Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 118(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 118(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
That’s my girl. That’s my fucking girl. The door isn’t locked. Stupid mistake. I step inside.
The guy, her ex assuming, barely has time to register the threat before I slam him into the wall, forearm pressing into his throat. Palmer gasps. “H-Hudson?”
I don’t look at her yet. I keep my focus on the piece of shit who took her from me. Sullivan tries to struggle, but I press harder, my voice deadly calm.
“You touch what’s mine again, and I’ll put you in the ground.”
His eyes widen. “She—she belongs to me.”
Wrong answer.
I slam him back harder, knocking the air from his lungs. “Say it again,” I growl. “And it’ll be the last thing you ever say.”
He gasps, face turning red.
Behind me, Palmer’s voice is shaky. “Hudson—”
I glance over my shoulder. Her eyes are wide, but she’s not afraid. She’s relieved. Safe.
I ease up just enough to let Sullivan suck in a breath, then yank him forward and toss him onto the floor. He scrambles backward, eyes darting between me and Palmer.
“You belong to me,” he snarls at her.
I don’t think. I don’t hesitate. I hit him. Hard. His head snaps back against the wooden floor.
He doesn’t move. I crouch beside him, lowering my voice to something lethal.
“If I ever see you again, you’re done.”
Then I stand and turn to Palmer.
She stares at me, breathing hard. I hold out a hand. “Come here, Treasure.”
Her lips tremble, but she doesn’t hesitate.
She launches herself into my arms. I hold her tight, my fingers digging into her back, my lips pressing against her hair.
“You came for me,” she whispers.
I tighten my grip. “Always.”
By the time we get back to my cabin, the rage in me hasn’t settled.
Not fully. Because she tried to protect me instead of trusting me. I haul her inside, slamming the door shut behind us. Palmer looks up at me, something uncertain in her gaze. “No one will ever take you from me again.” Her breath catches. My voice drops lower. “Do you understand me, Palmer?”
Her lips part. “I—”
I don’t let her finish. I crash my mouth against hers, kissing her like she’s the only thing that matters—because she is. She gasps, fingers fisting in my shirt. I drag her closer, growling against her lips.
“You’re mine.”
She shudders.
“Say it.”
Her nails dig into my skin, her body melting against me. “I’m yours.”
And I know, without a doubt, I’ll never let her go.
Chapter Ten
Palmer
I wake up the next morning, secure in Hudson’s arms after Malcolm tried to take me from Devil’s Peak. Hudson’s in a weird position, all twisted to make sure I have all the room I need while his massive frame takes up just a sliver of the bed. I think back to the time when I was with Malcolm, walking on eggshells and never knowing if he was in a good mood or a bad one. His verbal assaults and emotional manipulation did damage far deeper than I realized.
I close my eyes, desperate for the images to vanish, for the feelings of fear to let go so that I can finally breathe. With Hudson, here in his arms, I actually feel safe—maybe even a bit brave.
“Hudson,” I whisper gently in his ear. His eyes shoot up and his body stiffens as if on defense.
“What is it? You okay?” he asks, searching my face for any sign of distress.
“Yeah–I just…yesterday feels like a nightmare,” I confess.
"Can’t believe I almost lost you to that asshole," comes his growl.
His voice is raw. Shaken. I swallow hard, my hands finding the rough fabric of his shirt, gripping him like he’s the only thing keeping me upright.
“He made me leave that note for you–I never would have left you.” My voice is barely a whisper.
“I know.” His expression darkens. “So you’re daddy owns half the eastern seaboard, huh?”
“Oh—you heard that?” I feel the blush creep up my cheeks.
“I did,” his reply is stoic.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I just wanted to leave it all behind. I’ve never wanted a part of that life, it was chosen for me and until I stepped on that bus and decided to walk away from it and head west, well…my life never felt like my own to live.”
Silence hangs heavy between us before Hudson finally grits, “I almost killed him.”
“I was worried you would–I was so afraid that he might hurt you–I didn’t want you to risk your life for me.”
"That’s not how this works, Treasure." His fingers tighten on my waist. "You’re mine. My responsibility. My problem. You got that?"
My heart hammers. I don’t know if it’s his words or the way he says them, but something inside me melts. Something I’ve kept locked away for too damn long.
I lift my chin. “You think I’m a problem?”
His nostrils flare. His lips curl, almost a smirk. “The best kind.”
I let out a shaky breath, my fingers sliding up the hard planes of his chest. “I—I was afraid you only wanted to keep me around so you wouldn’t have to sell off your land.”