Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
Somehow, it’s easy to tell myself that before I see her. She walks from her apartment in a tight-fitting black shirt that shows those thick, delicious-as-fuck hips. Her shirt doesn’t show any cleavage, but it outlines her shapeliness. Mostly, though, it’s the determination on her face as she strides toward me.
She opens the door and climbs in, shooting me a quick look before looking out the window. “Hey.”
Her perfume is intense. Or maybe it’s just Lily. Months, not years … I want to reach over and take her hand. Obviously, I’m a madman.
“You’ve had one hell of a morning,” I say as I pull away.
“Yeah.” She intertwines her hands, obviously shaken by the experience. I don’t want to send the wrong message if I offer her comfort. What am I even thinking? I’m going to be gone in not too long. There’s no future for me. “Landon?”
“I’m sorry?” I say, realizing she’s been speaking. I’m a prick. I offered her a ride so we could talk, and here I am, zoning out and thinking about things I shouldn’t when I should be trying to find a way to help her.
“I said, what do you think I should do? Carter thinks I should forget about it.”
“Carter?” I say, the name bringing up memories I’d rather not think about.
“Carter Weston, my boss.”
“Ah,” I say, wondering if I should tell her. It is a surprisingly small city. Or maybe that’s just the world of people who think they’ll make a difference like I once did. “I’m sorry, Lily, but he’s right.”
“You can’t agree with him. Damon can’t get away with this!” she says emphatically.
“You need to stop looking into this,” I say. “I won’t let this bastard do a damn thing. I’m going to keep working like I used to before I forgot who the fuck I was. That was before I forgot that helping people was better than sitting on the sidelines and complaining while getting rich from other people’s misery.”
I come to a hard stop at the red light, causing us both to jolt forward. Without thinking, I reach across and touch Lily’s hand. It’s nothing huge. Just a brush as I say, “I’m sorry.”
Then, I quickly move my hand away. There’s an electricity to her touch that makes me curious—hungry.
“It’s okay …” She pauses, then asks, “Are you okay, Landon?”
“I’m fine,” I grunt.
“It just seems like there’s a lot of … tension going on?” She glances at me, seeming so shy I want to yell. I don’t want her to feel shy with me. “Has something happened?”
“No,” I growl, thinking months, not years … “It’s just this city, Lily. It’s just people and the sick stuff they do—the sick world we live in. Like Damon, swaggering up and threatening you. Who the fuck does he think he is?”
I can’t stand to think about it. Lily’s trying to live her life, trying to do the good thing, after a tough beginning with an asshole dad and an addicted mom. She’s made something of herself, and now this monster wants to take it away. All because she’s a good, selfless person.
When she touches my hand, a sliver of the darkness shifts. “Landon, the light.”
I pull away, her touch lingering on my hand.
“Forget about this case,” I repeat, so she understands.
“I can’t do that,” she says quietly.
“If you can’t forget, let it go, at least. You have to be safe. You won’t be able to help anyone if …”
“If what? If Damon blows my brains out?”
“Don’t say that, Lily,” I snap.
She flinches. I keep watching the road. I don’t want to make her flinch. Just the thought of something like that happening to her is enough to send me into a frenzy.
“I’m sorry,” she murmurs.
“It’s fine. I need to focus on this. I won’t be able to do that if I’m worrying about you getting yourself hurt.”
“Isn’t that what you do, Landon? Worry about me?”
I look over. I can’t stop myself from smiling. For a moment, I remember her as a kid, a scared little girl, but always with that spark in her eye, always like she wanted to do better. It’s hard to connect the two when I see the woman before me now. She’s all heat, all sass, curves, tempting lips, and …
I look away.
She lets out a trembling breath that makes me wonder if she felt everything I did at that moment. This whole “being close to death” thing makes everything seem more significant, though, so maybe not.
“I don’t know how I can just ignore this,” she says.
“It’s easy. Focus on another kid who needs your help. You’re not abandoning them, Lily. I’m going to handle this.”
“But …”
“Say it,” I tell her.
“Are you?” she asks as we glide through traffic. “I don’t want to offend you, but you’ve worked as a divorce lawyer for years, right? And you haven’t done any more of this Good Samaritan stuff?”