Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 121083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Cara had definitely overdosed. Since the world knew Austin was home, they were all holed up in the house. He’d contemplated an emergency room, but Seth arranged for a physician to treat her at home to help keep things on the down low. Austin stayed by Cara’s side the entire time. Seth stayed even closer to her. By the time the doctor left, Seth had stationed himself in a chair close to Cara’s head. Worry was clear on his face. Austin grabbed a trash can. Going through everything she owned, he threw away all of the alcohol and anything else that could possibly be construed as a drug or drug paraphernalia.
Once he went through her room, he went through the rest of the house, looking for anything and everything she may have stashed. When he made his way back to Cara’s bedroom, Seth still sat under constant vigilance, not having left her side.
“How long’s it been going on?” Austin asked without malice, just concern in his voice.
“Not long. It was an accident. I should’ve told you,” Seth said, never turning his gaze away from Cara.
“Was it serious? Because it was to her.” Austin kept his tone quiet, standing at the end of the bed, running a hand over her leg covered by the bedspread.
Austin loved Cara. She’d been with him for the long haul, and it wasn’t too many years ago that he’d been right there with her, drugging himself to keep the facade in place. If he hadn’t cleaned himself up, there was no question he’d have been right in the middle of those boys, doing it all with her today. Being clean and happy was such a better way to live your life. He hated seeing her like this.
“I don’t know. Everything here’s so fragile. You were leaving, she was worried about you. She’s a beautiful person, inside and out, and so alone. Yeah, it meant something. Too much, we knew it then. It still means something now.” Seth finally turned away from Cara and looked Austin straight in the eyes.
“Obviously it does. I’m just glad you admitted it. If you care about her, when she wakes, we need to double team her and be ready to get her out the door. No hesitation. I’m going to put this place up for sale. Get her out of here. I want to call and pull her from the movie. I’ll pay whatever the fines are, but she needs to heal from all this. I can bring her to Texas if she wants.”
“You’re already in a better emotional place, Austin,” Seth said, and moved his eyes back to Cara.
“I feel normal again. After she gets out of rehab, maybe you two can come together to stay in Texas with me for a while. If she’s strong by then, we can plan for the future. If she wants to keep acting, we’ll get her something healthy to work on.” Austin sat on the end of the large bed. They talked quietly, but nothing disturbed Cara as she slept off her high. Seth watched Austin for a couple of minutes and narrowed his eyes.
“He means something to you.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement of fact. Since Austin Grainger was more of a corporation than a person, he knew everyone got the security reports. Kitt had to be mentioned in them, and wouldn’t his almost boyfriend just love knowing that little piece of information.
“Yeah, he does. I…he’s…yeah, it’s strong. He doesn’t know that yet, but I do. You can meet him when you come out.” Austin never faltered in his declaration, and that said a lot for a man who hid so much from everyone.
He was proud of Kitt, proud of the normal life he found. He’d only had a beer or two, maybe a glass of wine here or there since he’d left California. He didn’t even have the need for anything more, and he knew that was due to Kitt being in his life. Kitt made him want to be a better man.
“Okay,” Seth said after only a slight pause. He’d thrown Seth with what he said. Hell, it threw him off, but that didn’t change the facts. Austin wanted out of this crazy house, this crazy world, and back inside Kitt’s sane, normal, everyday life as soon as humanly possible.
“Then go pack your bags. We need to be ready when she wakes. I’ll call and find out what she needs and pack her up,” Austin said, palming his phone.
“They said just clothing and minimal toiletries. Easy wear clothes like sweaters and yoga pants, things like that,” Seth said, keeping his eyes locked on the sleeping Cara. It took a minute, but he finally rose, and did as Austin asked. He only left Cara’s side long enough to pack before he came back to hover and stay by her side until she woke.
Austin went to Cara’s closet and grabbed a tote to pack her a few things. As he went through the motion of loading her bag, he palmed his phone again. He ignored all the alerts from Google and Twitter that let him know his name was being posted about every twenty seconds, and instead, went straight to his text messages. Kitt wasn’t responding to him. Austin had sent five or six messages in the last few hours and gotten nothing back. He figured Kitt was shutting him out. It seemed like Kitt’s way of things when Austin wasn’t right there, face to face, pushing at him to open up.
Frustrated, Austin tucked his cell back into his back pocket and packed for Cara in earnest. He chose several pairs of jeans, some random shirts and sweaters, trying not to let it bother him how easily Kitt could let him go, and keep him at a distance. Not more than twelve hours had passed since he’d seen Kitt, but technically, if he were home right now, they’d be together, having dinner, maybe making love. Okay, probably making love before they ate dinner. They never could seem to make it through the door without hitting the floor, clothes abandoned, and one of them on their knees sucking the other off.