Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 147545 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 590(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147545 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 590(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
He leans down, kissing the ball of that same shoulder. “I promise.”
He’s close enough that I have to steal a little kiss. I have a debt to pay, after all.
He smiles as he pulls back and leaves me to my cooking, and I know it’s probably a little twisted to feel so content considering what we were just discussing, but I decide not to care.
There may be people in the world Tor’s a danger to, but I’m not one of them. The only way I’ve seen people wind up between his crosshairs so far is by coming after me.
Finally, there’s someone who cares about keeping me safe in a world where people have absolutely no hesitation wounding or sacrificing me. It took a lot to make me defend myself the way I did against Tim, and I would never defend myself so fervently from typical mistreatment, but I believe he will.
For the past year, people have had no problem fucking with me, but I think going forward, they may want to reconsider.
CHAPTER 25
CASSIE
Being the environmentally considerate people that we are, we shower together before bed. I did take a shower earlier, but I didn’t anticipate going shopping or moving into a new apartment at the time, so I need to take another one.
The one with him is better, of course.
Afterward, we brush our teeth, then I put my toothbrush into the new holder we bought, along with Tor’s new toothbrush. Even though he won’t technically live here, he has everything he needs to live here.
“Is it weird having stuff scattered across three residences?” I ask, turning off the bathroom light as we step out into the hall.
“Not really. I’m used to living in two places. What’s one more?”
“I can’t imagine that. I know she didn’t put up much resistance tonight with you and half of the Holbrook High football team there, but in the past, my mother has been pretty resistant to the idea of me moving out. Your parents, like… let you and Tim spend summers living alone. How does that work? Do they just not care? Are they never around, or…?”
“No, they’re around. My dad works a lot, but my mom doesn’t work at all. She does local volunteering stuff sometimes, and she has a regular yoga class and self-care appointments, but my father’s pretty demanding, so he’s her full-time job.”
That sounds vaguely familiar, but I don’t say so.
Maybe it’s the mention of his mom’s self-care appointments at the spa he sent Shaley and me to, but he catches my hand just outside my new bedroom, lifting it so he can look at my nails. “These look nice, by the way. Did you enjoy going to the salon?”
“I did. Thank you.”
“You can go anytime you like. Just let me know, and I’ll set it up.”
We’ve never talked about what Tor looks for in a girl—homicidal tendencies when pushed too far is the only thing I’m pretty sure of—but it occurs to me to ask now as he draws the parallel between me and his mom, whether he meant to or not.
“Do you like your girlfriends primped and… doing yoga?” I ask lightly.
I try to call on my own memory of the kind of girls he went for in high school, but I honestly can’t think of a single girl Tor ever dated.
“It’s not an expectation, but if you like it, then sure.” He lets go of my hand and pushes open my bedroom door. “I’ve grown up in a household that revolves around my father. He believes my mother belongs to him, but that means it’s his responsibility to take good care of her. When you have expensive jewelry, you don’t expect it to clean itself, do you? No, you take care of it because you know it’s valuable.”
“Well, yes,” I allow. “But jewelry is inanimate. That’s why it can be owned.”
He cracks a smile. “I’m sure you’ll have a lot to say about their dynamic, but he would cut off his arm before he would ever neglect my mom. Her comfort is always prioritized, so I guess that feels normal to me. I’m not miserly with people I care about. I’m not selfish in that way. I want you to feel the best you can. I want you taken care of, so you’re able to give your best to me.” He cocks his head, hearing what he just said, and smiling self-deprecatingly. “Actually, maybe it is a little selfish.”
I laugh. “I don’t think it’s selfish. That sounds mutually beneficial. I mean, it’s foreign to me to consider having that much time and money to devote to frivolous things, but if you can and you like it…”
“I don’t think taking care of yourself is frivolous. I think it can be pretty intentional. It is a luxury not everyone can afford, though, so I’m not surprised to hear you frame it that way. I think your opinion will change once you’ve been with me for a while.”