Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 127146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
I toss my jacket and bow tie on her table and approach her bedroom door. I throw it open; the door hits the wall with a harsh thud, and I brace my hands on either side of the frame, blocking the only exit from the room.
Frozen like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle, she stares at me. It only takes a moment for reality to come crashing back down, and then her gaze widens tenfold.
"What the fuck?"
"The better question is, did you really just tell me to fuck off?"
Just try to run, flower.
CHAPTER 16
BEL
It takes a moment for my brain to catch up with my eyes. Is that really him standing in my doorway, looking like a snack in a fucking tuxedo, or am I imagining it? I force another breath into my lungs, hoping maybe more air will make my brain realize this isn’t real and move to sit up, but the second I flinch, Drew saunters into my room like he owns it.
Nope, he is very much real. His tall frame is tense, his shoulders are tight, and his back is like a panther ready to spring.
His words hang heavy in the air. "I'll repeat myself only once, Bel. Did you tell me to fuck off?"
A boulder sits heavy in my throat, making it difficult for me to speak. I'm not feeling as brave when faced with all of him. His size, his anger, and all the things that lie between us. Big, bulky things I don't know where to stash away or hide.
I try for honesty instead. "I was busy, and I didn't want to see you."
"You don't think a simple, can't talk, I’m busy right now, would suffice? You had to push me? Today of all days. I’m pretty sure I already warned you what happens when I’m pushed too far?"
I glance around the room like I missed something. Who the fuck does he think he is? "What's today? Did I miss your birthday or something? If so, I apologize for not getting you a gift." The snark of my voice is unmissable.
"No, sassy little wallflower, it's not my birthday. But that doesn't matter. I'm not in the mood to deal with your attitude right now."
A loud, rumbling noise fills my ears. Oh god.
Drew’s dark gaze narrows in on me. "When was the last time you ate?"
I clear my throat, gripping the blankets tightly, like they have the power to save me from this brutish man. It's like he only just noticed how much I’m using them as a form of security and reaches out, tugging the blanket from my fingers. I'm not prepared for the hard jerk he gives and nearly tumble out of bed in the process.
“Hey! That wasn’t very nice!” I grumble angrily.
His eyes rake over my suddenly chilly body. An eruption of goose bumps develops when his eyes lock on my ever-rising chest and my tight nipples that press against my thin white tank. I notice the way his nostrils flare, and the hard clench of his jaw, and the tightening of the muscles in his body almost like he’s trying to control himself. Like he’s a prowling animal waiting to eat me alive at any moment.
Regardless of my thoughts, and with the reminder of what happened in the library between us, and how heartless and temperamental he can be, my body's reaction to him is the same. My muscles tighten, and my core becomes damp. I swear the temperature inside the room rises ten degrees. My physical attraction to him makes it harder for me to deny that I actually hate him, especially when my body tells me otherwise. Part of me even likes him, at least the glimpses of him he shows me that aren’t hateful and cruel.
Why am I like this? Why does he have this control over me? I should despise him, but somehow, I…can’t.
"I never claimed to be a nice guy, now did I? Get up!" he orders, shaking the blanket and tossing it on the folding chair braced against the end of my bed.
I swallow hard, hoping to keep my voice steady. Men like him prey on any type of weakness. "No, I don't feel good."
"Maybe because your body is trying to eat itself because it’s starving. You need food, Bel. Get up."
It's on the tip of my tongue to scream at him, but the words come out in a rush of a whisper instead. "Why do you care if I haven’t eaten?"
All I can think is that maybe I should've thought that response through better since immediately he advances, bracing himself over me, one hand on either side of my torso, his long body stretched tall over the side of the bed.
"I really hate repeating myself, flower, yet you make me repeat myself often. Don’t make me have to teach you a lesson. Get the fuck up so I can make you something to eat."