Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 34140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
“You can take care of yourself? So the stove that no longer works, that’s you taking care of yourself? How about the cupboards with a few packets of ramen noodles, and a moldy yogurt? Is that you taking care of yourself? Do you think I’ve not seen the weight you’ve lost?”
Her clothes had gotten a little big on her, and eating wasn’t fun. Everything reminded her of her grandmother and that pain was too raw, too fresh, and she struggled to handle it.
So, ramen noodles held no memory. Her grandmother never used them, neither did her mother. To get through her grief, it was easy to cut off all the memories.
“So, my doctor will be happy with me. It’s not your place to take care of me, or to … invade my life.”
“Ah, but you see, you are my business, and if you won’t take care of yourself, then it’s up to me to take care of you.”
Before she knew what was happening, Carson had moved toward her and picked her up over his shoulders. She let out a little cry and then started to slap at his butt, not too hard. She didn’t want to hurt him.
“What are you doing? Put me down!” she growled.
Willow had no idea where they were going or why he was doing this. A guy like Carson could have any woman he wanted. He didn’t need to pursue mousy little Willow Kaye.
They were out of her apartment, and on the elevator.
“This thing doesn’t work,” she said.
“It does now.”
“You’ve been renovating the building?”
“Yes. It is in fact a great investment. Kicked out the people who were fucking the landlord to stay, and those who were cooking drugs.”
“What?” She had no idea about that.
“Don’t worry, I’ve been able to fix everything, and soon it’ll be a good place to live, not that it will matter to you.”
“Why won’t it matter to me?”
“Because you’ll be living with me.”
****
Carson was not a patient man. He wasn’t used to standing idly by waiting for shit to happen. The past six months had been the hardest of his life, waiting, watching, allowing Willow to grieve. She hadn’t been alone, though. He had access to the shop’s security system, and also added a few cameras of his own, so he could watch her any time he wanted. His men reported to him daily about her activities. They made sure she was safe.
When he wasn’t satisfied with watching her, he drove by himself just to look at her, to see how she was doing. He noticed the weight loss. She also hadn’t been sewing either, and he knew it was time to act. She had gone on long enough doing this her way.
His car waited for them at the sidewalk, and he eased her into it. She moved to the other door, only to find it was locked. There was nowhere for her to escape.
Sliding into the car, he nodded at Peter, his driver, to move. He pressed a button to raise the partition, and then he turned to her.
“What are you doing?” Willow pushed the hair off her face. The bun had come loose and her brown curls had fallen around her face. She looked so pretty when she was pissed off. He couldn’t get enough of her.
“I’m taking you to my place.”
Willow shook her head. “You do know this is kidnapping.”
“It is no such thing.”
“So, you’ll stop the car and I can go back home?”
“No.”
“What the hell? This is absurd. You can’t do this.”
“I have and I am.”
“I can call the cops.”
He chuckled. “And you think they’d respond to your call?”
She sighed. “My grandmother said you were a hothead.”
“I’m pretty sure your grandmother called me lots of names. She was a sweet woman, and she knew who she was dealing with, which is why she came to me.”
“I don’t need taking care of.”
“You’re wrong about that, because you’re doing a shit job of it.”
She growled again.
There was such fire inside her. Willow had experienced pain and loss, but she was a fighter. He saw that and admired it. He knew what it meant to have to fight for everything.
“What can I say or do to make this … stop?” she asked.
“Absolutely nothing.” He tutted and concentrated his full attention on her. Willow’s arms were folded beneath her breasts. He was pleased to see they hadn’t disappeared with her weight loss. That would have been a true sin. “Do you think I don’t know you’ve been waiting for me?”
Willow looked at him.
He smiled. “You’re surprised.”
“I haven’t been waiting for you.”
“Don’t be a liar, Willow. It doesn’t suit you.”
She pressed her lips together.
“Say nothing, that’s easier,” he said.
“What do you want?” she asked. “Money? The shop? What?”
He reached out and wrapped a curl of her hair around his finger. “There was a time I wanted your grandmother’s shop. It’s in a prime location and what I had planned would make it profitable. However, since meeting you, I decided there was something else I wanted more.”