Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 127146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
Goose bumps erupt across my skin, and my thoughts swirl. With Drew, I’m out of my comfort zone. He pushes me to my limits, and when I think I can’t go any further, he shows me a new limit. He makes me feel, and I hate it. I hate how much my body craves him when he’s not here, and how my thoughts always trail back to him. Even with all the hate that seems to pulse for him in my veins, a small part of me craves his darkness and danger. That craves the jagged pieces of his heart.
All over again, I’m reminded of him overtaking my thoughts. I decide then that I need a distraction. I grab my phone and type out a quick message, sending the mass text to all my clients, letting them know I’ll be canceling all future sessions. It’s not worth the risk of losing the money he’s offered me, not when money is the one thing I need the most.
Doing this means inviting that man into my life. It means no longer pretending I didn't have a choice when things happen between us. I've been telling myself it's been all him this whole time, but it hasn’t. He’s never done anything that I didn’t want him to do. A tiny voice in the back of my head reminds me that I’m the one who joined The Hunt, and I'm the one who went into those woods. How could I have expected someone like Drew, though? How could I have known what would happen? That I would be noticed by the ruthless, vindictive man who always gets what he wants? I never could’ve anticipated him, but that’s the thing. You don’t predict the bad happening.
Once I pack my bag, intending to get some study time in, I stop in the kitchen to grab something to eat. As I pour a bowl of cereal, Jackie comes out, smiling. "I saw you leaving the carnival the other night. What happened? You ran out of there like someone was chasing you."
Shit. I forgot I'd seen her there. "No, I was just cold and tired. I shouldn't have gone in the first place. I was just trying to get back here as fast as possible.”
It sounds like a stupid excuse, even to me. Her eyebrow twitches up as her lips turn down. "You left your car there, though, didn't you?"
I turn my back to pour some milk and to get my face under control. "Yeah, I had a beer or two, so I decided to walk back. Better to be safe than sorry."
It's not like she'll care what's happening with Drew and me, so why am I keeping things to myself? I don't know… Something happens when I'm with him, some part of me feels set free, and I'm not quite ready to talk about that yet. Confiding in her would make all of this that much more real, and I don’t know if I’m ready.
I hear her shift and glance back to find her leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed, staring at me. "What?"
She huffs. "Whatever, it's your business."
I turn to face her, bowl in hand. "No, what is it?"
"I saw Drew, that football player, chasing you. Why were you running?”
I shovel food into my mouth and mumble around the Cocoa Puffs. "I wasn't running from anything.” It’s a blatant lie, one that she must see through since she makes a sure sort of noise, and my annoyance catches up with me. "What do you want me to say, Jackie? I'm an adult. I don't have to justify my whereabouts with you or why I was doing something."
She holds her hands up in surrender, but her eyes flash with anger. "I'm not interrogating you. I just want to make sure you're okay. Drew is...fun...but he's a one-and-done kind of guy who throws girls away after he's had his fill. And you definitely aren’t a one-and-done kind of girl. I don’t want to see you get hurt by him. That’s all."
She's offering me a lifeline, a chance to talk to her, yet I can't make myself do it. There's no way in hell I'm going to explain what happened the other night, not when I'm not even entirely sure myself.
I slump into the chair at the table, and my mind immediately flashes to him holding me down there, a rush of heat zinging straight to my core at the simple memory. "It's nothing. I'm nothing to him. He only wants me because I said no."
She shifts against the table, making it creak in protest. "Just be careful. Guys like Drew don’t know where the line is, and the game he’s playing this time isn’t one he’s ever played. No one has seen him with the same girl more than once. I just… If you ever want to talk about it, need advice, or even need help hiding a body, I’m here.”