Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 81328 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81328 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
“How about explaining to me what happened with Thane.” Lifting her head, her eyes meet mine with guilt and pain, a look I’ve never seen on her.
21
Delilah
Big Chief sits at the bottom of the shower with water cascading down his face as I gently wash the blood off his feet with a rag. There’s a couple of small pieces of glass that need plucking out, and a couple of gashes on each foot that will need to be closed shut somehow. There’s one big slit on his left foot that has me a little worried but I’m surprised he doesn’t have it worse than this. That was a lot of fucking beer bottles. I can’t believe he did that, he walked across glass for me! I’m shocked on so many levels.
“Here are some tweezers,” Mom says from the doorway of the bathroom.
Holding my arm out, she places them in my palm and I begin to pick the pieces of broken glass lodged into the arch of his right foot.
“Fuck!” He jerks his foot from me, an angry look across his face as if I meant to hurt him. I feel bad, but I don’t like the way he’s looking at me either.
“Hold still,” I hiss, jerking his foot back into my lap. Concentrating on a small sliver stuck in his heel, I dig the tweezer into his calloused skin and tear it out. His leg tenses, a deep growl combusting in his chest.
Jesus, this is bad and it is all my fault. Why didn’t he just walk away? I warned him I’m bad news and I fuck everything up! Shit like this is why I left this fucking place. My dad will never forgive me for my sins and for that, he doesn’t trust my judgment, not pertaining to me or having a significant other. I had to leave because I didn’t want to be lonely anymore, but then there is Big Chief who is stomping through my dad’s determination and doing whatever it takes to prove I’m worth something.
Blood fills the bottom of the shower and I become overwhelmed by everything. Look at this shit! Normal people don’t do this.
“We can use superglue on some of the other cuts if they’re not that deep,” Mom shouts from the doorway. “We should call Doc though,” she insists.
Doc is about to pop. We should try and do everything we can on our own first.
“Yeah, get the glue, and some gauze and wrapping tape,” I request, focusing on another spot on the arch of Big Chief’s foot.
“And a bottle of whiskey!” Big Chief adds, his face contorting into pain as I pluck another piece of glass out from his foot.
“This looks like it really hurts, Big Chief. We might need something stronger.” I can’t help the stress in my tone, this is bad and I don’t know what to do.
Swiping the water from his face, he looks at me with bloodshot eyes, probably strained keeping back the tears.
“Call me Lee.” His voice sharp and laced with demand.
The heat slips from my body, and I slowly lift my head to look at his face. My eyes blinking rapidly as his request resonates. He wants me to call him by his real name? That’s something ol’ ladies get the privilege to do with their men. I mean, does he know what he’s asking for?
“I think after this, my feelings for you hold their honor, baby.”
Biting my lip, I silently nod, his confession making me feel some kind of way. He’s right. It’s just calling him by his real name means something to me, and it makes me feel as if I’m the one. Every time I turn around, he’s knocking down my walls and making my feelings for him stronger and stronger.
“I’m really sorry, what my dad made you do.” My head hangs and guilt and shame makes me angry.
“Hey.” The softness in his voice has me slowly look up, finding him smirking in the most sexy way. “I said I’d do anything for you and I meant it.”
“I said I’d do anything for you and I meant it.” Hearing him say it and watching him prove it cracks me open, revealing my small dark heart. I always feel like I’m more of a pain in the ass than liked and to finally meet someone who thinks different, that makes me feel different about myself is a really good feeling. Moving his legs over, I get on all fours and climb into the shower, warm water pelting my shirt.
“What are you doing?” His voice rises.
“Scoot over.” Using my hand, I shove his leg over to squeeze my ass next to his, both of us side by side now with water cascading down on us both. Adjusting his arm, he slips it behind me and I lower my head onto his shoulder, our bodies doing the talking. That seems to be our thing. We do more connecting and bonding with skin contact than actual verbiage.