Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 73043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
I knew exactly what he was going to say, “Let me take you home.”
My reply was always the same. “You’re not taking me home because I’m not leaving my car here.”
Yet, when I told him that, he’d then say, “Well you should’ve let me pick you up.”
Which I would then reply with, “I don’t want to be stuck there in case someone needs me.”
It always happened like that. Always.
So, I chose to circumvent it by getting into my car and slamming the door shut, effectively cutting him off before he could say anything more that had the possibility to annoy me.
He sighed and turned to leave, and I felt the nervous tick start.
I didn’t want him to come to meet my dad.
I didn’t want him to see where I lived, and I most certainly didn’t want to do anything that had to do with him getting any closer to me.
My house was my space. My sanctuary, and I didn’t want him in it.
Yet, as I pulled out of the driveway of the coffee shop, I didn’t speed in front of him so he couldn’t follow me home—though he probably knew where I lived as did the rest of the people in Kilgore.
Everything was okay, at least I felt like I was handling it okay until I pulled up to the gate that led inside and saw the familiar bike parked next to it.
I swallowed thickly as I pressed the opener and the gate started to slide open.
The man on the bike turned his head and looked at me, causing my breath to hitch.
I hadn’t seen him in a month, yet it felt like only seconds had passed.
He was still just as hot as he was the last time I saw him, though he had a scar on his forehead that came down out of his hairline thanks to being thrown across the room all those weeks ago.
“Janie,” he stared.
My heart soared as I thought he might’ve remembered, but when nothing more was forthcoming, I realized that he hadn’t remembered me. In fact, I was fairly certain he was just being nice as he said hello to someone.
“Hi,” I smiled…or tried to anyway. “Can’t get in?”
He shook his head. “Rang the bell. Have some news. Been sitting here for about fifteen minutes now.”
I fucking hated my family sometimes.
They thought it was funny, leaving him outside like this.
Yet it wasn’t funny.
It pissed me off.
Greatly.
“Who is this?” Tegan’s voice came from behind me, causing me to jump in my seat.
I leaned a little farther out of my car to see Tegan standing beside his open door, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.
I could practically read the anger rolling off of him as he stared at Rafe, who hadn’t been startled by Tegan’s appearance, and who also was still semi slouched on his bike looking bored.
“This is Rafe,” I said. “Head on in. The door will close in about thirty seconds.”
Rafe didn’t bother to waste time. He dropped his foot, leaned the bike up straight, and then kicked the kickstand back before starting it up.
The familiar roar of the bike had me smiling as I watched him ride inside, and when I followed shortly after him, I completely missed the anger that flashed in Tegan’s eyes.
I also missed the way his hands fisted, mostly because I was staring at the back of Rafe’s head.
He looked good.
Very good.
And my heart fucking hurt just having him in the same vicinity as me.
I wanted him more than I wanted my next breath.
***
Rafe
I clocked him out of the corner of my eye as he’d pulled in, but my entire being had been solely focused on the woman. Janie.
I had forced myself not to look at her, check up on her, or see her for the last month purely because I knew that I didn’t need to be doing what I was doing.
I still hadn’t remembered anything about our time together—and I knew for certain we’d spent some time together.
One didn’t feel this strongly about a person if there’d only been an introduction.
Yet, nobody said a word to me about Janie. In fact, she was never brought up. Not ever.
Not when I was in the room with her father and the rest of the men of Free. Not when I spoke with Trace, and most certainly not now when she was standing there looking at me.
I got off my bike and waited for Janie to get out of her car—a car that looked familiar, yet I couldn’t figure out why.
“Come on,” she gestured to me, heading for the door to the offices.
I’d been here before, of course, but nothing felt familiar as I walked with them.
“How’s Elspeth?” Janie asked, sounding like she’d rather be asking anything other than that.
“Fine,” I murmured, annoyed to hear about my fake fiancé. “She’s working.”