Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92067 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92067 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
“Okay, so is there a point to this?”
“Son, you are searching inside of yourself right now for what you did wrong with Shelby, and you didn’t do one damn thing wrong—other than pick her. You need a woman more like Nicole. You need someone who will walk through hell with you, not push you to go through it and prove you’re strong enough for her before she doles out some more of her brand of love. That works for some men, and it works pretty damn good. You are not that man.”
“I appreciate the advice, Dragon. I truly do. You’re forgetting one thing, though. I’m not looking for a woman. I’m done with that. There are different types of men in this world, too. I happen to be one where relationships just don’t work. I’m not destined for that. I’m a loner and I probably always will be.”
He slaps me on the back, sliding off the table. I stand to join him. “I see you didn’t catch my lesson. I was hoping you would.”
I frown, thinking I read him pretty loud and clear. “I’m going to bed,” I huff, tired of this shit.
“Sounds good,” he says as he walks toward the motel room he’s been assigned. I walk to mine, thinking I’m finally home free, but he stops me again. “King?” he calls out.
I’m at my door which is about three away from him. I have my hand on the knob but turn and look his way. “Yeah?”
“Gabby was Type A and some of that had to do with the way Skull raised her.”
“Dragon—”
“The thing is, with what she’s gone through, it has changed her. How she ends up? I’m thinking it could be a toss-up. She could go back to what she’s always known—”
“Man, you need to—”
He doesn’t let me finish and just keeps on pushing. “She’s stronger than I gave her credit for. I’m seeing stuff in her that I like a lot. She might get to the person she needs to be alone. This is true, but with the right man to direct her, I could see her being more like Nicole.” My head jerks in shock at his words.
“Not sure why you’re telling me this shit. You should tell Gabby. It’d probably help her right now.”
“I plan on it.”
“Good, now I’m going to bed.”
“Not finished, son,” he warns.
“Well, then, for God’s sake, spit it out. You keep going, you’ll be dead, and I’ll be on the backside of fifty at this rate.”
He smiles at me. It’s a cocky smile I don’t especially like. I barely resist the urge to flip him off and go inside my room. Thankfully, he starts talking again. “I’m just saying, I may want a woman like Nicole for you, but unless you’re sure you’re the kind of man who can see her through, heal her, and know that she’s going to be the woman to feed what’s inside of you, it’d be wrong for you to even think about trying. You could completely destroy her, and that’s a wound neither of you would recover from.”
“And with that, I’m done,” he announces.
“Thank fuck,” I grumble and head inside. I slam my door shut, kick off my boots and fall back on the bed fully clothed. Turning, I yank my pillow from under the covers and stuff it behind my head. I think about my evening with Gabby and how I felt more myself than I’ve felt since ever meeting Shelby. Fuck, that’s not even it. Tonight, I felt like the man I always wanted to be—a man worthy of a father, a family, and a good woman. I was riding that wave high before my talk with Dragon. I didn’t really think about where that feeling was coming from. Didn’t try to pinpoint what exactly made me feel the emotions I was feeling. Gabby is a friend. I want to help her. That’s all there is to it. It’s also probably why I felt like I was finally the man I always wanted to be. I shake my head, pushing all the other thoughts aside. Apparently, Nicole is also the type of woman to make Dragon watch rom-coms. They’ve gone to his head. Gabby and I are just friends. These things I’m feeling have nothing to do with an interest in her beyond that. I’m not looking to be the man who guides her out of anything. We just enjoy spending time together while we sort out our lives. We’re friends. That’s it.
I close my eyes and do my best to ignore the echoing sound of Dragon’s words in my head. Then I dig in deep and try harder to ignore the voice telling me I have it in me to guide her through to the other side and maybe get a chance to taste her sweetness …