Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 142764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
I roll my eyes. As if Drew wouldn't argue. I don't believe that for a second, but I'm inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt after his conversation with me the other day.
I let out a sigh. "Fine, but I want you to give that server an absolutely obscene tip before we go. She deserves it after dealing with your father."
He chuckles, his breath against my neck. "I’m fine with that. Let's get out of here, Flower."
29
DREW
She’s right. I know she is, and that’s why I have to ensure he dies. It feels wrong to think about my father’s death, much less talk about and come up with a plan to kill the fucker and not feel a lick of remorse, but I can’t bring myself to feel anything but hatred for the man. I’ve considered all the options.
From blackmail, to leaving the family behind, to simply disappearing. None of them will ever allow me to be free of him. None of them will protect my mother. There are no other options. I don’t try to think about what kind of person that makes me. I’m fucked up in so many ways. I know this. Nothing I do will change that.
Guilt is an emotion I’m still learning to wrap my head around. Many days, when I think of Bel and all that I’ve put her through, the guilt becomes overwhelming. I don’t deserve her, not at all, but now that she’s inside me, wrapped around my brain, pumping in my veins there’s no letting her go. I’m a piece of shit for bringing her here and playing into my father’s game once more. I have to remind myself that it won’t be long until he’s no longer here to ruin our lives.
It’s one small step in the direction we need to go, a necessary evil. It’s also something I need to explain to Bel. I was hoping to shield her from the gory details, but there’s no way around it now. I can’t possibly gain her trust while keeping her locked in the dark.
I can’t risk losing her, which means I’ll need to tell her everything, from my plan to kill my father down to the fact that my parents aren’t even my real ones. If I can make her understand and hold on to her a little longer, then I can fix this.
I just need to make her understand and see it.
I keep my hand on her lower back as I escort us outside, waiting for the minute she shoves my hand away.
Her body is tense, her shoulders set back, chin up, as if she's daring anyone to tell her she shouldn't be here or be with me. Her strength and fury is sexy as fuck, but even I struggle to find a reason to have such a class-act woman at my side. I scan the exit as we wait for the valet in case my father decides to come back and ruin things further.
"Are you still hungry?"
She skims her hand across her belly and shrugs. "Yeah, nothing in there looked very tasty anyway. It looked like the kind of place that serves twelve courses of foam or something."
A chuckle slips out of me, and I tug her against my side. "Yeah, it was that kind of place, but the wine is pretty great."
"You can get wine at the drive-through near campus, and I hear it comes in a convenient box with a spout. Like an adult Capri Sun but with vodka in it."
I smile at her and shake my head. "Are you...teasing me, Ms. Jacobs? That seems unwise."
Her eyes flash with lust and trail upward to meet mine. I swallow hard and consider pinning her to the nearest wall to have my way with her. I’m consumed by her, and there isn’t a goddamn thing, or person, that will stand in the way of us having our happily ever after.
"Maybe, or maybe I just enjoy your form of punishment."
Her declaration loosens something in my chest, allowing me to breathe again. I was certain my father had ruined the entire evening for us, but that little sentence makes me think otherwise. The valet brings the car around, and I open her door before the man can get there, glaring as I snatch the keys out of his hand before he gets any ideas.
Mine. He’s lucky I didn’t remove his eyeballs from his body for looking at her.
Once I’m in the driver’s seat, I pull away with a growl of the engine. At the exit of the parking lot, I scan the street ahead and spot the place I’m hunting, a smile tugging at my lips. It’s a couple of blocks away, but we speed down the road like a bullet. I watch Bel out of the corner of my eye, her cheeks pink, her eyes bright and shimmering in the shadows of darkness. I swing into the fast food burger joint ahead and notice that a little bit of the light in her eyes dims.