Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 47525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)
We fuck in every room of my suite.
Against the windows as lightning lights her bare silhouette, on the couch as thunder shakes the walls….
In the kitchen, over the counter, her legs locked around me as we lose track of time entirely.
And when the storm finally softens, when the wind dies down to a hush and the world feels like it’s catching its breath, I bring her back to bed. I lie beside her, tracing circles into the curve of her hip.
She buries her face into my chest, and for the first time in what feels like forever—I have a good night’s sleep in this cabin with her.
32.5
SADIE
(Late) Night Eleven
Ilie in the dark, completely naked and curled against Ethan’s chest.
He’s fucked me so long and deep I don’t know where my body ends and his begins. If I never have sex again, I won’t care—because nothing will ever touch this. He’s the standard I’ll measure everything else against, and I already know no one else will come close.
His hand moves slowly across my stomach, then drifts lower. When his fingertips brush against a scar—one of Jonathan’s—I flinch.
He pauses, his palm resting over it.
“I showed it to my lawyer,” I whisper. “And he still didn’t believe me.”
“Hmmm.” Ethan doesn't speak right away. Instead, he lets his hand gently roam over the mark like he’s trying to erase it.
“It’s okay,” he murmurs, his voice low and raw.
“I was willing to let the first rape go…” My throat tightens. “I really was…”
“I know,” he says, pulling me closer. “I know...”
He presses his lips to the top of my head, then my temple, wrapping both arms around me like he’s trying to shield me from everything—past, present, storm.
His hand moves in soft circles on my back.
And slowly, under the rhythm of his touch, I fall asleep in his arms.
33
SADIE
Back then…
The bloom nursery on Forest Avenue has become my refuge, my escape from thoughts of my rape.
Two years later and it still has a hold on me. I still can’t shake it.
Even on the days when I’m not scheduled to work, I walk through its rose-trellis aisles, inhaling the scent of the blooms and carefully plucking new stems to craft a fresh bouquet.
I also come here on my worst days, like today.
I woke up crying in the middle of the night and no matter what I did, I couldn’t stop. I figured it’s nothing that a handful of fresh lilies couldn’t fix.
As I’m browsing the daily deal rack, Jonathan Baylor steps inside the store.
Swallowing, I keep my head down and hope he’ll walk past me.
“Good win this weekend, Jonathan!” the store owner calls out to him. “Feeling hopeful about the team for the first time in forever!”
“Hoping to keep putting wins up this season,” he says. “Thank you.”
“Since we’re closing soon, the daily deal rack is an additional sixty percent off,” the owner says. “Sadie over there is the best at arranging flowers if you need help.”
Fuck…
I move to the other side of the display, and within seconds Jonathan is directly in front of me.
“Hey there.” He smiles. “Been a long time since we’ve seen each other, huh?”
I keep my gaze focused on the flowers.
“Oh, what?” There’s a sick smile in his voice. “You don’t want to give me the satisfaction of acknowledging my fame?”
I pluck a rose and place it into my vase. Then I head down another aisle.
“I’m talking to you, Sadie.” Jonathan follows. “I know you can hear me.”
I stop walking and turn around to face him. Even after all the years that have passed between us, I still feel fear.
“You tell any of your little coworkers here that you went to high school with the number one draft pick and star quarterback for the Falcons?”
“Sir, I would suggest picking out your blooms before our closing bell rings,” I say. “I’m off today, so contrary to what the owner said, I can’t help you with anything.”
“So, you’re still a stuck-up bitch?” He smirks. “I like that. People who are who they are, through and through.”
I squeeze my hand around a rose stem so hard that the thorns prick my skin.
“I could use someone like you in my inner circle.” He’s still talking as if this conversation means something to me, as if I’m secretly enamored by seeing him again. “It’s hard to know who’s real and who’s fake when you get to my level.”
“I’m sure it’s not that hard to keep track of who you raped,” I say. “I’ll pass on your offer.”
“What did you just say to me?”
“I said, ‘fuck you.’” I glare at him. “And I’m not interested in spending another second around my rapist.” I storm away and set down ten dollars on the checkout counter before slipping out the back entrance.
Hot tears are falling down my face, and my heart is aching. I wish I’d said sharper words to him, and I feel filthy for being in his presence again.