Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 133975 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 670(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 447(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133975 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 670(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 447(@300wpm)
“You knew I wanted to run away,” she said. “That’s my go-to. I’m a runner.”
Hannah gave her another gorgeous smile. “If you love him and you believe he really loves you, take the chance with him, Lyric. As long as you know, in your deepest being, that he loves you and will always look out for you first, do your best to try to trust him.”
Lyric pressed her lips together. She wanted the happy ever after, but it always seemed out of reach. Jonas was law enforcement. Keys was an assassin or something equally the opposite of Hannah’s husband.
“His lifestyle scares me.”
“Life scares you, just as it does me,” Hannah corrected. “But the point of life is living it. Do your best to know him, to make him happy, to see to his needs. Make absolutely certain he knows what you need. That requires communication.”
Lyric laughed. “He does say that.”
Sixteen
“You’ve been very quiet since your visit with Blythe and the others,” Keys said as he came up behind Lyric. She was dressing for the evening, and he took her jeans from her hand. “I have something else in mind for you to wear tonight.”
Instantly, he got that look from her, the one he craved. She knew him now, knew something was coming, one of his kinky surprises. There was trepidation and excitement mixed together flaring in her eyes.
“Destroyer told me you were heading out the door, Wildfire. He had to stop you, and you weren’t happy with him. He wasn’t happy with me. You were running again, weren’t you?”
“Yep,” she admitted, turning fully to face him. “Like a rabbit.”
He framed her face with his hands. He had big hands, and she was delicate. “Why?” He kept all condemnation and hurt from his voice, and didn’t let it show on his face. “I waited for you to bring it up, to explain it to me, but you haven’t said a single word.” He performed his usual claiming ritual. She didn’t understand that was him establishing that she was his, kissing each eye, the tip of her nose, the corners of her mouth. Keeping her used to his touch. Wanting that little bit more from him.
He let go of her and handed her one of his flannel shirts. It was a soft gray with thin black stripes emphasizing the plaid. “No bra. This will be long enough on you to look like a dress.”
Lyric looked horrified. “Even I know a woman doesn’t go to a party wearing a flannel shirt. She dresses nice.”
His eyebrow shot up. “Who are you dressing for? Other bitches? The men? Yourself? Or me?”
“Stop calling women bitches, it is so annoying. And for your information, I was dressing for me. I need to feel confident tonight. It isn’t going to be easy facing this for the first time.”
He loomed over her, getting close. “Baby, I know this is scary for you, but this party is going to be the easy one. Trinity has proven their loyalty, and we can relax and actually have fun. If you want to help Blythe and Breezy in the kitchen and learn the ropes, you can. If not, no pressure. No one will expect anything from you but for you to have a good time. No one dresses up. If anything, clothing is optional.”
“I’m really uncomfortable with going to a party, Keys. I wanted to go to the tea shop, and that didn’t turn out all that well.”
Now they were getting somewhere. “What happened at the tea shop?” He kept his tone mild. She gave a little shiver, and he held out the shirt so she could put her arms in it. When she turned to him, he slipped each button through the buttonhole. Each time he did, his knuckles slid over her bare skin as the shirt closed. He’d been right: the tailored shirt fell nearly to her knees. She looked modest and would look doubly so in comparison to the wild forms of dress other women coming in would be wearing.
“You just left me there alone. I wasn’t with Blythe and the others. I was alone, and I didn’t have a clue what to do.” Her tone was low. Ashamed.
Keys froze. He’d done that. It hadn’t occurred to him that she would need guidance in an unfamiliar situation, especially since she felt she represented him and he’d be judged for whatever she did. That was on him. She’d trusted him to look after her, and it had to have felt like abandonment.
“Lyric, I’m sorry. I should have anticipated your discomfort. In any situation where you feel out of your depth and need guidance from me, promise me you’ll speak out. I’ll do better, now that you brought this to my attention. I should have been out in front of it.” He wanted to kick himself. He’d told her she was safe, that he’d look out for her, and then he’d left her on her own without a clue what to do. It probably hadn’t helped that Destroyer had kept her from going outside. “I swear, I’ll do my best to explain things better to you.”