Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
I started to turn my focus back on the girl I was here to see when the old woman clapped her hands. The granny clapped her motherfucking hands. Was she serious?
“Did you hear me? Put that out!” She raised her voice.
Reaching up, I took it from my lips but held on to it. I wasn’t wasting a perfectly good smoke because she seemed to think she owned the parking lot.
“There you are,” a soft, melodious voice said, drawing my attention away from the bitch with the dried-up cunt, who had probably never been fucked properly a day in her life. “I’m sorry I didn’t see you arrive,” the girl said with a glint in her gray eyes that eased whatever annoyance the granny had caused me.
What was she doing?
She gave me a smile that I hadn’t been prepared for. I wasn’t sure any man could be ready for that. Fuck me, it had a punch. Her entire face seemed to glow.
“You know this man?” the old woman asked with disbelief in her tone.
The girl laughed then, and I was intrigued. When was the last time I’d been intrigued with anything?
“Yes, he’s here to meet with Dad about the building project. I’ll make sure he gets to him. Thank you for bringing the casseroles. It will help feed all the Vacation Bible School volunteers. We are so grateful,” she replied.
Well, well, Little Miss Sunday School had just fucking lied. I had to bite my bottom lip to keep from cracking a smile.
“That cancer stick needs to be put out. We can’t have people working on the Lord’s house and smoking,” the old woman said in a less aggressive tone than she’d taken with me. “And of course, Capri, dear. I will always help in any way I can. You just let me know what else you need, and I can do it.”
Capri nodded her head. “Yes, Mrs. Gertrude, I will.”
I barely glanced at the old woman as she shot me one more hard stare before turning and walking away. My focus was right back on the girl. She was still doing that damn smile of hers as she looked up at me.
“Sorry about her. She’s a bit much, but she means well,” Capri said.
I didn’t believe that. Most of the religious folks I’d met in my life were hypocritical bastards. None of them meant well.
“And here I thought, lying was one of those sins y’all steered clear of,” I replied.
Her cheeks flushed, and she scrunched her nose before letting out a nervous laugh. “Yeah, well, I had to save you from her. It was the first thing that came to my mind, so I went with it.”
There was no reason for me to linger. I’d come to see her, and I’d done that. There was work I should be doing.
“You think I needed saving, huh? Might be a first,” I said instead of getting in the truck and leaving.
“What’s a first? Someone saving you?”
I nodded my head, enjoying her facial expressions. She had no fucking idea who I was, but she was curious. It was all there on that perfect face of hers. So was the innocence. I needed to leave.
“Yeah,” I replied. “It’s never me who needs saving,” I replied, then put my cigarette back between my teeth and straightened from my relaxed position against the truck. Time for me to go.
“Oh,” she said in a breathy voice. “I, uh, do I know you?”
That was a loaded question. Not one she would ever get the answer to.
“No, you don’t.”
I opened the truck door and turned to look back at her. Her brows were drawn together in a small frown that was real fucking adorable.
“And you don’t want to,” I added.
“I should get to decide that.”
Those eyes of hers said more than she needed to ever say to someone like me. The hopeful glint in them almost had me closing the door and staying here with her longer. Almost. As much as I liked the way she made me feel—less detached—I knew if she let me get too close, I’d destroy her.
“You’ll thank me,” I told her.
Climbing into the truck, I closed the door before she had time to say another word. The longer I stayed, the more damage would be done. But to which one of us, I wasn’t sure.
She stepped back when the engine roared to life. Wide-eyed, she stood there, watching me as I backed up.
Probably shouldn’t have come here. She’d ask questions about me. Find out who I was. Folks in town would tell her I was dangerous. I’d killed a guy and gotten away with it. Probably whisper about the things they knew about the Family, but weren’t sure how much was true.
All of it.
After that, she’d stay the fuck away. Which was for the best. I didn’t trust my reactions to her—or rather, my reactions to others who treated her poorly. It was unlikely it would happen again. She wasn’t that awkward, shy little girl whose mother dressed her anymore. But I wasn’t about to test that belief either.