Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 94716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Pure terror coursed through my body. I wasn’t paying attention to the cop car that was parked behind my car. I also wasn’t paying attention to the badge that was attached to the front of his belt. Otherwise, I might not have freaked out quite so badly.
However, I didn’t see the badge, only the huge ass man that was holding me and not letting me go. My mind went to the worst possible place in that moment, and I lost it.
“Jackopa!” I screamed, terror evident in my voice.
***
Jack
“Luke’s here.” Elliott said from beside me.
I ignored him and continued replacing the gauges on the newest bike we were building.
“Looks like he’s getting that chick with the binoculars. Sam must’ve gotten fed up.” He observed.
I grunted, but didn’t say anything.
I knew she was watching me, but I didn’t know why. I figured that I’d give her another week or so to come to me, and then I’d go to her. I didn’t know who she was, and the name Jane Wind didn’t ring any bells. The plates told me she was living six hours from here, and they told me she wasn’t wanted for anything; that’s why I wasn’t worried. She was harmless. Let her look.
I’d just tightened the nuts that held the tank in place when a scream that haunts my dreams cracked through the afternoon air like a whip.
“Jackopa!”
Instincts drove me.
I dropped what I was doing and sprinted through the parking lot of Free. My legs propelled me towards the terror-filled scream until I came upon Luke and a woman struggling. Throwing an adrenaline fueled punch, I ripped Luke’s arm away from the woman in the next instant, and crushed her into my body.
My arms wrapped around her tight, caging her in with my arms. Pulling her in so tight to my body that I was afraid I’d hurt her; yet I couldn’t make myself let go even if a freight train was barreling towards me.
Her piercing scream stopped the instant my arms went around her body.
I buried my nose into Winter’s hair. Hair that was mine; hair that belonged to me. Hair that I hadn’t smelled in seven years. Hair that I thought was fucking dead. Yet, she was here, very much alive. How the hell did I not know that the woman watching me was her? What the fuck was going on? I looked up to see blood streaming from Luke’s nose, yet I didn’t feel any remorse. In fact, I could probably hit him again for scaring Winter the way he had.
“Jesus Christ, did you have to manhandle her?” I seethed.
If I had been thinking more clearly, I would have known better than that; but I wasn’t.
He held up one hand in a placating gesture while the other tried to stem the flow of blood. “I didn’t, man. All I did was help her out of the car. When I put my hand on her, it was like a switch was flipped and she went nuts.”
Winter still had her face buried in the crook of my neck, and her arms wrapped tightly around my chest. “Baby, what’s going on? How are you here? Jesus Christ, I must be fucking dreaming. This isn’t possible. I’m not that lucky. Somebody fucking wake me up. This isn’t funny.” I said, but I wasn’t aware that I was sounding crazy. Hell, I probably was crazy.
I had a riot of emotions pouring through me and I didn’t know what the hell to do. It’d been seven years since I’d seen her last. Seven years since I felt the soft curves of her hips. Smelled the unique smell that was her. Sweet pea and chocolate. I’d teased her mercilessly about how she mixed two lotions together, but somehow it worked for her.
“I don’t know!” She moaned into my shirt. “I don’t know what the heck is going on. Why do I know your name? Why do you smell so familiar? Why can’t I keep my freakin’ eyes off you? Why am I not still screaming? Why are you pulling my hair out of its ponytail?”
Ice started coursing through my veins, and I froze mid motion as I was pulling the band out of her hair. Leaning back, I regarded her questioningly. “What do you mean?” I asked, genuinely confused now.
She didn’t remember me?
Tears filled her grey eyes. “You’re calling me Winter. Is that my name?”
Now that I was looking more closely, things started to stand out. Like the thin scar that ran the length of her hairline. The scar along the outside of both arms that denoted surgery. They didn’t miss the vertical cuts that ran along the main artery on her forearm, either.
“Let’s go to my place. We’re going to talk.” I said, as I grabbed her hand and pulled her along beside me.
We were alone on the sidewalk now. Sam, Luke, and Elliott stood just outside the garage’s bay door talking in a huddled whisper that cut off as soon as we came within hearing distance.
“Y’all can quit whispering about me like little girls on a playground. I’ll be back later,” I said, as I pulled her through the garage and out the back door. We walked to the very end of duplexes until we came to mine. Winter looked around with wide, confused eyes, but I suppressed the desire to pull her into the hug I so desperately wanted and kept walking. I unlocked the front door, held it open for her to pass me, and closed it behind us.
While my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I hit the lights with my free hand and dragged her to the couch. Kicking her shoes off, she sat and dragged her feet up to her chest, curling into herself. The sight of that action brought back the memory of every time she used to do that very action, seven years ago.
Winter used to curl into a ball every single time she sat down, laid down, or was just sitting in the kitchen. She didn’t like it when her feet touched the floor, and kept them off the floor at all times. Hell, we could have been eating out at an expensive restaurant and she’d still have her feet curled underneath her.