Total pages in book: 203
Estimated words: 199654 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 998(@200wpm)___ 799(@250wpm)___ 666(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 199654 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 998(@200wpm)___ 799(@250wpm)___ 666(@300wpm)
But the second my fingers connect, the jolt sends me flying backwards, crashing into a shelf of books. A bunch of them tumble down, some big hardbacks thudding on my head and shoulders before they land on the carpet.
“Fuck!” I clip. The effects are still hitting. My limbs feel like they’re on fire. And books continue to fall on me.
Rye and Grey both look tweaked. Bailey is wide-eyed with both hands over her mouth.
So, she can touch me and I don’t get zapped, but I can’t touch her or I do? Figures.
Tears spill from her eyes and she turns and runs deeper into the library, slamming a door.
Clenching my fists I growl at the ceiling.
“Jase,” Grey says gently.
“Unless you can fix this, please fuck off.”
“I wish I could fix it, bro.”
“Fuckin’ leave me be, then. Tell your cousins, Grey. Your mate, Riley. Get them to fix this shit before I rip everything in this fuckin’ place to shreds!”
“Don’t you dare hurt a single book!” she shouts from one of the back rooms, likely the bathroom.
“Fuck!” I shout.
I need to shift. To run. To get my aching cock inside Bailey Blackwood and fuck some damn sense into her.
Rye asks, “You want me to ask Rikki for something to take the edge off? She gave something to Brody.”
“No,” I deny. “I need space. Leave me be, you guys.”
“Call if you need anything,” Rye offers.
I grunt in response. They both go.
I hear her talking in the bathroom. Her voice is muffled by water running, so I strain to hear. She’s crying while speaking hysterically, saying something about a book talk? A book talk lean? A date with Malachi, underwear being on fire, and me being a fucking asshole. And now she’s apologizing.
I back away and find my back against a wall. I slide until I’m on my ass, blowing out a long, hard exhale, trying to cool my jets. I thrust my fingers into my hair and press my forehead to my knee.
22
BAILEY
Stacy texted me.
Stacy: WTF?
I’m not in a good state of mind, but it’s the first message she’s ever sent me, so I call her from the bathroom.
“Bailey?” she answers.
“Hey, Stace,” I greet.
“How could you!”
“Huh?”
“How could you use Malachi to make Jase jealous? You’re gonna get him killed!”
“That’s not what I was doing,” I defend, my face flaming hot.
Shit. She shouted at me. Stacy shouted at me!
“Oh, my stars, Bailey! How could you do that? What are you thinking?”
My shoulders slump. Because she’s right. My heart is sinking. Malachi isn’t under a special spell that means Jase can’t touch him. This could’ve gone very wrong. Jase could’ve hurt him. In fact, I think he did hurt him a little by the way he stopped him with a hand to his chest.
I explain myself in a frenzied flurry. “He asked me on a date just before I left for Italy and I told him I’d think about it. I was thinking before all this stuff started with Jase that I would maybe do that, get some practice.”
“I remember, but things have obviously changed.”
“I was planning to tell him it couldn’t become anything serious since they’re all getting ready to move and there’s no way I want to leave the village permanently. He clearly didn’t hear about Jase so he asked again and Jase was here being all… all… Jase. Straight outta BookTok. Doing that book boyfriend BookTok lean over the library shelves while I’m trying to ignore him and setting my underwear on fire with the way he talks about what he’s gonna do to me and then Mal showed up and was being sweet and shy asking me out and I was like… sure, why shouldn’t I go on a date? Sorry, but I’m not in a relationship. I’ve never even been on a date in my whole life. I should be dating, shouldn’t I? I’m twenty-five years old for heaven’s sake!”
“But you are in a relationship!” she exclaims. “With a scary super alpha who could crush Mal to dust for just looking at his mate!”
“I’m not, though. I told Jase I reject him, so why shouldn’t I go on a date? It’s only to Roxy’s, not like anything would’ve even happened.”
“Why shouldn’t you go on a date?” she repeats like it’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever said.
Then she says, “Jase is a super alpha who has been prevented from claiming his fated mate for days, Bailey. Grey said he’s sleeping on your bedroom floor. He’s following you to work. And that Grey has never seen him this frazzled and angry in his whole life. He’s right there! This means he’d follow you to the restaurant, too. Do you really think he’d sit there and watch you have a date with someone?”
Clearly, I didn’t think that far ahead.
Her voice goes up even higher as she breathlessly exclaims, “You wouldn’t get to eat dinner with Malachi, Bailey, because Jase would eat Malachi for dinner!”