Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 71015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
I hadn’t seen her in three weeks. Three long weeks that had been the worst weeks of my life.
When I’d broken up with her, I’d watched her walk out of the bar, her head held high. She’d made it to the car without crying, and I wanted to hug her for that.
When Molly had tried to put her arms around me again, propositioning me for a date, I’d immediately declined. Then proceeded to the bathroom where I threw up the little food I’d been able to force down before Tru had arrived.
Even now, three weeks later, I barely ate.
What little muscle and weight I’d been able to put on since my surgery went right back out. I was like a shadow of a man.
The only good thing to come out of it all was there was no more threatening letters from Colby. No more…anything. It was as if he’d disappeared.
The trap was set, though. All he had to do was trip it.
I sank down into the booth on the opposite side of Molly, staring at her blankly. “What’d you need?”
She pursed her lips, and her eyes traveled behind me. “Your ex is staring at you. She needs to get a life.”
My fists clenched.
“What. Do. You. Want?” I asked stiffly.
I felt like I was about to jump out of my skin as she reached forward and placed her hand on my forearm.
I yanked it back so fast that she came partially forward, looking at me in surprise.
Standing up, I placed my hands in my pocket and strolled out the door, looking down at my shoes as I went to try to avoid looking at the woman that was in current possession of my heart.
I didn’t make it.
When my eyes looked up to avoid a new waitress that was on the verge of tipping over her entire tray, my eyes caught hers, and they held.
Even when Molly caught up to me, placing her hands on mine, they still didn’t stray.
Something passed between us in that moment, and I knew she knew.
I just prayed that she stayed away for a little bit longer.
She didn’t, though.
I saw the recognition in her eyes, but I didn’t do a thing to stop her as she came slowly towards me.
Stopping with her feet touching mine, she ignored Molly’s outraged huff, as did I.
“You okay?” She asked.
I swallowed and nodded. “I’m okay.”
“I know,” she said.
She wasn’t on the state of my well-being anymore, though. She was telling me she knew that I broke it off to protect her.
And suddenly I could breathe again.
My chest expanded fully for the first time in three weeks.
“I know,” I said roughly.
She smiled and placed her hand on my forearm, exactly in the same spot that Molly had touched before.
It didn’t feel wrong.
In fact, it felt anything but wrong. It felt perfect.
“I’ll see you tonight?” She asked.
At my nod, she turned and left, and that’s when I noticed the man standing at the door.
Colby.
And by the look on his face, he knew, too.
Well, I was ready for him now. Tru may have caught on, but I’d planned for that since the moment I’d ended it with her.
I’d planned for two such instances.
One, she figured out the truth and came back to me.
Two, I couldn’t stay away.
Either way, it’d been long enough now that I could make it at least look genuine.
Game on, fucker. I glared at him. Game on.
***
Two hours later
“What’s that man’s fucking deal?” Sebastian hissed as we watched Colby drive away.
I opened my mouth, stretching my jaw to work out the soreness.
Of course, the man had found a way to pull us all over…again.
This time, though, I had the entire incident on tape thanks to my GoPro that I’d had installed on my helmet.
Fucker could hit like a freight train, but I got what I needed.
“He looked into me. Found out who I was. Who my father was. Reminded him why his childhood was shit. So he decided to take it out on someone that he knew would hurt me. That’s Tru.”
“So what…Colby wasn’t doing anything ‘that bad’ until he realized she was dating you?” Kettle asked.
I nodded. “Oh, if you count stalking, breaking and entering as ‘not that bad.’”
“So, why now?” Ross asked.
I turned to my brother and answered. “He saw Tru come up to me at the diner. Walked in when she touched me. Although it was innocent, he, of course, came in at the exact wrong time.”
Which worked well, I suppose. I hadn’t been able to incite him any other way, and if the plan Silas, my dad and I had come up with was to work, he’d have to blow. Just preferably at a place of my choosing.
“Your dad’s on his way?” Kettle clarified.
I nodded. “I called him the moment I saw Colby in the diner. He’ll be here in two hours. Guess he’ll be going to my award ceremony after all.”
***
Tru
“Come on, it’ll be okay,” I urged Rue, nearly laughing my ass off when her face went white.
She got off the bike reluctantly and reached into her saddle bags for her purse.
“But…I’ve never had my hoo-ha waxed before. Will it hurt?” She asked in concern.
I resisted the urge to say, ‘Fuck Yes!’ and instead went with, “It’ll be okay, I promise.”
Then we started to walk towards the door, and my mouth got away from me.
“If it hurts, I’ll kiss it and make it all better,” I teased.
I felt Cleo’s rapt attention on me, and my face flamed when I realized what I’d said.
When I turned to him, it was to see his mouth kicked up in a half smile. “I’d like to witness that, if you don’t mind.”
Rue threw her arm out and whacked Cleo on the shoulder, causing him to chuckle before he started his bike up and roared away.
She watched her husband go, and I felt a pang of longing hit me like a hurricane. I wanted that so bad I’d kill for it. Preferably Colby.
However, I wasn’t into jail sex, and that’s exactly where I’d be if I did anything hasty when it came to Colby.