Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Her friend was still a virgin. The boyfriends Petal had in the past hadn’t been patient enough. All they wanted was sex, but Petal refused to give in.
“Do you want the honest truth?”
“Of course.”
“I hated it,” Rosalie said. “It was painful and horrible.”
“So, the women in porn shows lie. You weren’t gasping in pleasure, begging for more.”
Rosalie shook her head.
“It’s over now, right? That’s it. You and Colt don’t have to see each other again.”
She laughed. “I wish it was that simple.”
“Isn’t it? Don’t get me wrong, I know most couples stay together and, you know, rarely get divorced.” Petal snorted. “But you and Colt, you can see your hatred for one another. That is not a good thing for a marriage. Also, this is kind of old-fashioned with it being arranged and all. Do you really have to keep seeing him?”
Rosalie stared at her friend. “I’ve got to get pregnant.”
“What?”
“Yeah, I’ve got to get pregnant and I don’t even know if it’s important what the sex is.”
Petal shook her head. “And all this time I figured we were leading boring lives. The only excitement was whether we would slap Al for touching our butts. Is it wrong that I just want to go back to that?”
“Not wrong at all.” Rosalie sighed. “Is it wrong that I’m looking forward to work on Monday?”
Petal burst out laughing. “This is so bad.”
Rosalie laughed as well.
“I wonder if I’ll ever have sex or just die a virgin.”
“There might be someone,” Rosalie said.
Petal wrinkled her nose. “Nah, everyone wants it right then and there. I don’t want to just have sex with anyone. No offense.”
“None taken. I had sex with my husband.” She groaned. “Ugh, if I say those words again, shoot me.”
“Gladly,” Petal said. “I guess it’s pointless asking if you had a good birthday.”
“It has been shit,” Rosalie said.
“Yeah, you turned twenty-one, got married, and had sex. It’s been the whole package for you,” Petal said.
Rosalie laughed. She had no choice. If she didn’t, she was going to burst into tears.
“My mom’s safe. That’s all that matters.”
“You’re always protecting your mother.”
“I love her.”
“I’ll protect you,” Petal said.
She turned to look at her friend. “You don’t have to do that. I’m hoping I don’t have to come here often, you know.”
“I don’t care. When you do, I’ll be here. I’m not going to run away. You’ve been my best friend since kindergarten. We’ve had each other’s backs all this time and I’m not going to turn away now.” Petal took her hand. “I’ll be here for you, always.”
Rosalie felt her throat grow tight.
Petal was her best friend. They had each other’s backs over the years. They had fought each other’s bullies, taken care of each other. They were the best of friends. Locking their fingers together, Rosalie rested her head on Petal’s shoulder. Part of her had feared this would separate them. She was so pleased that Petal was strong.
“I love you, Petal.”
“I love you too, Rosalie. Oh, I might have also threatened your husband as well. I hope that’s okay.”
Rather than be afraid, Rosalie found that to be one of the funniest things she heard all day.
****
“You don’t have to say anything. I already know you didn’t like today,” Warden said.
“Did you notice Rosalie didn’t come down?” Kim asked.
Warden stared at his wife as she massaged some cream into her arms. She was always a worrier. It was times like this that he didn’t know what to say or do to calm her troubled thoughts. Their son had already shown a dislike for Rosalie. He had a feeling she was nothing like her father. There was certainly no love lost between the two.
“I noticed.”
“He didn’t … hurt her?”
He never wanted to lie to his wife. She had given up so much for him in their lifetime already. The MC life hadn’t been for her, but because he’d wanted her so badly, he’d ignored all logical thought and simply went for what he wanted. Kim had been his for some time now and he adored her. She was part of his very soul, his essence.
He shoved the blanket off his legs and got to his feet, moving toward her. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her in close. She didn’t fight him. Her hands touched his forearms, which he knew she loved. She loved it when he held her.
“We raised our son right.”
“But the damn sheet, you and I both know that was unnecessary.”
“I know it was but I told you, I’ll know which battles to pick with Daemon. Leave it to me.”
Kim sighed and sank back against him. “What do we do now? How do we fix this?”
“We work. We watch. We wait.”
“Ugh! How can you be so calm?”
“Because I can’t worry about every single detail, not yet.”
“I hated having him at the clubhouse,” Kim said. “The sight of him sickens me.”