Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 92941 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92941 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
I let out a huff of humorless laughter. “Don’t think that helped the situation.”
Chance scratched the side of his head. “I mean, you never sealed the bond. That must count for something, right?”
“She’s—” I didn’t even know. She didn’t seem angry. She hadn’t cried.
I was terrified by the blank expression she’d had since I followed her out of the car.
“It’ll work out,” Chance reassured me. “It has to, right?”
I nodded to make him feel better, but I had no clue. It was like I’d broken something in Reese, and I had no idea how to fucking fix it.
We’d fought plenty. I’d said terrible things when we’d met, but I’d known that she would hand it right back. Reese was strong and opinionated, and she didn’t take anyone’s shit—including mine.
The blank stare I’d been faced with this morning made my blood run cold.
“You should go,” I told Chance, glancing at the door again. “I don’t want to wake her.”
“All right,” Chance replied slowly. “You’ll let me know if you need anything?”
“Sure.”
The room was silent again after he left.
The entire time Reese and I had been getting to know each other, I’d known that Millie would come up—eventually. At some point, someone in my family would mention it, and we’d have to have the conversation if we hadn’t had it already, but I’d never imagined that it would affect Reese the way it had. Humans had plenty of partners before they settled down. Reese had even brought it up that first night.
I wasn’t stupid enough to pretend that Millie was the same as the others. Of course she wasn’t, but I hadn’t had any idea that it would hurt Reese the way it had. I’d been too afraid to bring it all up again to even worry about Reese’s reaction.
Setting the tumbler back on the table, I flexed my fists, trying to ground myself as I rose to my feet. Walking softly, I moved back into the bedroom.
Reese was still curled up on her side, her eyes closed. She’d been soaked when we got back, but she hadn’t made a move to help me as I’d stripped off the soggy clothes. She’d docilely let me tuck her into bed and hadn’t moved since.
Grabbing her phone off the top of the dresser, I carried it back out to the living room and searched through the contacts.
I couldn’t find Rena, but I found a contact labeled Favorite Bitch and gambled that it was the right one.
“Hey, loser,” Rena answered on the first ring. “Miss me?”
“Hey, Rena,” I croaked, suddenly worried I’d made the wrong move.
“What’s wrong?’ she asked instantly, all business.
“Reese needs you.”
“Where are you?” she asked. “Your house or hers?”
“Mine.” My stomach was in knots.
I wanted to be the one who made things right. I wanted to fix it. But I had the distinct impression that my presence was making things worse, not better.
“I’ll be there in forty-five minutes,” she said quickly.
“Someone will let you in.”
She hung up without saying goodbye.
I quietly put Reese’s phone back on the dresser and knelt next to the bed. Her breathing was slow and easy, but every muscle was tense as I brushed her hair back from her face. Fuck, how had I ever found her lacking?
We’d known each other for less than a week, and I’d seen at least a thousand different facial expressions. She had eight freckles. Four on one cheek, two on the other, and two on the bridge of her nose. Her skin was the softest thing I’d ever felt.
“Rena’s on her way,” I said softly, running my finger down her cheek.
The bond felt pulled tight even though she was less than a foot away. My chest ached.
Moving to sit, I kept my arm on the bed, wrapping my hand lightly around her forearm. Until she asked me to leave, I’d stay.
Half an hour later, Rena strode into the bedroom like she owned it.
Her eyebrows pulled together in worry as she moved toward us, going straight to Reese.
“Hey, girl,” she said, resting her hand on Reese’s hip. “You good?”
Reese’s eyes opened slowly, and she tipped her head down just far enough to see Rena.
“I’m going to get this asshole outta here, yeah?” Rena said firmly. “Be right back.”
With a stiff jerk of her head, she motioned me out of the bedroom. It rankled, but I got to my feet without argument. She was there for Reese. I’d called her because I’d hoped she’d know what to do. I couldn’t complain when she came in and did what I wanted.
“I’ll be right outside,” I told Reese.
Once we were outside the bedroom Rena closed the door and spun on me.
“What the fuck did you do?”
“She’s upset—”
“You think?”
“She found out that I had a mate before.”
“Say what?” Rena snapped in surprise. “That’s not possible.”
“I didn’t complete the bond.”