Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 142764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
"Can I help you?" a male voice says, but it's not Sebastian.
"I'm here to see Maybel."
There's a pause, then... "Ms. Arturo isn't available, especially to you, ever." It's Seb this time for sure. The venom in his voice reaches me even through the tinny intercom line.
"Fucking let me in, Seb. I just want to talk to her," I grit out, balling my fists to keep from grasping the intercom box and shaking it from its base.
"Go away, Drew. You aren't getting near her. I explained that before, and I'll keep saying it. Go away before I send security out to make you go away."
Fuck him. He's not going to keep me from my flower. I spin and stare at the fence line as a security guard marches down from the gatehouse on the other side.
He looks pressed and polished in a security uniform, so he doesn't travel with the family. Fucking good.
I paste on my good ole boy smile and wave him over. "Hey, man," I call out.
His shoulders relax, and he steps up to the gate, my disarming smile doing its usual work. "You have to leave, sir."
I smile again and swagger toward the gate until I'm within reaching distance. I shoot my hand through the wrought iron, grab his shirt front, and slam him into the gate hard enough to stun him.
"Look," I snarl with enough menace in my tone to ensure he doesn't mistake a single word I speak. "I want nothing to do with you or your boss. I want to know where Bel is, that's all. I’m asking nicely, but here in a few moments, I won’t be, and then I can’t be held responsible for what happens to you after that. So what’s it going to be? Are you going to tell me what I want to know, or are we going to see if I can pull your head through these fucking bars?” My grip is tight as I tug him against the iron, adding just enough pressure to press his cheeks against the bars.
He flails, but he's out of shape and useless with the leverage I have over him.
"It really doesn’t have to be this way." I tilt my head and narrow my eyes, considering another option. "Unless she's inside, in which case I'll be entering, and you'll be unconscious."
His radio goes off, and I can hear someone asking for his status. Panic fills his eyes, and he fumbles to grab it, but I catch his hand and twist his wrist back. Not hard enough to break it but hard enough to prove a point.
"The girl..." I prompt.
He hisses out a breath and sags in my hold. Got him. I smile like the villain who just got the girl. "She's on campus. She went back to school today.”
“See, not as hard as you thought…” I release him with a little shove and take a step back, holding my hands up. Before he can right himself, I swivel and take off running down the street, punching a new address into the rideshare app. They won't catch me before I get to her, that's for sure. I kick myself in the ass for not using my bike. This racing around for rides is bullshit. Thankfully, someone is nearby, and I’m hopping in the back of a Kia Sportage a few minutes later.
The guy behind the driver's seat attempts to make small talk, but I’m not about that shit. I need to get to the library and find Bel. Otherwise, all of this will have been for nothing. It feels like it takes years to get back to campus. By the time we’re close enough, I’m hot enough to start a fire with my body heat alone.
“Pull over here,” I order the guy as the car reaches the edge of the football field. If I get out here, I’ll have a straight shot to the library.
He flounders but slows the car. “This isn’t the location you asked me to drop you off at.” I exhale and shake my head.
“Fucking stop!” I growl, and the car comes to a halt immediately. I’m aware that I’m a little unhinged, but I crave the pretty little blond bookworm who’s been trying to hide from me for the past month. Too bad for her, there will be no more hiding.
My desire for her intensifies, and a coil of need winds tighter and tighter the closer I get to her. I force my legs to move faster and break out into a full run toward the library doors. I shove through the double doors, nearly plowing into a group of girls. I can feel their angry glares on me, but I don’t give a fuck. My heart hammers against my rib cage as I scan the expansive space for her familiar messy topknot.