Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 91423 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91423 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
I take her up to my apartment, and get her settled. “There’re snacks in the fridge. I think. Maybe,” I say. “Or not. I’m sorry. I don’t often have people here and I mostly eat out of the house or protein bars and shakes.”
“It’s okay,” she says. “I’m not hungry.”
“Okay. I’m going to have a shower. There’s a guest bath if you want one too, and I guess you can raid my dresser for clothes if you want… I don’t have women’s clothing. I could call down to the desk and see if someone will bring some. What do you want? Some bat-themed tights maybe?”
She looks at me, then bursts out laughing. “Bat-themed tights? Sure.”
“Okay. Get whatever you want. Do whatever you want. I’ll be back in five.”
I have the quickest shower you can have while still getting all the dried blood from scuffling with your older brother off you. Then I dress in a tight white shirt and black jeans that are soft as hell.
When I come out, she’s not had a shower. She’s still sitting on the couch wearing the coat I snatched from the foyer when we left the house. She looks small and scared. She could have run away, but she’s not wearing shoes.
“What size feet do you have? Not in like a fetish kind of way, but I want to get things for you.”
“You don’t need to do that. You could just let me go home.”
“I could. Actually, let’s go there. Let’s go and get your things.”
“Go and get my things? You’re not letting me go?”
“I can’t,” I tell her. “Not now that Aiden has said he wants you. He’s going to keep taking you back. Over and over until you just give in and do what he wants. He’s ruthless that way. The only person he ever allowed any real freedom was Teddy, and I don’t think he’s going to make that mistake again.”
“He really is ruthless,” she says. There’s a quaver in her voice that indicates a whole world of hurt and humiliation, I am sure.
“I’m sorry that happened to you,” I say, brushing her hair out of her eyes. “I know you’re grieving, just like we are. It makes people do weird things.”
She looks at me with those big doe eyes, and I have the satisfaction of knowing I have saved her from something truly terrible. Aiden’s ministrations, and then Leo’s… if she were subjected to the two of them on and on, soon enough there would be nothing left.
“Thank you,” she says. “Ever since he passed, one day has been worse than the next. It’s like living in a nightmare…”
“I know,” I say. “He was a really good guy.”
“He was,” she says, her breath hitching as she tries not to cry. “And I did love him. But that was the worst thing I could have done for him.”
“I know,” I tell her. “I believe you.”
She lifts tearful eyes to me. “You do?”
“Yes,” I say. “Grab a shower, okay? You’ll feel better. Grab anything in my closet you want to wear. I have hoodies and things. I am going to get some food for us. It’ll be takeout, but better than pizza.”
“Can’t be better than pizza,” she smirks.
She’s so cute. I know why Teddy loved her. I think I am in love with her too. I think I fell in love with her the moment I saw her at the cemetery, clocked the expression on her face, and knew right in my gut that there was someone else in the world who missed him like I did.
This time, she does as she’s told. She pads off and gets into the shower in my en-suite. I put an order through for pizza, which arrives just as she gets out of the shower.
She comes out of the bedroom wearing my hoodie. It comes down to mid-thigh. I wonder if she’s wearing anything underneath it. Probably not.
We sit down on the couch and I make sure she takes a good slice. A couple of cans of soda are cracked next to us, ice in glasses. It’s simple food, but it’s the kind of comfort we both need.
“You were in rehab?” She asks the question in between bites.
“Yeah, but it wasn’t for real this time. I just needed those other two off my back. I think you can probably see why.”
“Yeah,” she says. “They’re intense.”
I start eating too. It’s amazing. I haven’t really eaten since we left the rehab. Aiden’s men weren’t thinking about taking breaks for us. They were entirely locked in on doing as he said and getting us to him.
I notice Ella has a good appetite too. She eats a good half of the pizza before slowing. I leave another quarter of it for her. I want her fed and happy.
“Did Aiden not feed you? On top of everything else?”