instead of breaking your promise and basically abandoning me.”
“I’m so fucking sorry, Blakely.” He took a couple of steps toward me but stopped when I held up my hands. “You gotta know that I wouldn’t have stayed away without a damn good reason.”
“Yup, I totally thought that,” I conceded, shaking my head when he took that to mean he could come closer. “For maybe the first six months or so. But then I noticed you also hardly ever called, and I couldn’t come up with a decent excuse for that. Except that once you got out of the military, you realized you didn’t want to deal with the hassle of having me around because you wanted to get on with your life.”
“I’ve never thought of you as a hassle.” He closed the distance between us and took my hands in his. “And I missed you every damn day since I last saw you.”
“Missed me? Right.” I snorted while rolling my eyes. “So much that you’ve stayed away since my sixteenth birthday, and I haven’t heard from you besides a couple of five-minute conversations in months. Those are definitely the actions of a guy who wants to be around me.”
The sarcasm was thick in my voice, but Storm didn’t seem to take offense. Instead, he flashed me an apologetic smile and squeezed my hands. “I get that you’re upset, but—”
“Gee, thanks for being so understanding.” I huffed out a laugh that held no humor. “But for the record, I’m not upset. I’m angry. There’s a difference.”
“And you have every reason to be pissed.” Storm released one of my hands to rake his fingers through his hair. “At a lot of fucking people, me included.”
“You’re right. There’s plenty of anger to go around,” I agreed with a sigh. “But hey, at least the truck you gave me the last time you bothered to come around came in handy yesterday. I guess I owe you some gratitude for the fact that I was able to make it here when my foster parents kicked me out of their house because they can’t admit that their son is a creep.”
Storm dropped his arm to his side, his nostrils flaring as he fisted his hand. “Don’t worry, that bastard is gonna pay for what he tried to do to you. Same with your foster parents for fucking you over.”
“Stop.” This time, I was the one who reached for his hands to give them a squeeze as I shook my head. “I already told Jagger that I didn’t want anyone doing something stupid on my behalf. The last thing I need is for someone else to go to jail because of me.”