Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 100294 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100294 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
She pulls back a little, breathless, her hands on my shoulders. “Thank you for telling me that. I like seeing that side of you. I also like that you realized your anger came from fear. A lot of men can’t process that.”
“I’m not sure I’m fully processing anything.” I shake my head, and Madeline smiles at me.
“Can you process what I found out?”
“Can you promise not to do that to me again?” Her teeth sink into her lower lip. “I know you’re used to calling your own shots, but we’re a team, Buttercup.” She releases her lips.
“Okay, I agree.”
I lean in and press my mouth to hers again. “Thank you. I really didn’t want to have to toss you into the basement and keep you captive.”
“Shut up.” She laughs and smacks my shoulder. It wasn’t a joke. I’ll do what I need to keep her little ass safe.
“Now tell me what you found out.”
“Emily’s been there for three days,” she says, voice low. “Keeps to herself. Breakfast at the bakery and dinner in her room; goes out for walks and comes back. The innkeeper thinks she’s sad. Writes in some journal all the time.” Madeline’s thumb traces my collarbone. “She didn’t mention anyone visiting. Didn’t mention Murphy.”
I kiss her throat, her jaw, and back to her mouth. “You got all that?”
“I’m good at listening.” She rocks slightly and deliberately, and I grip her hips tighter. “People like to talk to me.”
“Yeah,” I mutter against her lips. “I noticed.”
She smiles, then it’s lost in another kiss, deeper. The car feels too small and exactly right. For now, the danger outside is forgotten. It’s just her and me and the heat between us.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
MADELINE
The door sticks before finally opening with a groan. Luke catches it with his shoulder and holds it open for me.
“You have keys to everywhere,” I say, stepping past him into the dark. “Let me guess. My room too?”
He shrugs, a half-smile on his lips. I can’t tell if he’s joking, but I laugh anyway. My voice echoes off the empty bleachers.
The rink glows faintly as emergency lights cast long shadows across the ice. He flips a switch, and the boards light up with a soft blue glow, just enough to see.
We decided to skate to burn off some energy. I love that we both enjoy this.
I sit on the bench and start to unlace my shoes, but Luke kneels in front of me and gently moves my hands aside.
“Let me.”
He loosens my laces, taking my shoes off and placing them to the side. He nods for me to stick my foot in the first skate that he’s placed on the ground in front of me. I shove it in.
He lifts my foot, placing the skate between his knees, then tightens the laces just right. He repeats the same process for my other skate. There’s something comforting about the routine and the care he takes. With him kneeling in front of me, I notice his hair and smile. It’s still messy from the car, from my hands.
I hadn’t wanted to stop, but things were getting out of control fast. I wouldn’t have minded, if we weren’t in a random parking lot where anyone could see us.
“There,” he says, the light catching his eyes.
Watching him lace my skates has me thinking about how he came for me today, how scared he was, and how he didn’t try to hide it. For a grumpy asshole, he lets me see all kinds of sides to him. I should do the same. Georgia told me this morning I should think about why I’m pushing him away and if it’s the right direction for me. It’s not. I’m not one to hide away, but with Luke I am.
“My dad never did this,” I say quietly. “Never checked where I was. Never worried like that.”
Luke looks up, hands still on my skates.
“After my mom died, he just stopped caring about a lot of things. He went through the motions. My sister tried to help, but she had her own life.” I never let her know how things really were at home after she left for college.
“I made our meals, did my homework even when I didn’t understand it, and learned not to depend on anyone.” I swallow. “I decided I’d never let someone matter that much. To depend on a person so deeply. Never fall in love. What if I lost them? What if I ended up like him, just existing instead of living?”
Luke cups the back of my neck, his grip firm and calming. Without saying a word, he lets me know he won’t let me run from him. While Luke and I were raised worlds apart, there are some strong similarities about our childhood.
“I can see that. You’ve got a tough shell, Buttercup, but you’re all sweetness underneath. You care deeply about the people you love.” He really sees me. “Are you going to let that fear control you?”