Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 81994 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81994 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
“What happened?” I ask.
The last time he went to Vegas, my place had been broken into. I have no idea who he would be meeting with besides Link, but I don’t think that’s what this is about.
“We’ll talk soon,” Kenton says, the vein in his neck ticking.
“Why don’t you tell her now?” Sid looks from Kenton to me, his eyes going soft. He starts to take a step towards me, but Kenton blocks his way, putting his hand on the door. “She’s my friend,” Sid complains.
“She’s my woman.”
“Okay, please put your giant penis away for a minute,” I tell Kenton, elbowing him in the side before looking over at Sid. “Why are you here?” I ask him softly, wondering if he’s in trouble or something.
“After your last e-mail, I wrote you back. When I didn’t hear from you, I wrote you again, only for it to come back to me saying you’d deleted your account.” He runs a hand over his head, and this time, his eyes go to Kenton. “I knew you were with him after yesterday, so I got his address and came to talk to you.”
“Why?”
“You know I’ve always been in love with you, Autumn. Don’t be stupid.”
“‘Don’t be stupid’?” I whisper. “So, all the women you paraded around in front of me?” I ask.
“Meant nothing.” He shrugs. “I just wanted you to realize you wanted me. I wanted you to fight for me.”
“Wow,” I say softly, shaking my head. “You’re telling me you were in love with me and brought women around so I would be jealous and fight for you…instead of telling me how you felt and you fighting for me?”
“You’re so closed off. You were always in your head. I was trying to break through to you.”
I look at Sid then Kenton.
“Don’t look at me, babe. I don’t know what the fuck to say about this shit.”
“Sid, you’re a great guy, but you don’t love me.”
The differences between Kenton and Sid are striking, the biggest being that Kenton has fought for me since the beginning. He’s never let me get too far when I’ve tried running away. He’s also never brought women around to try to get me to accept my feelings for him.
“Like I said in my last e-mail, I care about you, but not like that. I hope you can understand,” I tell him softly, hoping that he gets that there is nothing—nor will there ever be anything—between us.
“You’re serious?” he asks.
I bite my lip and nod. I watch regret pass through his eyes before he shakes his head then turns to look off into the distance.
“I guess this is goodbye then?”
“Yeah,” I reply, not understanding the feelings I have inside, why this is so hard. Deep down, I wonder what would have happened if he would’ve actually tried to get to know me. I step up to him and wrap my hands around his waist, giving him a hug. “Thank you for everything,” I whisper. “One day, you’re going to find someone worth fighting for.”
His arms squeeze me a little tighter, his chest expanding on a breath. “Have you?”
I know exactly what he’s asking, and tears sting my nose. I nod into his chest and step back into Kenton’s embrace.
“You hurt her and I’ll kill you,” Sid says before turning and heading down the steps.
Once he’s in his car and pulling away from the house, I turn to look at Kenton. “So what happened in Vegas?” I cross my arms over my chest.
His eyes drop then meet mine again. “Let’s go sit down.”
I follow him into the living room, sitting on the opposite side of the couch from him. That way, he can’t distract me with his touch.
“I met up with the boss of Lacamo. They agreed you’re off-limits,” he says softly, and my whole body stills at the news I have been waiting to hear.
“So it’s over?” I ask on a whisper. I can’t believe that, after all this time, all it took was one meeting for this whole thing to be resolved.
“It is,” he says, looking at me from across the couch.
I can’t understand why he looks so worried when I know that this news will make things easier for him as well. He has been running himself ragged working his normal cases while trying to keep me safe. Then, my head starts to fill with thoughts about my life, why I’m really here, and what this news means for my future.
“So, I can go home then?” I ask, looking down at my hands.
“No.”
The word is rough and causes me to lift my head. “What do you mean ‘no’?” I search his face, wondering what he’s not telling me. If I’m no longer in danger, I can return to Vegas, even if the thought alone makes me feel sick.
“Exactly what it sounds like—no, you can’t go back to Vegas.” His hands ball into fist on his thighs. “This is your home.”