Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 139803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 699(@200wpm)___ 559(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 699(@200wpm)___ 559(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)
“I don’t need a break.” I snapped at him.
He narrowed his eyes at me in a warning. “Yes, you do.” I angrily clenched my jaw. “You’re pale as fuck, Meghan. I know you don’t fucking feel good. Pushing your body like this isn’t good for the baby either. You need to take a damn break, woman.”
I angrily stomped my foot. “The dance is tomorrow night, Julian,” I snapped. “I have to practice.”
“Bullshit,” he retorted in the exact same tone. “You have the dance down fucking pact, Meghan. You need to fucking rest. That’s not a goddamn request, either,” he barked when I opened my mouth to continue arguing. “That’s a fucking order.”
He held the bottle of water out to me. With an aggravated scream, I grabbed the bottle from him and threw it back at him, hitting him in the chest. I stormed off into the frat house, angry tears sliding down my cheeks.
“Meghan Elaine Fallows!” Julian roared from behind me.
“Go fuck yourself!” I shouted back at him as I rushed up the stairs. I could feel Axel staring after me, but I ignored him.
“Woman, don’t you fucking turn your back on me!” Julian barked. “We’re not fucking done, Meghan!”
I flung open the spare bedroom door, not wanting to be anywhere near him. “Yes, the fuck we are!” I yelled down the stairs. “You’re so fucking controlling, always trying to dictate my goddamn moves! We’re done, Julian!”
I slammed the door shut behind me and locked it, angry tears sliding down my cheeks. I hated being this emotional. I didn’t have that much longer with dance; I knew that. Before I knew it, I wouldn’t be able to dance anymore as I would be too far along in my pregnancy. Already, I was close to the end of my first trimester.
The door crashed open, revealing a seething Julian. I jerked back in shock, my wide, teary eyes snapping up to his. “We are not fucking over,” he snarled at me.
I curled up on the bed, my tears coming harder. I hated that I couldn’t deal with what I was feeling. Because of that, I did my best self-destructive thing; I pushed away people that cared about me.
I gagged and rolled over, grabbing the trashcan at the edge of the bed. Julian instantly wrapped his arm around me and gently rubbed my belly, his anger momentarily forgotten as he whispered soothing words to me.
Once I was finished throwing up, Julian grabbed the trashcan from me and put it on the floor. I crawled onto his lap and straddled him, wrapping my arms and legs around him as I buried my face in the crook of his neck.
With a soft, contented sigh, Julian wrapped his own arms around me, holding me to him. He brushed his lips to the side of my head. “Baby, I’m not trying to control you,” he said quietly. “I’m trying to take care of you because when you focus on dance like this, you don’t take care of yourself. I want you happy and healthy, baby girl. I’m sorry that comes off as controlling, but I just want to take care of you.”
I sniffled as a couple more tears slid down my cheeks. “I’m sorry,” I croaked. God, I was the worst girlfriend in the world. “I’m sorry I overreacted.”
He laughed softly as he ran his hands over my back. “Baby girl, you’re pregnant. Your hormones are fucking with your emotions. Of course, you’re going to overreact, but don’t expect me to not fight back.”
I sniffled. “You’re such an asshole when you do,” I mumbled.
He brushed his lips to my head. “Yeah, I know, but I’m never letting you go, baby. I will follow you to the ends of the Earth. I’m never letting you walk away from me, no matter how angry you are. I know what you’re like; you’re self-destructive, baby girl, and I won’t let you do that to yourself.”
I tightened my arms around him. “How do you know me so well?”
“Because every time something happens and you don’t want to deal with it, you push everyone away.” He gripped my face and pulled my head up so my eyes were forced to connect with his. “I’m never letting you push me away, Meghan. I love you.”
My bottom lip trembled as more tears fell from my eyes. He brushed his lips over my cheeks. “You cry so beautifully, baby girl, but please stop,” he begged me as he brushed some of my tears off my cheeks with his thumbs. “I don’t like seeing you cry. It means I’ve hurt you.”
I shook my head. “No. Sometimes, it means that your words are too much for my tormented soul to bear.”
His gorgeous blue eyes softened. “I want to heal every tender, beaten part of your tormented soul, baby girl. I’ll be doing that the rest of our lives.”