Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 138588 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138588 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Sawyer took a shot of tequila and lifted it Sabrina’s way. “Every word out of your mouth is going to be accounted for tonight.”
“Am I wrong? You guys have one gear. The minute things go wrong you’re tossing yourself on the fire. Be creative. There are other ways to solve problems,” she argued. “Sometimes you have to take away options so students can learn how to do things differently.”
“I am not one of your students.” Wyatt wasn’t sure if he was angry or… No one had ever fought for him with the singular exception of his only real friend, the man who’d called it all fate. Certainly no woman had stood in between him and danger. Not his mother. Not any of the women he’d called aunts.
“You’re lucky because I would have notes,” Sabrina said.
“She is asking for it, brother. Now I realize she’s been begging for it since the day she set eyes on us.” Sawyer tipped back the shot, downing it in one go. He slapped the glass on the bar. “She’s got us in a corner. If you run, all you’re doing is leaving me alone to take care of her. Your brother’s going to do what he’s going to do, and leaving us alone helps no one at this point except you.”
“I’m not doing this to help me. Maybe if I go to him, offer myself up.” Wyatt was looking for any way out of the trap. It was a trap he wanted to be caught in so badly, but he didn’t see how it ended well.
Sawyer’s hand went to the back of Sabrina’s neck. “And when he wants to torture you? You think he’ll simply smack you around? The man literally burned the skin off your chest and you still walked away. I don’t think your own physical pain is going to do it for him. So he’ll come after Sabrina, who will be down a protector.”
Sabrina sighed as Sawyer tightened his hold. “I’ll still have you and my sister and Mel and Cass, and don’t discount Paige Harper. The kid is mean. Oh, and Henry. Nell will give him a lecture about humane assassinations, but they’re serious about Poppy’s education.”
Why wouldn’t she listen? “This is not a fucking joke.”
“No. It’s not, but you sacrificing yourself solves nothing,” Sabrina said. “And we can’t fix it tonight, but we can do something else. We can let this awful night lead us to something good. Wyatt, I think I’m falling in love with you and with Sawyer, even though I know he gets a little sick when he hears the word. So we’ll say I’m used to his face and it would be annoying to have to find another lover.”
Sawyer grinned. “You speak my language, baby. Back at you.”
Were they right? Was there anything he could do about this tonight? It appeared she’d cut off all avenues. It wasn’t like there was a handy bus station he could walk to.
He could call his brother and turn himself in and the only effect would be to put Sabrina in greater danger.
He needed to talk to someone, but he was pretty sure Alexei’s office was closed for the night.
So what else was there left to do?
She was falling in love with him? He was already madly in love with her. In love for the first time in his life. He knew what he wanted. His friend. Their lover. Eventually their wife. He wanted to live with Sawyer and Sabrina right here in Bliss, where he could help Mel fight aliens and join Nell in whatever protest she happened to be involved in. He wanted to go squatching, even though he wasn’t sure what that was, but Max Harper made it sound fun.
He wanted to be normal. A guy who loved his family.
“But we’re going to have a long discussion about how you behaved this evening.” Sawyer stood, looming over her. “Because you could have gotten killed tonight. You could have made everything worse. I’m not playing or joking, Sabrina. You nearly gave me a fucking heart attack tonight, and you’re going to pay for it.”
“I’m not afraid of you,” she replied.
From what Wyatt could tell, she wasn’t afraid of anything or anyone.
“You’re not going to be able to sit tomorrow,” Sawyer vowed.
Sabrina walked over to the bar. She leaned over, offering up her backside, her palms on the railing. “I think you’ll find I can work while I’m standing.”
Sawyer groaned. “If you’re not joining us, you should go up to the house because this is going to get wild, brother.”
He watched as Sawyer approached her.
Was he going to walk? Could he make the long walk up to the cabin, leaving them behind, leaving behind everything he wanted?
For one night, he could have it. It wouldn’t work. He would find a way to save them both, but maybe Sawyer was right and they could have this one night. She’d made it so he couldn’t go anywhere, couldn’t try to solve the problem tonight, so why not indulge himself?