Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 113272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
When he returned, Eli was still standing there, staring at him in exasperation. “You can’t just walk away to avoid a conversation.”
“I didn’t walk away to avoid it, I was simply done with it,” Kellan replied, handing him some blankets.
“You don’t like her?”
Kellan sighed. “It’s not a case of liking her or not. She seems like a good person. She’s funny and gorgeous. But she’s not a one-night stand. She’s not just for a good time.”
“I don’t want that with her. I want more. I want us to have more. She could be a great fit for the two of us, Kellan.”
Kellan sighed. Eli wasn’t usually impulsive. Sure, he had some weird ideas about going with your gut and trusting in fate. But Kellan had never known him to fall for someone like this. So deeply and quickly. Eli needed to slow down and think about this.
“We don’t know her that well,” Kellan pointed out.
“So we talk to her, get to know her, build her trust in us. It’s obvious that she’s nervous and that it will take time. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not worth moving forward. You heard what Shaw said about how we should proceed.”
“Maybe just you should proceed,” Kellan found himself saying.
Because she wouldn’t want him too, would she?
“Don’t feed me that bullshit. Because you know I can read you better than anyone. You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t at least a little bit interested in her. You’d tell me to take a flying leap.”
He wasn’t fucking wrong.
And he hated that. Kellan preferred to always be the one in the right.
“It still doesn’t mean she’s a good fit for us.”
“We won’t know unless we try.”
Kellan wasn’t completely sold and he wasn’t sure why. Was it because he had his doubts about her?
Or was it that he was concerned that she didn’t want him? That she’d only want Eli?
Fuck. When had he turned into a coward?
“Nothing good ever happens by standing still,” Eli told him.
Kellan shook his head. “Maybe. I don’t know. I’m still not fully convinced.”
“Just think about it and don’t sabotage my efforts to get to know her.”
“You were coming on too strong. She was about to call the sheriff. Not a good look for an FBI agent to be arrested as a stalker.”
“You think she looked scared?” Eli asked.
“More like a deer in headlights.”
“Fuck. Yeah. Okay. Point taken. Reckon we’ll get any sleep tonight?”
Kellan snorted as he lay down on the tiny mattress on the floor and covered himself with a thin blanket. “Fuck, no.”
“That’s what I figured you’d say.”
Her cries woke Eli.
Huh. Seemed he had fallen asleep. Standing, he raced into her bedroom. He found Kellan already there, standing over her.
It was doubtful Kellan would have slept at all. Not in a strange place with a storm raging. He never got much sleep anyway.
“What’s going on?” Eli asked.
“Nightmare,” Kellan said.
“Why haven’t you woken her?” Eli asked him, reaching for her.
“I didn’t think she’d be happy to wake up with me looming over her.”
“No, Father. No!” she cried. “Where is she? Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you tell me she died?”
“Jesus,” Eli said. “Who is she talking about?”
Kellan shook his head.
They might have to do some looking into the former governor. Then again, what went on behind closed doors was generally very different from what went on out in the open.
“Poor baby,” Eli whispered, sitting next to her. Since she’d left the battery-powered lamp on he could see her clearly.
“Arabella, wake up,” he told her. “You’re safe. Everything is all right.”
“No, no, no!” she cried. “I don’t want to marry him, Father!”
“Motherfucker. Is she talking about Cole?” Kellan snarled.
Eli gave his brother an assessing look for a moment. Oh, he definitely cared about Arabella. There was no way he’d be reacting this strongly if he didn’t.
“I don’t know but it seems we have to find out. If he coerced her . . .”
“Fucker is dead,” Kellan said as she cried out again.
Eli shook her lightly.
Shit. She was really stuck in this nightmare.
“Arabella, you’re safe. Wake up, baby. Come on, open those beautiful brown eyes and look at me.” He shook her again, this time more forcefully when she didn’t open her eyes. “Come on, baby.”
Gradually, she opened her eyes, letting out a loud gasp. “What . . . what’s going on? What are you doing?”
Eli couldn’t help himself. Mindful of her back, he lifted her and placed her on his lap.
Kellan grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around her and Eli gave him a nod of thanks.
“What is going on? Why am I shaking? Why are you in my room? Is it morning?” she asked.
“No, baby,” Eli said. “Not yet. You were having a nightmare.”
“I was? Oh no, did I wake you? I’m so sorry.”
“You didn’t wake me,” Kellan said. “I was already awake.”