Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 57471 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57471 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
I went slack at first, giving nothing in return because the idea of kissing him again made me sick to my stomach. “I won’t,” I mumbled against his mouth and bit his bottom lip as hard as I could.
Travis reared back and smiled. “You will. In fact, I think I’ll enjoy breaking you for good.” He slapped me again on the same side of the face, which left a stinging sensation across the right side of my face.
His words made me mad. Really, really mad. I threw my head back and laughed. “You are going to break me?”
“Yeah, that’s right. You’ll forget all about your little cowboy.”
“Rancher,” I spat out. “I’ll never forget him. He’s the first man who taught me what love really is. What passion and longing feel like.” I braced myself for the next blow because Travis’ face was so red I thought he might pass out or hit me.
He hit me. “No!”
“Yes!” It was madness, taunting him, but I needed him to make a mistake, to become so distracted that I had enough time to rush to the door and get the hell out of here.
Travis stood above me with a thunderous expression on his face that spelled more pain for me. He raised his hand high above his head, and rather than look away, I stared at him in shock, unable to believe that this was what our relationship had devolved into.
I braced myself when his hand came down, but the front door was kicked open, and before Travis’ hand could strike me again, he was tackled to the ground by a familiar face. Colton. My knight in dusty cowboy boots had arrived to save me.
Travis tried to crawl away like the weasel he was, but Colton gripped the back of his shirt and dragged him back, flipping him over and rewarding him with two bone-crushing punches to the face. “Stop,” Travis cried out. “Please,” he said on a whimper.
“Come on, sweetheart.” Wyatt’s voice sounded softly in my ear as he lifted me from the cold floor and dragged me out of the small shack. “Let me look at you.”
“But Colton,” I began nervously.
Wyatt smiled up at me. “Colton is just fine, trust me. He’s gotta do this, you understand?”
I didn’t at all, but the sound of several more punches mixed with Travis’ pained grunts gave me some insight. “Don’t ever come near her again,” Colton growled sometime later.
I hissed in pain when Wyatt cut the ropes from my wrists.
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay; they’re a little sore.” When I looked down at my wrists, they were red and slightly chafed.
“A bit of aloe or cocoa butter will fix you right up,” he said, gently gripping my chin to turn my face left and right. “A few bruises are gonna pop up in the next few days too. You good everywhere else?”
I nodded, understanding immediately what he was asking. “Just a few hits. He knocked me down, but nothing feels broken.”
Wyatt nodded, a grave expression on his face. “When the shock wears off, we’ll see if you need a doctor or not.”
I nodded absently, tilting my head to listen for any other sounds from inside, but the sound of sirens grew louder and louder, drowning out everything else.
“I called them when we spotted you. Can’t let the little fucker get away with this, right?”
I nodded, looking over my shoulder at the trail of dust left by two squad cars rushing down the road. “Right.” The air sizzled around me, charged and thick, and when I swung my gaze back around, Colton was there, standing on the small wooden slats meant to be a porch, all broad-shouldered, protective cowboy. “Colt.” His name came out in a breathless whisper.
“Molly,” he growled, and in two long strides, he was there in front of me, wrapping his big arms around me and squeezing me tight. “You’re all right, sweetheart. Perfectly safe.”
His deep voice rumbled against my face, and I inhaled his earthy, masculine scent. “You saved me. Both of you.”
“What else could we do? You’re part of the family now,” Wyatt said, giving my back a gentle rub.
“Tell me you’re okay, Molly.”
I pulled back, reluctant to leave the warmth and protection of Colton’s embrace, but I needed to look into his eyes. “I’m okay, Colton. Scared and a little banged up, but otherwise, I’m good. Thanks to you.”
His brows knitted together into a dark scowl. “He hit you. More than once?”
I nodded. “A couple of times. I had to make him angry, or else,” I looked away, unwilling to say the words out loud. “I didn’t know what he would do if he wasn’t angry.”
“Oh, Molly.” He yanked me to him and held me even tighter. “I should’ve killed him.”
“No, he’s not worth it. Hunter needs you. McCall Ranch needs you. I need you too, Colton.”