Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 101872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
Moving to the bar, she took the diet soda that Devon handed her.
“That stuff will rot your teeth,” Renard said from behind her. “And your brain.”
Turning, she drank down the soda in front of him.
Was it a red flag in front of a bull?
You bet.
Ask her if she cared?
You do, though, don’t you?
Caring was a real bitch. When you didn’t care, you didn’t get hurt. Unfortunately for Opal, she now had three people she had to take care of.
And she was worried that number would grow with every day she spent here. Yet, when she tried to get up the gumption to leave, she just kept thinking about Lilac, Ryleigh, and baby Kye.
And she couldn’t fucking do it.
Finishing off the glass, she let out a satisfied sigh. She half-expected him to give her a disgusted look.
Definitely an impatient one.
She could certainly test the patience of a saint. She’d heard that often enough.
Instead, he just raised his eyebrows. “You finished being a brat?”
Opal swallowed heavily. She could be a bit of a brat, but a lot of the time it was an act.
A shield to keep people away.
“Just enjoying my drink.”
“I’m taking her home,” he said, glancing over her shoulder to where she could feel Devon was standing.
Um.
Say what?
“Who are you taking home?” she asked.
Who the hell had he managed to meet? There weren’t many women here at this time of night and all the ones that she’d seen were with other men.
“That’s up to Opal,” Devon replied. “She might prefer to wait for me.”
“You’ll be at least another hour, maybe two. She needs to go home now and get to bed. She’s coming with me.”
He wanted to take her home?
Why would he want to do that?
Shit.
The glare on his face as he stared at Devon made her insides twist and she knew she had to do something.
Quick.
“Listen, boys, I know I’m irresistible and all, but I can see myself home.” She stepped to the side and tried to head toward the door.
She might have made it too.
If it wasn’t for that damn chef and his quick-moving feet. He stepped right in front of her before she even managed two steps.
“Freeze,” he warned.
She held up a finger and waggled it at him, hoping that he didn’t notice that it shook slightly.
What was wrong with her?
Well, it might help if you ate more.
Shut up, brain.
Always interfering when it was least wanted.
“I am not yours. I do not have to do what you say.”
He made a scoffing noise. “No? You don’t think so?”
“I know so, buddy.”
“Not your buddy, Gem. But I could be your boss.”
She shook her head. “Dream on. I’m going home now. And no one is taking me.”
“Then I’ll need to call Jake. Tell him a woman is wandering around on her own at night,” he called out.
Renard was aware that people were watching them.
But he didn’t give a shit.
Opal stilled and her shoulders grew tense. Then she turned around to stomp her way back to him. He held back his grin.
Barely.
“Jake doesn’t get to boss me around. And neither do you.”
Lord. She was even more gorgeous when she was all riled up. But he could clearly see the exhaustion on her face.
The sooner she got to bed the better.
“Ahh, so what you’re saying is that I should call one of the Malones. Which one do you want? Alec? Tanner? West?”
Her eyes widened. “You’re not calling anyone, asshole.”
“No? Well, that must mean that you’re going home with me.”
She snorted. “In your dreams.”
“I don’t dream, Gem.” Nope. That was for people with hope, and he didn’t have much of that anymore. “But I am a man of action. So either you turn around and march your ass out to my truck or you’re going out over my shoulder.”
2
The nerve of this asshole.
Get her ass out to his truck or she was going over his shoulder?
Like. Hell.
“You can’t threaten or push her around, Renard,” Devon warned. “That’s not how things work around here.”
This wasn’t good.
She got the feeling that Renard was holding himself tightly in check and that it wouldn’t take much to push him over the edge.
Why did he care if she walked home alone or waited around for Devon?
Made no sense.
“Opal?” Devon asked in a low voice. “What do you want, sweetheart?”
What she wanted was to not be in this situation in the first place.
She’d never had anyone care about what she did or where she was going. Even when she was a kid.
Well, other than Stefan, that is.
And that had entirely been about control and had nothing to do with her safety.
She could tell Renard to get lost.
And she should because he was being a bit of a high-handed dick.
But . . . there was a hint of desperation about him.
As though he had to do this.
“Renard can take me home. Just this once.”