Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97409 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97409 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
“Theo—” I don’t say anything else because his lips are on mine, and I forget about everything except him.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
THEO
I’m about to march her into the bedroom when the doorbell rings again.
“Ignore it,” I urge as I slide my tongue into her mouth again, needing to get her naked and in bed before my parents get back. The doorbell rings a second time. “I’m going to throttle whoever is at the door.” The sound of her giggling as I stomp to the door makes my cock even harder than it was. I pull the door open to find Burke, his back to me, hands on his hips.
He turns around, and I can see he’s not a happy person. “Hey, I’m sorry to do this, but is Collins here?”
“She is.” My shoulders go back. “What’s going on?”
He looks past me. “Hey, Collins. I’m sorry to interrupt. I went by the station to talk to you, and Captain told me you called out sick.”
“Yeah, I didn’t feel well.” Her face has become pale.
“This isn’t going to take long.” He waits a moment. “Can I come in?”
“I’m not sure,” I answer. “Listen, Collins doesn’t need stress right now.”
“I get it,” he says, his eyes showing understanding, “but I have to do my job.”
“Then come in,” I huff out. I slip my fingers through hers as we walk gingerly to the living room.
She sits down at the edge of the couch. “Am I in trouble?” Her bottom lip trembles, and I let her hand go to wrap my arm around her shoulders.
I kiss the side of her head. “It’s going to be okay,” I whisper, and she looks up at me, worry all over her face. Anger now fills my body, and I vow to never ever let her fucking parents and their actions touch her ever fucking again.
“They did something,” she says, “I can feel it.” She turns to Burke. “What happened? Am I in trouble?”
“You aren’t in trouble,” he reassures her, “but—”
“There is no fucking but,” I snap at him. “She’s freaking out, and you are not helping. What part of ‘she can’t be stressed’ are you not getting?”
“Theo.” She puts her hand on my leg.
“Like I was trying to say, you aren’t in trouble, but your father is. Normally, this wouldn’t be your concern, but since he was arrested at your house . . .” I feel her whole body go tight under my arm. “I take it they did not have your permission to be in your house?”
She puts her head down, and I look up at the ceiling. It takes everything in me not to jump off the couch, go down to the jail, and bail him out just to beat the shit out of him.
“No,” she states softly. Burke looks at me, his eyebrows raising. “They said they would be staying at my place since I was staying here, but I told them not to. I guess I’m not surprised they didn’t listen to me.”
“Okay, well that answers that.” He leans forward and puts his elbows on his knees. “There was stuff we found in your house when he was arrested that needs to be discussed, things your father is saying are your property. He said all he was doing was staying the night.”
“What things?” she asks, her voice soft.
“There were four credit cards on the kitchen table in the names of a couple people in town.” She gasps. “We also found some items that were stolen from Caleb’s jobsites.”
“She didn’t fucking steal any of the tools, and you fucking know it. I was with her the last time she was home, and they weren’t there. If she isn’t at work, she’s here at my house. I pick her up and drop her off.”
“I’m sorry, Theo, but she’s going to have to answer this,” Burke declares.
She glances at me, then meets Burke’s eyes. “They’re not mine. I didn’t take any of that stuff. I haven’t been home in about a week. I didn’t steal anyone’s credit cards either. I would never.”
“I know that,” he says, “but I have to follow up.”
“I want to press charges,” she states. Burke’s eyes look like they are about to pop out of his head. Her hand goes to her belly. “It ends now. I refuse to let them interfere with my life again.”
I smile at her, kissing away the tear that slips down her cheek. “You do what you need to do for you.”
“It’s for us.” She turns to Burke. “I didn’t give them permission to be in my house. So what is that, trespassing?”
Burke lets a sly, proud smile slip out.
She presses on. “And I got a call from my bank a couple of weeks ago about a check that was cashed. They forged it. I want to press charges for that also. I don’t know how to do that.”