Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 131330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
“I thought you’d given up on us,” she tells me, breaking me all over again. “You told me to leave and fall in love with somebody else, and then Austin told me that you didn’t even try to fight for us. I thought you were done.”
I close my eyes and let out a sigh. Of course Austin said that. “Birdy, I’ve been so far up Austin’s ass these past few weeks, demanding he hear me out, that I practically know how many times he shakes his dick after he takes a piss,” I tell her. “I’ve been arrested twice for trespassing, and nearly run over by your asshole brother, but sure, if that’s his version of me not trying, then I haven’t been trying.”
At that, she lifts her head off my chest, her eyes searching mine. “You’ve been fighting for us?”
“Every fucking day, Aspen, and trust me, it hasn’t been pretty. Your brother can be a real asshole when he wants to be.”
“Tell me about it,” she mutters under her breath, somewhat sounding like herself, and making me wonder if talk of our relationship is helping to take her mind off everything that just went down.
Wanting to keep her calm, I tip her head back and run the water through her long strands of chestnut hair before lathering shampoo through it. I’m sure I’m not doing a very good job, but it’s better than the alternative of having blood matted in it.
“I’m not walking away this time,” I tell her, keeping the topic on us. “I fucked up, Aspen, and I understand if you want to keep that distance between us. I don’t deserve another chance after how much I’ve hurt you, but I’m done waiting for Austin to come around. He made it clear tonight that he can’t get past his anger. At least, not yet anyway. And I’m done hurting the woman I love to cater to his emotions. I want to be with you, Aspen. I want to start a life with you. I want to build a home and have a bunch of kids with your beautiful green eyes.”
“And if I’m locked in a prison cell?”
“It’s not going to come down to that,” I tell her. “You’re going to be okay.”
As if finding a little shred of strength, Aspen begins rinsing the shampoo out of her hair. She closes her eyes, and it’s clear that she’s deep in thought, but there’s no telling where her head has gone. Though it doesn’t go unnoticed that she hasn’t exactly responded to me saying I want to be with her, but now isn’t the time to push it.
We finish in the shower, and I reach for a towel before wrapping her up and leading her back to my room. I find a shirt for her to wear, and soon enough, she’s curled in my arms with her head resting against my chest. “I killed a man, Izaac.”
I nod. “You did, but I don’t want you to linger on it. It was an act of survival. It was self-defense. You did nothing wrong,” I explain. “I know it feels impossible, but I want you to get some sleep. You’re in shock. Sooner or later, the police are going to knock on the door, and they’re going to want to take you in for questioning, and when that happens, it’ll be good to go in with a clear head.”
“And if I don’t have a clear head?”
“Then it’s okay because Vixen has surveillance cameras.” Aspen nods against my chest, and as she lets out a shaky breath, I feel the hot tears fall from her eyes and pool on my chest. “Everything’s going to be alright, Birdy. I’m going to be right here. I’ll take care of you.”
Aspen doesn’t respond as she lays in my arms and tries to sleep. It takes almost an hour for her to stop trembling, and when I’m sure she’s finally asleep, I lean toward her, press a kiss to her forehead, and slip out from beneath her.
I fix the blanket around her shoulders and hope like fuck that she doesn’t wake while I’m gone, but I have to get back down to Vixen and figure out what’s going to happen from here. And despite knowing how badly Austin wants to kick my ass right now, it’s not fair for all of this bullshit to fall on his shoulders. It’s my club. I should be the one down there answering questions and consoling my staff.
After sparing another glance at Aspen and making sure she’s all good, I pull on a shirt and a pair of sweatpants and take off again. My phone has been ringing non-stop for over an hour, but I’ve kept it on silent, determined to settle Aspen first.
The drive back to Vixen takes no time at all, and as I pull down the road, I find the street lit with red and blue lights. There are cops everywhere, police cruisers, ambulances, and a good section of the road is marked off with police tape.