Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 151384 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 757(@200wpm)___ 606(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151384 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 757(@200wpm)___ 606(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
“Who gives a fuck what you’re supposed to want?” He stepped forward and cupped her chin in his hand, tilting her head back.
Her heart skipped a beat. That was hot. She liked being touched by him.
Too much.
“Do what you want, Immy. Screw the rest of the world.”
“All right,” she said. “Then I want to go to Universal Studios to the Harry Potter area. Will you take me?”
He blinked down at her, then he smiled. “Yeah, Cherry, I’ll take you.”
15
Fuck.
She was killing him.
He watched her giggling with wide-eyed delight as she stared around the Harry Potter area. This wasn’t what he thought he was going to do with his day. Fuck, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d visited a theme park.
Or if he’d ever been this excited to visit one. Not like Immy. She was rushing around with squeals of excitement, a look of absolute wonder on her face.
Listening to her talk about life with the cult earlier and how out-of-place and unsure she felt living in the real world . . . it had nearly fucking broken him. He’d never expected to feel this way about someone else.
To care so much.
And he knew he shouldn’t. She wasn’t his. She couldn’t be his. They lived two different lives.
Immy was sunshine and sweetness.
She was everything that was good and perfect in the world.
He was the darkness that should live in the sewers below her feet. Not even fucking fit to polish her shoes.
Nope. In no world would he ever be worthy of Immy.
And even if he was . . . well, there was the fact that she was in love with Jenner. Anyone could see it in the way she spoke about him, how she looked at him.
What he wanted to know was why the fuck Jenner couldn’t see it?
He scanned the crowd as he moved closer to Immy.
Fuck, he hated being around so many people. There were too many unknowns.
You should never have agreed to this.
He’d known it even as he’d told her yes. But he just hadn’t wanted to disappoint her. It felt like she’d had too much of that in her life. And it was worth having to wade through crowds of people just to see her smile.
Of course, people tended to give him a wide berth once they got a look at his face, which helped.
Although not if she kept wandering off. He caught up with her again.
Time to lay down some ground rules.
Again.
“Cherry, stay close,” he commanded.
“What?”
“You need to stick close to me,” he repeated. “Understand?”
“But it’s safe here.”
“It’s not safe anywhere.”
“I don’t have a stalker, remember? Ooh! Look, it’s the wand shop! Maybe I need another wand. Wait, or you do!”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
“Yes, yes, yes!” She grabbed his hand, bouncing up and down. “You need a wand.”
“Nope.”
“Please,” she begged, giving him puppy dog eyes.
“That shit doesn’t work on me.”
“Are you sure?” She leaned her chin on his chest and stared up at him with a beautiful pout.
He tapped her nose. “No. Now, what do you—” He was cut off as his phone rang. He drew it out of his pocket.
“We need something to eat,” Immy muttered, turning away. “Then we’re going to go on a ride. Or two. Or all of them. This is so much fun!”
He frowned as he saw it was Sampson calling him. “Yeah?”
“Get Immy and get to the hotel. Now,” the other man snapped.
Immediately, he grasped hold of Immy’s arm. “Why? What’s happened?”
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Immy stared up at him in fear. He hated that he was frightening her, but there was a tone to Sampson’s voice that told him something was wrong.
“It’s Maeve. She’s been kidnapped.”
Immy felt like she was going to vomit.
They rushed to Jenner’s suite, which was the largest of them all and Tobias knocked on the door. Immediately, it opened and Jenner stood there.
“Jenner! Did you check who it was?” Sampson snapped.
“I’m not a fucking child,” Jenner snarled back.
Oh heck.
Immy knew she had to step in and settle things between them. Jenner and Sampson usually got along pretty well.
Until they didn’t.
And then it was like World War Three.
“Guys, what’s hap—” She let out a squeal as Jenner suddenly picked her up and carried her into the living area of his suite. His bedroom was in a different room and he actually had a decent-sized sofa and a couple of armchairs in here.
Sampson was currently pacing up and down, his phone to his ear.
Jenner carried her over to the small dining table and set her down on it. Then he moved closer, between her legs. His face was filled with anger and concern.
“Immy, where the fuck have you been?”
She stared at him in wide-eyed shock. Jenner rarely spoke to her like this. Usually only when he was concerned for her safety, like when she’d run out in front of Gray’s car.