Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 77842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
“Good,” I reply, then take another sip of my drink.
Both Rain and Layla come running up to me, their shoes smacking against the pavement.
“Hey Mom, can I stay over at Layla’s?” she asks, and the first thing that pops to mind is no, but Paige could use this distraction from everything that is going on with Heston and her dad missing.
“Are we going to behave?” I lift a brow and stare at both of them with a hard look.
“I promise we won’t do anything we’re not supposed to,” Layla quickly answers, and Paige nods in agreement.
“I guess,” I mutter, and they start cheering. I can’t help but laugh at their reaction and watch as they run toward Layla’s house. Her parents’ Melanie and Earl went inside right before dark; they simply made their rounds and were done. I don’t reckon we’ll see them until next year’s block party.
Finishing off my drink, I set the bottle in the chair’s cupholder.
“Want another?” Rhodes asks, and I smile at his attentiveness.
“It’s getting late,” I say. Several families have left, causing the party to die down. Silence brings upon the end of the summer and the sweet smell of honeydew on the ground as the temperature drops.
Standing, I stretch my arms above my head, watching what Rhodes does next.
“Come on, I’ll walk ya home.” There’s no question in his voice, he might as well have said, move, I’m walking you home. Grabbing my pie dish off the table, I wave to Tenly, who is in a heated argument with Owen, again. We pass the flowers Paige and me planted, and their beauty makes me happy to be home. I stop right in front of door and turn toward Rhodes.
“Thanks,” I say.
“Wasn’t a problem.”
Rolling my lips together, I brush the stray hairs from my face and look down at his boots.
“Do you want to come in?” As soon as the words leave my mouth, a warmth fills my chest and I feel like I can’t breathe. Nervous at what he’ll say next, I don’t dare look him in the eye.
“Yes,” he finally replies, and I smile. Opening the door, I step backward into the dark foyer, baiting him inside with the flirtatious grin on my face. I don’t know what I’m doing; I shouldn’t want to have sex with Rhodes, not with all this shit going on with Heston, but I need to sow my oats or eat them. However the saying goes. But the way this man looks and makes me feel can’t be tamed any longer. Wrapping my hands around his neck, he kicks the door shut, just as our mouths meet. His lips are hard but fit perfectly against mine, his tongue flicks against mine, filling my mouth with the taste of Jack and Coke. Moaning, I reach up his shirt and feel his hard chest, the same one I’ve seen strutting around my house for days now. His hand greedily kneads my tits, my leg wrapping around him as I gyrate my hips against his hard bulge.
WHACK
Rhodes headbutts me, and all I see is white light searing behind my eyelids. I hear the noise again and the shadow of Rhodes falls to the ground. Blinking a few times, unsure what is going on I yell “Rhodes? Are you okay?”
Agonizing pressure thunders against the back of my skull, causing fire to strike like a match in that exact spot. Dropping to my knees, I wince in pain. I want to puke, cry…but all I can do is black out.
The pain in my head feels like I just had a railroad spike thrusted into the back of my skull. It’s wet, cold, and hurts so bad, I can’t help but sob. Trying to open my eyes, at first, all I can see is blurriness. I have no clue what is going on and it takes me a second to remember this was no accident. Lifting my hand to feel my head, I can’t because my arms won’t move. I try to wiggle my fingers, and they move enough for me to figure out I’m restrained. It feels like there’s tape wrapped around my wrists like a vise, my fingertips puffy and pulsing from lack of blood.
Male mumbling has my eyes snap wide open. That’s Rhodes’ voice. I open my mouth to reply, only to feel my lips stuck together, they’re taped shut. I suddenly feel like I can’t breathe, I panic and look down at my body, finding that I’ve been duct-taped to a chair. I jump and jerk, trying to get out. But the adhesive won’t budge; if anything, it only gets tighter. My eyes fill with tears as I look around the room. Everything is painted in a soft glow. There are candles all over the house; it would be incredibly romantic, if you weren’t for being held hostage. How long was I out for? My eyes land on Rhodes, who’s strapped to a chair at the other end of the dining table, blood matting his face and tape across his mouth. My eyes search the rest of the room for who is responsible for this. The curtains have been drawn, an unexplained amount of burning candles lit, but no sign of anyone else.