Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 112762 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112762 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
No. I didn’t.
With rats being pinned to my door and whatnot, I actually didn’t have time for a relationship.
I did have time for Walker to fuck the tension out of me.
Yup. I was going to do it.
I was going to seduce Walker Ironside into a casual sex arrangement.
His eyes narrowed. “You look flushed. Are you okay?”
Flushing even deeper, I squirmed in my seat. Merely having inappropriate revelations in the middle of a threat to my life. I semi-lied to cover my thoughts. “I’m preparing myself to tell you about my past, and, uh, I’m not proud of some of it.”
Walker’s expression softened ever so slightly. “Sloane, we all have shit in our past we’re not proud of. I don’t judge.”
I believed him. My earlier thoughts of seduction dissipated under the reality of the moment, and my hand trembled as I took a sip of tea. Embarrassed by my shaking, I lowered the mug to the coffee table and squeezed my hands between my thighs. Staring straight ahead, feeling his probing gaze on my cheek, I took a shuddering breath. “I was sixteen when I got pregnant with Callie. Seventeen when I had her. I was only a kid. I was a rich kid in Beverly Hills, pissed off at Dearest Daddy for marrying a bitch who wanted to pretend like I didn’t exist.”
“Where was your mother?”
I looked at Walker. “She died. I was eight. She … scared me a little. Her moods were erratic, and I couldn’t trust her. One day she’d be all over me like I was the greatest thing that ever happened to her, and the next my dad would find her screaming at me to stay away from her, that I’d ruined her life. She’s the reason I’m claustrophobic. She locked me in a closet for five hours.”
“Fucking hell,” Walker muttered.
I smirked sadly. “It was like another life, it was such a small part of mine. She died of an accidental overdose.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I have a lot of guilt about it.” I shrugged, my gut churning at the thought. “Because things were better once she was gone. Dad was—is—a big-time lawyer to the stars. Busy a lot. We threw parties at our house. Celebrity never fazed me because of it. Even though he was away often, I never felt unloved. He was involved in every part of my life. Wanted to hear about everything, from stupid, petty arguments with friends to my academics.” Pain twisted in my chest. “He was my everything. And I wanted to make him proud. I worked hard at school, I did extracurricular stuff, athletics. I did it all. Then when I was fifteen, he met my stepmom, Perry. She’s half his age, and I thought she was a gold-digger.” I looked at Walker for his reaction.
He nodded subtly for me to continue.
No judgment.
“Dad couldn’t see it. He was head over heels. And when I tried to talk to him about my day or drama with friends, he didn’t have time anymore. It felt like I was old news. I was hurt.” Tears of frustration at my past self stung my eyes. “I acted like a stupid kid and started clubbing with my friends, getting drunk and high, having sex before I was emotionally ready. It pissed him off. But at least that was attention. Then I met Nathan.”
I turned to Walker with disdain for Nathan, for myself, blazing in my eyes. Walker tensed ever so slightly. “He’s Callie’s father. He was also a drug dealer. Told you I was an idiot.”
“You were a teenager. Teens aren’t exactly known for their rational thinking.”
I chuckled humorlessly at that. “Oh no, they are not. Anyway, I got pregnant, and my father insisted I either have an abortion or give her up for adoption.”
“And you didn’t want to do either?”
I shook my head. “It might have been the smart thing to do. I mean, I was a kid myself, and kids shouldn’t be raising kids. But I was alone and lonely.” A tear slipped down my cheek, and I swiped it away. “I wanted someone to love and someone who would love me back. So I wanted to keep my baby. And my father kicked me out. I think he thought it would scare me into giving her up.”
Walker sucked in a breath.
“You have to understand … my dad came from nothing. His parents were dirt poor and he worked his ass off to get where he is. The idea of his daughter following a path he’d watched so many girls he grew up with go down because they didn’t have the same opportunities that I did, it made him so angry. He’d given me everything he never had, and to him, I was throwing it all away.
“But I couldn’t give Callie up. I had no one to turn to but Nathan. He promised to look after us. At first, I was naive enough to believe that it might work out. Callie came along and she became my universe. Everything I have done in my life since has been in service to that little girl.”