Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 99766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 499(@200wpm)___ 399(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 499(@200wpm)___ 399(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Charlotte continues her clinking with her fork, jolting me out of my blatant stare down of Terrence. I shudder at the sound, trying to shake off the way it affects me.
“I’ll get Jack’s address from Dad. We can pay him a visit,” I offer. “Shake him down.”
Cal snorts. “Okay, Detective English. Because, yeah, that’s how the real world works.”
I flip him off, flashing him my nastiest glare. “What are you suggesting? That he waits until she comes to him?”
“I’m just saying it doesn’t work that way, kid,” Cal explains.
“Not to mention,” Charlotte chimes in, “Dad isn’t going to give out his patients’ information.”
“Who said I was going to ask Dad?” I lift a brow. “I have my own ways of getting info from him.”
Cal rolls his eyes and Charlotte frowns in disapproval. Terrence, though, narrows his eyes at me, searching for my sincerity.
“We’ll get to the bottom of this,” I tell him.
His lips quirk up on one side in a boyish grin that makes my stomach tighten for some weird reason. Again, I blame my period and Charlotte’s spaghetti.
The moment Cal starts mauling Charlotte in the kitchen as she tries to clean up dinner, I bail. Grabbing my coat, I toss it on and slip out of the cabin. A blast of cold air chills me to the bone, but I suck in a deep, steadying breath and walk down the porch steps.
Outside, it’s quiet.
Soundless.
Perfect.
Tiny dots of snow land on my face, cooling pinpricks on my warm skin. I close my eyes, reveling in the chilly silence. A soft click can be heard and then muted footsteps. The frigid evening air is blocked by a solid wall of heat. My heart rate speeds up, making blood rush to my ears, creating a white noise of sorts.
I snap my eyes open, craning my head to look up at the man standing in front of me. Too close. Too close and yet I don’t step away. He’s tall like Cal, though maybe not quite his height. His head is tilted down as he stares at me, brows furled.
“What?” I grind out, my voice husky sounding.
“You shouldn’t be out here alone.” His words are a gentle whisper. “Not after what happened with your sister.”
The heat that was coiling in my belly cools. “They’ve been dealt with, remember? The Cunninghams aren’t running loose and certainly aren’t concerned with me.”
A blast of wind whistles past us, sending loose strands of my hair sticking to my face. Terrence raises his hand, making me tense. My frown deepens when he uses a finger to hook across the hairs, catching them in his grip. A shudder trembles through me as he tucks the hair behind my ear.
Why is he touching me?
Why don’t I hate it?
“You know you can talk to me,” Terrence rumbles, the gravel in his words rolling over my skin in a painful way.
I recoil, taking a necessary step back. “About what?”
His droopy eye is no longer noticeable as his eyes narrow to slits. “Everything. Anything. Nothing.”
Sounds like too many words.
“I don’t like talking,” I bite out. “Talking is stupid.”
It is. So stupid.
“What if I was the one who needed to talk to you?” Vulnerability shines in his reddish-brown eyes that seem to burn with intensity.
“I’d say talk to yourself,” I huff, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Ouch.” He grimaces. “I thought we were cool, Penny.”
Guilt claws at me, tearing holes into the impenetrable walls I keep around myself.
“We’re cool, dent head,” I grumble. “I’m just not a good listener. Or talker.”
“You’re good with Tierra,” he argues, his head tilting to one side as he scrutinizes me. “And she talks a whole fucking lot.”
“You really need to talk to me?” I arch a brow up. “What about Cal? Roan? Jordy?”
“They don’t get…us.”
His words have my blood freezing in my veins. “There’s nothing wrong with me,” I shriek, my tone shrill. “I’m fine.”
Bile rises in my throat.
He can see?
Terrence knows about the sounds? About the maddening shit that goes on inside my head every day? How? How does he know?
My body shivers and my shoulders hunch.
Will Dad find out? Will he make me see a shrink? Will I have to quit basketball?
“You’re cold,” Terrence whispers as he steps closer, his massive hands curling around my shoulders, sealing in the warmth he emanates. “You need to get back inside.”
“I n-need to g-go home,” I chatter out. I hate how weak my voice sounds. Like I might cry. I don’t cry, especially not in front of others.
Concern flashes in his eyes as he dips lower to search my face. Enough searching. I don’t want him to find what I try desperately to keep under control.
“Penny—”
“Stop touching me!” I yell, shoving him as a ball of emotion forms in my throat.
His eyes flash with hurt as though I’ve wounded him. This makes the tension in my stomach tighten further. I like Terrence. I don’t want to hurt his feelings. But he doesn’t understand what it’s like to be me. He wants to talk because we’re the same? We’re not even on the same plane of existence.