Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 74122 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74122 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
“Emma,” he growled. “Ain’t gonna tell you again.”
“I thank you for the opportunity, but—”
Before another word could escape her lips, he grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder. She squealed in surprise, but he didn’t give a shit.
The fucking woman didn’t listen. He was tired of talking, so now he was taking matters into his own hands. With her struggling against him, he strode out of the dressing room, toward the back of the club, out the door and up the steps to his apartment. He paused only long enough to avoid taking a foot to the dick, to dig his keys out of his pocket, unlock the deadbolt and shove the door open. He slammed it shut, latched the lock, took two long strides into the living room and then tossed her over the back of the couch where she landed with a bounce on the cushions, her hair flying all over the place.
“What—”
“Shut up,” he barked and moved around to the front of the couch just as she was pushing herself up to a seat.
“That’s so rude!”
He planted his hands on his hips. “Damn right it is. An’ so’s not listenin’ to what I’m tellin’ you.”
“You’re not the boss of me!”
He stopped himself before he shouted that he was. Because in reality, he wasn’t. He needed to remind himself of that.
Just because he stuck his dick in her once, didn’t make her his.
Fuck no, it didn’t.
When she went to stand up, he pointed at her and bellowed, “Sit the fuck down. Ain’t movin’ from that spot ‘til you tell me everything. Got me?”
“Dawson...”
“It’s fuckin’ Dawg!”
She lifted a hand and then dropped it back into her lap. Her head bowed, and she whispered, “Sorry.”
Fuck. Now he felt like a complete shit.
“Look at me. Don’t give a shit what you call me, as long as you tell me what the fuck’s goin’ on.”
She lifted her red-rimmed blue eyes to his. “Why do you care?”
Good question. Why the fuck did he care?
Because he was a stupid shit, and he knew the moment he’d stuck his dick in her his life was going to change.
That’s why he cared.
Chapter Five
Emma stared up at the man who loomed over her with a frown on his face, his brow furrowed, and hands on his hips, just waiting for her to spill her secrets.
“Can I get dressed first?”
“No.”
She raised a hand to her cheek. “Can I wash my face?”
“No.”
“Are you always this bossy?”
His lips twitched slightly, then he grunted, “Fuck yeah.”
Great. She sighed. “Where should I start?”
“The beginnin’.”
“Maybe you should take a seat then,” she suggested, waving a hand at a worn leather recliner nearby.
“Fine where I’m at.”
“I’d prefer you sit down.” She didn’t need a big tattooed biker standing over her as she tried to tell him a story that was painful. “Please,” she added softly.
A look she didn’t recognize crossed his face, then he finally gave her a sharp nod and settled into the recliner that faced the couch. At least now there was some distance between them and she might be able to think a bit straighter.
She cleared her throat. “I have a daughter.”
“Know it.”
She frowned. “Are you going to let me tell you?”
His lips twitched again, and he sat back. “Go.”
She took a deep inhale and began to speak. “I was eighteen when I met him.” Because of her grades and her SAT scores, she had received a scholarship and some grants to attend a college she wouldn’t have normally been able to afford. Especially since her grandmother who raised her couldn’t help her financially, either. But it was a college where her future husband’s family had no problem footing his bill. “I was a freshman and met him at a frat party—”
He leaned forward with a jerk. “Him?”
She shot him a look.
His eyes widened as if he hadn’t realized he’d spoken out loud, and he said again, “Go.”
“Handsome, smart, from a good family...”
His fingers curled into fists on his thighs. “He beat you?”
“Dawson,” she chided him for interrupting again. “Do you want to hear it or not?”
“Sorry. Go.”
“I was too young to realize that I was too young to make life-altering decisions. Like marriage and family and...”
“And?”
She blew out a breath. “I thought I was in love. Anyway, long story short, by the time I graduated college, we were engaged, living together, and I was expecting.” She sat back and chewed on her bottom lip as she remembered how she felt when she found out she was pregnant.
Excited. Elated. Hopeful. That’s how she felt. She couldn’t wait to be a mother. Even though her career would be put on hold for a little while, she thought it would be worth it.
“And then Lily was born.” She would never forget the moment the nurse placed her newborn in her arms. “You can’t know how precious... what a gift...” She glanced up and saw Dawg’s face was as tight as a drum.