Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 133849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
“Josh didn’t threaten anyone.” Mostly. He’d been intimidating, but she wouldn’t call it threatening, exactly.
“Oh, I’m sure he did,” Grim countered. “You remind them who runs this town, brother?”
“I did, and I believe my point was made,” Josh affirmed.
Who runs this town….
Who do you think runs this town, Nicole? It’s certainly not you, so you can try to go to the police or a judge, but my family owns them all. So get back in the house and keep your mouth shut.
A chill went through her.
“It wasn’t made very well if they still talked about her,” Grim pointed out.
Josh shook his head. “I can’t stop gossip and you know it. All I can do is make it clear that she’s protected.”
“He’s right about the gossip. This town runs on it,” Olivia added. “Hey, it’s not a big thing. Believe me. As the focus of so much gossip, I happen to know that something else will happen and they’ll…well, I wouldn’t say forget, but they will move on. I heard Andrew Kohl is coming back from LA with his tail between his legs and a potential venereal disease, though I’m pretty sure his momma thinks you get that from crossing the border into California. She’s not very cosmopolitan, if you know what I mean.”
“Everyone’s talking about me?” Nicole heard the quaver in her voice.
“They’re talking about me, darlin’. It’s what they do. They talk about my family.” Josh pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry. This is my fault.”
It wasn’t, but it was her problem. If people talked, then they asked questions. If they asked the right questions, then they could blow up her existence.
“Hey, you’re shaking,” Josh said, concern in his voice. “What’s going on, baby?”
She tried to ignore the anxiety sparking through her. Normal. She had to pretend to be a normal woman who didn’t lose it at the thought of a little gossip. She was trapped. If she’d known how wealthy they were, she would have avoided them, but she hadn’t, and now there were feelings involved. Dumping them would bring up more questions.
And she didn’t want to. She wanted these days. She could go into the shop tomorrow and give them the down payment and be out of town by the end of the week. She’d thought to build up some more cash, but that wasn’t possible now. A couple of days wouldn’t hurt, especially if she kept a low profile.
Yes, she could still make this work, and she should since walking away would cause them to get curious. She was fairly certain she didn’t want to deal with a curious Josh.
“I’m fine though I’m not good with confrontations.” She actually didn’t mind them anymore. She’d been a mouse, but a couple of years as a fugitive had taught her where to spend the few fucks she had left.
She’d liked standing up to Alyssa. It made her feel seen, and she so often felt like a shadow clinging to the corner of wherever she happened to be. She’d felt like she had backup from Heather, and then Josh had charged in.
Josh stared down at her like he was trying to ensure she wasn’t keeping anything from him. “All right, but I expect you to come to me if anything happens. If Alyssa comes near you, I want you to call me.”
She nodded. He’d put his number into her phone the night before, and so had Grim.
Something changed in Josh’s eyes, his gaze going from concerned to hot in an instant. As though the minute he decided she was all right, his intentions turned. “Olivia, Grim and I are going to fix some breakfast for our…for Nicole.”
The way he was looking at her she felt more like she was about to be breakfast. And just like that all her serious thoughts fled and her pussy took over. Grim was at the door, opening it and offering to take her inside.
“Oh, you don’t have to do that. Momma has some…” Olivia blushed. “Okay, ewww. I’m going back to see if the dads need any help. I’ll let them know you are unavailable.”
Josh simply flashed his sister a grin. “For many hours.”
Olivia was walking away. “Eww. That’s not for you, Nic. They’re my brothers. I think they’re gross. You have fun because they aren’t your brothers.”
She sort of heard Olivia, but it didn’t matter because she was stuck on the look in Josh’s eyes. This was what passion felt like, what real sexual chemistry meant. All these men had to do was look at her and she felt ready. Her body softened, brain going fuzzy.
“Go on inside. I need a minute. We’re going to start your training, and I need to be in control,” Josh said. “Go with Grim.”
Something about the way he said the words had her obeying without her usual questions. Maybe it was the word need coming from him. He’d given her all the things she’d needed over the course of the last night and this morning. She wanted to do the same for him.