Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 108988 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108988 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Psychopathic wolverine. How appropriate.
Chapter Fifty
Blake
It was dark by the time I got back to the house.
I stopped short in my bedroom, seeing Creighton on my bed. He’d stopped having me followed, so either I was still being followed or . . . “West messaged you? A heads-up that he invited us to the center’s Christmas party?”
He moved to sit against the headboard. “A heads-up call. I think he’d rather work with you than remain civil with me. Is that what you two talked about? Are you and West going into business together? You want to off me and take over my network?”
I moved to my closet and pulled my shirt off over my head. Dropping the rest of my clothes, I tugged on his hoodie. No matter this recent time apart, I still slept in it. This one or the other five hoodies I’d liberated from him.
Padding barefoot to the bed, I crawled on top of it before hesitating, and then I just went for it.
I’d missed him.
I settled over his lap, straddling him.
His hands went to my hips, holding me in place, but he continued just to watch me. “This is a surprise. The meeting must’ve been very informative or very boring. Which was it, Blake?”
Oh yeah. I heard the bite again. He was pissed. “You’re trying to start a fight with me.”
“I’ve stayed away. I pulled my men from following you. I stopped from following you. I helped that girl and her sister for you. Now this? Now I’m getting a call from Tristian West that he had a conversation with you?” His hands tightened on my thighs for a moment. “If you’re upset that I’ve come to see you and you’re about to stick a knife in me, give a guy a little warning. I’ll try and keep my body relaxed so you can stick it all the way through.”
I closed my eyes, rested my forehead against his chest, and breathed him in.
God. I loved his scent. Pine trees and just him. I said there, “You’re not funny.”
“Not trying to be.” His hands smoothed out over my legs again. “What is this, Blake? I need the full rundown on what West talked to you about and if you want me to leave, I’ll go after that.”
Shaking my head, I lifted it to better see him. I didn’t want that.
As I did, some of the tension left him. His face softened. I didn’t know Creighton’s face could soften. He raised a hand to cup the side of my face, ran his hand down my chin. His words came out soft too. “Is this the final goodbye? Have you decided to leave me? I moved heaven and hell to keep you safe from them, and the second the war is called off, you have a nice little chat with Tristian West. From a battle perspective, it’s slightly genius. From a personal perspective, not a fan.”
I took his hand in mine and settled back on his lap. “Stop.” My other hand slid down the front of his chest, and I ignored how his hands moved up underneath his hoodie on me. My heart skipped a few beats. My body began to heat up. “He showed up at the center when I was leaving. Said some things, but the gist is that he wants to move forward with all of us being civil.”
Creighton still wasn’t happy, eyeing me. “He said ‘some things.’ What things?”
Fisting the front of his shirt, I pulled him toward me, off of the wall. I began to lean in, intending to kiss him, but I remembered that I couldn’t. Not just yet.
Except . . .
Screw it.
I gave in.
I bit his bottom lip, ignoring his groan. “He was informative. Very informative.”
“Still not liking this conversation, but I’m enjoying this part of it.” His words were a cold challenge, but his eyes were molten.
I rocked over his lap, closing my eyes, because that felt good. He felt good.
I grinded over him a bit more.
His hands helped me, moving my body over him, and I was starting to forget he was annoyed with me.
He pulled back. “We need to talk.”
I growled briefly, but stopped and slumped over him. My hands went to his chest, toying with his shirt. “I know. I’m sorry. I knew when I came home that I’d need to talk to you about what West said, but . . . I wanted to talk to you. If anything, I wanted to thank you for helping with Satya and her sister.”
“That’s it? Just to thank me?” His hands went back to touching me, kneading my hips. “You were giving in? Just now? Or was this a onetime thing and then what? Back to telling me to stay away from you?”
“No.” I shook my head. That wasn’t fair to him. “I—” Okay. Let’s do this. Really do this. I moved to the side of the bed beside him, and positioned myself so I was facing him. My legs crisscrossed, and I pulled a pillow to my lap. Sinking my hands in the front pocket of his hoodie, I let out a sigh. “I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to see you, but I needed time away to figure out what I was thinking and how I felt about things. Marshall was shot. My housemates were kidnapped. Levi is still healing. Lassiter is . . .” He was spending time with someone who wasn’t us, and I couldn’t talk to him about Pialto. “You took four innocent people.”