Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 70566 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70566 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Her head went against the spot between my shoulder blades, and that’s where it stayed until we got back to my place.
The girls came rushing out and surrounded us.
All of them were filled with questions, but I silenced them all with a few clipped words.
They understood and went inside.
Instead of taking her to her apartment, I took her inside to my bathroom.
I turned the shower on for her, then all but shoved her inside when she looked like she wasn’t going to get in there on her own.
She blinked at me owlishly as her entire body got soaked, clothes included.
“Get showered,” I ordered as my hands itched to start yanking wet clothes and shoes off. “Or do you want me to help?”
Her first instinct was to say no, I could see it on her face, but then she wilted. “I need help. My head’s throbbing.”
I lifted her shirt free and tossed it into the bottom of the shower, then moved to her leggings and shoes.
When she was standing in her panties, I twisted her around and eased her hair out of the low ponytail she had it in.
My fingers itched to reach for her bra strap or the hem of her panties.
I tried and failed not to pay attention to her body.
It was delectable.
Smooth, pale skin. Supple curves. Ass.
Tits.
God, all of those features would feel so good rubbing against me.
But this was not the time.
Not when she looked like she was about to fall over.
“You got your hair?” I asked.
She nodded but winced.
“Should we go to the doctor?” I asked.
She shook her head. “I passed out. I have a low-grade concussion. But I’m okay.”
Seeing as she knew more shit medically than I ever would, I decided to trust her and said, “I’m going to get you some clothes. I’ll be back in here in ten minutes to help you dress.”
She nodded, throat working as she swallowed.
I headed out the door, leaving it cracked, and found the girls downstairs waiting.
I gave them a quick rundown of what happened, not leaving anything out. Some might ask why I treated my daughters like they were adults, but I’d found that the more information you were armed with, even as a child, the better you could handle any situations that arose.
And this situation was bound to have some major fallout.
“I’ll go get her clothes,” DeeDee said. “I have to get Froto anyway. We took him back home in case she came in late.”
I let her go, deciding to change my own clothes in the laundry room.
Once I was dressed again, DeeDee was back with clothes, and Joe was waiting with a cup of coffee and some donuts.
“We made them while you were gone, they’re still really fresh,” Joe explained.
I took the small bag and coffee upstairs along with Holly’s clothes and found her sitting on my bed with a towel wrapped around her looking lost.
She saw me coming and sighed. “Is that donuts?”
“Yep. Homemade,” I explained. “You ready to go?”
She nodded her head, but she looked so fuckin’ lost in that moment that I couldn’t have stopped myself if I tried.
Placing everything on the dresser next to the bed, I dropped down to my knees at the bottom of the bed, then reached for her.
The moment she understood what I was doing, what I was willing to give, she threw herself at me.
The sobs that left her throat…
Nothing could ever fix this for her.
But I’d be damned if I didn’t at least try.
SEVENTEEN
Boyardeez titties sweaty.
—Holly to Nettie
HOLLY
There were so many dogs in the building that one would think that it would be loud.
It wasn’t loud, though.
And this was only a third of the dogs that had been at the dog fight.
The other two-thirds had been split between two other clinics.
We’d split up the critical, and now it was five o’clock in the morning and we hadn’t stopped to rest once.
“He’s aggressive,” I said softly.
Maybe too aggressive.
“This makes my blood boil,” Nettie growled.
“If I could light every one of those motherfuckers on fire that had been there last night, I would happily do it. I’d enjoy watching them scream,” I hissed.
Boone didn’t agree, but we all knew that he was just as angry as the rest of us.
“Charlene,” Boone said softly. “Cover his cage up with a blanket. He looks mostly stable from what I can tell. Maybe if we give him some time to calm down…”
Charlene went toward the cage with a blanket and the dog instantly calmed.
“Oh,” Charlene said in surprise.
“Oh’s right,” Boone hummed. “Let me step out. See how he acts when I’m gone.”
Boone stepped out to the hallway, out of sight but not gone completely, and almost all of the dogs in the room calmed.
“Whoa,” I said. “It’s men.”
“Men suck!” Nettie called out.
“That’s not what you were saying last night,” Boone called out.