Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 22517 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22517 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
I don’t have hot romantic kisses in the rain, I don’t have strong hands gripping my hips so hard they leave fingerprints on my flesh, and I don’t have luscious lips whispering naughty things in my ear. I have lonely nights with a cup of tea, a cat who doesn’t want to be my roommate, and my very vivid imagination.
At least, I have that.
My imagination is fun and it’s better than nothing, but sometimes I wish I could experience lust, lewdness, and love in real life. I’d like to get my blood pumping and my skin tingling instead of just describing it for some made-up characters.
But more than anything right now, I just want to go home.
I slip my coat on and head for the door. Eleanor is at the cash, giving me a tight smile. She’s not as friendly as Jada.
“Maybe you can post about the signing again tonight?” Eleanor says as I grab the door handle. “Try to get some readers in for tomorrow?”
“Definitely,” I say with an awkward laugh. “I’ll do that as soon as I get home.”
She huffs out a frustrated breath as she turns back to whatever she’s doing.
Well, you didn’t have to order three hundred books, I want to scream at her.
“Are you going to be okay to drive home?” Jada asks as she glances out the window. “It’s coming down hard out there.”
“Oh yeah,” I say with a dismissive wave. “It’s just a little bit of rain.”
It’s not just a little bit of rain. It’s angry, fierce, vicious, apocalyptic rain. It’s coming down like the planet owes it money.
When I’m an hour into my two-hour drive, my knuckles are burning from gripping the steering wheel so tightly. I don’t think I’ve blinked in the past twenty minutes.
My windshield wipers are flying back and forth at top speed, but they’re barely able to push away the buckets of water slamming into my car every second.
This is horribly stressful.
It’s fitting in a way.
A rotten cherry on top of my disastrous day.
Today has already been so bad. It can’t possibly get worse.
Right?
two
. . .
Oliver
“We can stop if you want,” Tara says as she gives me a weary look.
“I’m fine,” I lie. “Who’s turn is it?”
“Mine,” Leo says as he puts down some yellow trains.
We lost power from the rain, so I’m playing Ticket To Ride with my two brothers, Leo and Michael, and Leo’s mate, Tara.
I’m getting my ass kicked, but it’s not my fault. I’m barely able to focus with the way my inner grizzly bear is freaking out.
He’s always been spooked by thunder and lightning. He’s always hated it.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Tara asks with a worried look on her face. “Your hands are shaking.”
I quickly hide them under the table.
It’s just a knee-jerk reaction. I don’t have to hide anything. My brothers know all about my grizzly bear’s irrational fear. They’ve seen it in action over the years.
“How bad is it?” Leo asks.
I shrug. “It’s fine.”
It’s not fine. He’s getting worse as we get older. I’m twenty-seven now, and I don’t want to find out what he’s going to be like when we’re fifty.
He’s pacing around angrily inside, snarling violently as the fierce rain slams into the windows. The trees are shaking outside. The wind is howling.
My grizzly is both terrified and furious at the same time.
And I’m paying the price. I always pay the price.
“At least there’s no thunder and lightning,” Michael says as he picks up a card.
Right on cue, a deep booming crack of thunder rumbles through the log cabin.
I fly up so fast the chair knocks over behind me. My skin tightens over flexed muscles. My jaw clenches. My heart pounds.
“Here we go,” Leo mumbles as he grabs his mate and pulls her back.
“Just breathe,” Michael says as he slowly stands up. “In and out. Relax.”
I can’t breathe. I can’t relax. I have a savage maniac grizzly bear terrorizing me from the inside out.
He thrashes around, shredding and clawing my insides while snarling in my ear.
This fucking bear…
I bend over and cover my ears, forcing out raspy breaths.
He’s livid. He’s deranged. He’s out of control.
It’s just thunder, you fucking pussy. I yell at him.
He snarls back.
Every storm, I go through this shit.
He’s worse than a little kid or a frightened dog. He’s a giant seven-hundred-pound apex predator and he’s terrified of a booming sound. I’ve fucking had it.
The thunder rips through the cabin again. Closer this time.
I explode up as he surges to the surface, desperately trying to claw his way out.
“No,” I grunt through gritted teeth. You’re not fucking coming out!
He roars in fury. The nasty beast twists and wrenches and rushes to the surface.
I flex my whole body and struggle to force him back down. I crash into the table and all the plastic trains scatter off the board. Tara’s glass of wine tips over.