Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 107352 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107352 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
When Sampson dropped me off, he offered me an umbrella, but I gestured at myself, and he chuckled and told me to get the hell out of his car. He was a nice man, and I liked him.
Once I scaled the steps to the front door, I saw that Tatum was sitting in the window nook, waiting for me. When I waved, she disappeared, and I put my hands on my hips and leaned back, stretching my muscles. I really was too old to be scaling fences, running through foliage and mud, and dodging cars, all under a steady downpour of icy rain. It was supposed to be thirty-four degrees later this evening. It felt like it now.
The front door flew open, and Luke was there with towels, putting one over my head and another around my shoulders, and then grabbing me so very tight. He was trembling.
“Go inside,” I directed him. “It’s cold out here.”
“Nash,” he barely got out, and when I leaned back to look at him, his eyes were red slits and his jaw was clenched. Only then did I realize he’d been terrified for me.
“I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
He nodded as I bent and peeled off my socks, left both on the porch, and walked into the house in my bare wet feet.
“Are you okay?” Tatum asked, her voice small, sniffling, as Luke closed the door behind us.
“I’m fine, love.”
“No, you’re not,” she whimpered. “You have scrapes and bruises.”
“But I’m fine, I promise.”
I made sure the front door was locked, deadbolt included, then turned to all the faces suddenly crowded into my space. The kids were all staring at me expectantly, his parents as well, and Luke had his hand on my bicep, holding tight.
“Let me begin by saying we’re not in any danger, and I’ll tell you all everything that happened after I take a very hot shower.”
“I will have your soup ready for you when you come out,” Viola assured me.
“Thank you,” I said, smiling at her before facing Luke. “I will give you a million dollars if you go up to the attic and get me some clean clothes.”
“We both know you don’t have a million dollars,” he whispered. “But I will take care of you anyway.”
I put my hand on his cheek. “You’re the best.”
“For you, yes. Try and keep it in mind.”
I headed toward the guest room.
“Nope, wrong way,” Luke almost barked, not angry, but clearly wanting me to go where he’d told me he wanted me earlier. In his room, in his shower, in his bed.
I was out of it, on autopilot, and so had headed toward where I’d been sleeping for the past few weeks. “Sorry, I—”
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” he instructed, taking hold of my arm to raise it and drape it over his shoulders. “Griff, go get everything from the attic and bring it down here.”
“Wait—”
“Don’t wait,” Luke overrode me. “Just do what I told you.”
“Going now,” Griff replied, but then took a step toward me.
“No,” I directed, stopping him. “I’m covered in mud and soaking wet. I’ll hug you when I get out. I don’t want you to get cold too.”
Griff nodded and bolted from the room.
In Luke’s bathroom, he let me go in alone, which was kind of him. I needed some quiet time in my own head with my own thoughts. I put my switchblade on the sink counter, then took everything off, which was harder than I thought with the way my clothes were sticking to me like a second skin. I trudged to the shower, got under the hot water, and after scrubbing myself from head to toe, I simply stood under the water and let it warm me. It would have been nice to stand under the spray until I was heated down to my core, but I knew Luke wanted to talk to me. I was not surprised when I opened the door, with only a towel around my waist, to find him sitting on the end of his bed.
“I want to give you some space, because if it were me, I’d need that, but I’m having a hard time.”
“Hey,” I said softly, smiling at him. “It’s okay.”
“You need to put on some clothes. You have to be freezing.”
“I am,” I croaked out.
He looked…hurt, so I crossed the room quickly, and he stood up right before I reached him and took me into his arms as soon as I was close enough.
“You’re so warm,” I murmured into his hair, clutching him tight.
“And your skin is warm and smooth, and I want to sleep right next to you so I can touch you all night long.”
“Luke, you—”
“No,” he whispered, rubbing my bare back, his right hand behind my head, tangled in my hair. “One second we were talking, bantering, and the next you were running off into the dark all alone. I have never been that scared in my entire life.”