Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 73724 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73724 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
I need to learn how to lie.
Well, there’s no turning back time.
I glance around the room, making sure we’re not leaving anything behind, then head to where Cassia is standing by the nurses’ station, saying, “Thank you for everything.”
“You’re welcome.” Jasmine gives Cassia a friendly smile but it grows stiff when she sees me.
I give the woman a chin lift before exiting the building. I already had the staff transfer my duffle bag to Cassia’s house, so we don’t need to stop anywhere.
I climb behind the steering wheel of the golf cart and patiently wait for Cassia to join me. Once she’s seated beside me, I start the engine and steer us toward the other side of the island.
Cassia keeps fidgeting with her hands, her head turned away from me while nervous energy pours from her.
The silence grows uncomfortable between us, and wanting to make things better, I say, “You’re a beautiful woman and don’t have anything to be self-conscious about.”
Still staring at the passing scenery, as if her life depends on it, she asks, “Do you want me to fling myself off the golf cart?”
“No.”
“Then stop talking about it.”
Like a dog with a bone and needing to understand her better, I ask, “Are you upset because I saw you naked or because you feel you’re not attractive enough?”
Her head whips in my direction, and she levels me with a glare. “Do you seriously want to have this conversation?”
“Yes. I’m trying to understand you.”
Her chin lifts, and her irises are black as night. “And how will that help with protecting me?”
“If you have more self-confidence, it will make you feel more powerful. People will see it and think twice about fucking with you.”
She lets out a sigh and stares at me for a solid minute before her eyes narrow. “Are you self-conscious about any part of your body?”
Without having to think about an answer, I shake my head. “Not at all.”
Her eyes flick down to my chest and thighs before she mutters, “Of course, you aren’t self-conscious. Stupid question on my part.”
Does that mean she likes what she sees?
Nope. Not going down that road. Focus on building her up.
After a few seconds, she mutters, “Both.” She clears her throat. “I’ve never been in a relationship, so that was the first time…” her voice drops to a whisper, “a man saw…uhm…me naked.” She clears her throat again. “My weight never bothered me until today.”
Her words have me slowing down the cart until it stops. Turning my body slightly toward her, I brace my hand on the back of her seat.
“What weight?”
Cassia lets out a sigh, then gives me a pleading look. “This is a very uncomfortable conversation for me to have with you.”
Narrowing my eyes at her, I mutter, “What. Weight?”
She waves her hand over her body.
I lean into her personal space, and my voice is a low rumble as I say, “You’re goddamn near perfect, Cassia. The only thing wrong with you is that you don’t believe in yourself enough. You need to stop that.”
I lean back again and shake my head before I address the other piece of information I just learned about her.
Fuck. How has Cassia made it to the age of twenty-eight with her virginity intact?
Her father must’ve protected her, but with him gone, she’s free game to every evil fucker out there. It solidifies the fact that this woman is way too fucking innocent for this world she finds herself in.
I shake my head again while the protective feeling I have toward her spirals out of control.
“Why do you keep shaking your head?” she asks.
My eyes snap to her face, and the urge to get her away from all the danger surges through my chest.
The image of Cassia lying on a filthy single bed with some fucker on top of her while she’s foaming at the mouth and the life drains from her eyes knocks the air from my lungs.
“Knight?” Her eyebrows draw together, and concern creeps over her face. “Are you okay?”
My movements are jerky as I grip the back of her neck. I only manage to pull her closer before I’m sucked into the darkness, where memories of Ronnie torment me to within an inch of my sanity.
The death stare in her sky-blue eyes. The foam trickling down her jaw. Her emaciated body that’s covered in bruises.
Unlike all the times before, I feel cool hands frame my jaw and hear Cassia’s soothing voice. “Just breathe with me…come back to me…I’m here…deep breaths.”
The haze starts to lift, and the first thing I become aware of is how soothing Cassia’s cool hands feel on my heated skin. Then I realize my breaths aren’t ragged but deep and steady.
“That’s right. Come out of it,” she says, her tone comforting.
When my eyes focus on Cassia, it’s to see a worried expression tightening her features.