Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 51624 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 258(@200wpm)___ 206(@250wpm)___ 172(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51624 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 258(@200wpm)___ 206(@250wpm)___ 172(@300wpm)
“You sound like someone I used to know,” she says softly.
“Did you like him?” I joke.
She looks up at me with tears in her eyes that break my heart. Those beautiful eyes of hers shouldn’t cry. “I loved him with my entire being, Lake. He was everything to me.”
“He was a very lucky man then,” I answer honestly, all while feeling like every hope I’d secretly harbored concerning Olivia Davis was gone.
“Not really,” she whispers. “Loving me got him killed.”
Those five words feel like a fucking bomb that she just set off in the middle of us. The pain in her voice was quiet, yet so devastating that it left destruction in its wake without even trying. I couldn’t even respond. My brain has stopped functioning. Then, Olivia does something that I won’t forget for as long as I live. She flattens her hand against my chest. That familiar heat hits me at once. I don’t get time to react to it, because she’s looking up at me with those soulful hazel eyes that will haunt me until the day I fucking die. Then, she leans into me and gently brushes her lips against my cheek—branding me without even trying.
I watch, unable to speak as she opens her door and all but runs into her cabin.
I want to follow her. I know I can’t. I do the next best thing—I text Carson.
Me: Hey Carson. Olivia asked me not to come in. Didn’t want to scare her. I’m outside her cabin now. Can you text her and make sure she’s good? Don’t want to leave until I know.
It takes a few minutes before I get a reply, but I don’t move. Hell, I’m already wishing I could just stay out here tonight. I wanted to be close to her. The need for that is so strong that it’s staggering.
Carson: She’s good. Apartment is clear. Thanks for the heads-up. Cya tomorrow.
I stare at my phone, feeling hollow. Then, I look up to see a light turn on in the cabin. Visions of Olivia lying on a bed naked hit me, and I close my eyes, hold my head down and pinch the bridge of my nose.
“Motherfucker, I’m in deep trouble,” I whisper out to no one but me and the moon shining above me. “How in the hell do I stop wanting her?”
Unfortunately, silence surrounds me. The moon doesn’t have an answer.
Shit.
11
GOOD INTENTIONS
OLIVIA
They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I intended to race to Douglas’s garage that night to trade my life for Bear’s. Instead, my brother used my love for Bear and tortured both of us until he got bored. Then, he ripped my heart out by killing Bear.
Lake was sweet to me last night. I’m definitely attracted to him, and I wanted to show him how much I appreciated his effort to be kind. So, I let my guard down and kissed him on the cheek. Once again, my intentions were good. I enjoyed being around him. Yet all night, the only person that came to my mind was Bear. It’s so strange, but I feel like that simple kiss on the cheek was being disloyal to him. In my brain, it felt like I was cheating. Realistically, I know Bear’s gone. He’s not coming back. Yet this attraction I have for Lake is messing with me.
Needless to say, I didn’t sleep a bit last night. Now, I’m at work feeling like a zombie. It doesn’t help that the day seems to drag on, and because I didn’t sleep, I have a killer headache. I took some pain meds, but they haven’t touched it. When the bell above the door goes off, I paste a smile on my face and look up. I’m surprised when I see Lake standing there, hat in his hand. I try not to compare him to Bear, but I can’t help it. He reminds me of him—from the color of hair, the eyes, and a lot of his mannerisms. Yet, the face is different. None of Bear’s lines around his eyes, his personality is different. His physique—while impressive—lacks the muscle tone of Bear’s too. Bear’s beautiful tattoos are absent on Lake’s body. No, Lake’s arms are covered in scars. I heard he had an accident and had to have skin grafts and everything. Deb had mentioned that the medical bills were astronomical, and the Wells’ charity foundation had paid for them. She works in their office and has overshared with me. I silently forbid myself to ever compare Bear and Lake again. Bear is gone and I need to keep remembering that before I end up in a padded cell somewhere.
“Lake,” I reply after the two of us just stand there and stare at each other for minutes too long.
“Hey,” he replies. I frown when he goes silent again. Finally, he clears his throat and speaks. “Are you off work?”