Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 69026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
“I’m hungry, and I can’t find the kitchen. Aella is asleep on your bed, and I don’t want to wake her.”
Chevy growled, but it had nothing to do with his wife being asleep in another man’s bed.
It had everything to do with how awful Silver looked.
I didn’t think it was possible, but she looked worse today than she did yesterday.
Her eyes were even more swollen shut, and she had so many bruises that you couldn’t tell where one began and another one ended.
“You said it was bad,” I heard Hai say to Eedie. “But I had no clue how bad.”
I caught Silver’s hand and led her into the kitchen.
“How’s your backside feel?” I asked curiously.
“Not good,” she admitted.
Chevy followed us into the kitchen, but turned around and left, coming back moments later with a pillow from the couch.
He placed it on the seat at the kitchen table and said, “Got you a pillow.”
Silver jerked, unaware that Chevy was here.
“Sorry,” Chevy caught her startle. “Thought you knew I was here.”
“You walk like a ninja,” she said. “And I can’t see.”
Chevy moved closer, being sure to shuffle his feet so he could be heard approaching, and said, “What’d the doctors say?”
“No broken bones,” she said.
“Miracle,” Chevy murmured. “What meds do they have you on?”
I didn’t think it was possible for her to look cute while so bruised up but she managed it when she said, “Um, well, about that. I didn’t stay.”
“You didn’t stay where?” Chevy frowned.
“At the hospital,” she explained. “I didn’t stay long enough to get any medications.”
Chevy sighed. “I’ll call you something in.”
His eyes met mine over the top of her head, and we had a moment.
Both of us had promises in our eyes. Ones that spoke of total annihilation of the one that did this to her.
Moran wouldn’t make it to see her next birthday.
The Truth Tellers would make sure of it.
Twenty
Are you okay? No, I’ve been the same height since I was twelve.
—Silver’s secret thoughts
SILVER
The doorbell rang, and Webber jackknifed off the bed, thankful that he had a reason to leave.
I was angry.
For the first time in two weeks, Eedie was at a sleepover at her friend’s place—not that I didn’t love having Eedie around, but Webber used her as an excuse to keep me at arm’s length, so to speak—and the house was empty.
I thought this would be my day.
I thought wrong.
I flopped onto my back with a groan as I watched Webber’s backside disappear out of the room.
It didn’t appear to be on fire, but he was acting like it.
I was frustrated.
Both sexually and mentally.
Webber wouldn’t touch me.
Not because he didn’t want to, or I didn’t want him to, but because he was treating me reverently. Like I was some spun glass gift that would break if he handled me too roughly.
Maybe, instead of spending the last two weeks recovering at his place, I should’ve spent it recovering at Aella’s.
At least if I’d done that, I would’ve had my sister seeing me battered and bruised and not Webber.
He couldn’t use the “you’re healing” and “you’re still really roughed up” as an excuse not to touch me in a sexual way.
There was plenty of touching—I’d cuddled the big, sexy beast of a man every night for two weeks—but nothing inappropriate.
Webber’s deep voice sounded from the living room, and I had to squeeze my legs together to keep the ache at bay.
Sadly, the pressure only made it worse, and I started to get angry.
A second man’s voice sounded, and I had to count to ten as I forced myself to sit up, then slide off Webber’s massive bed.
My feet hit the ground, and I looked down at what I was wearing.
For the last two weeks, I’d survived on Webber’s t-shirts and sweats.
I wore my own underwear, but that was the only thing I’d worn of mine in what felt like forever.
Hell, I was even wearing his deodorant.
That would change tomorrow.
I would be going back to work, because the first step in proving that I was healthy enough for him to move beyond the platonic touching stage was to show him I was getting better.
Even if the thought of leaving Webber’s house sent me into a full-blown panic.
Moran was still out there.
And though I knew that Webber had given my dad enough warning to stay the hell away from me, I knew that he wouldn’t be gone forever.
He’d lick his wounds, regroup, then show back up.
Not that I was too scared of my dad.
He was a scary man at times, but I’d had years of training to deal with people like him.
People like Cadence Moran, too.
I wouldn’t be caught unaware again.
Tomorrow, I’d also go to Jiu Jitsu.
Shaw had been begging me for a week to come out and get a little sparring in, even if it was light.
I’d been putting her off, but I wouldn’t be doing that anymore.