Total pages in book: 181
Estimated words: 171979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 860(@200wpm)___ 688(@250wpm)___ 573(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 860(@200wpm)___ 688(@250wpm)___ 573(@300wpm)
Sal took his hand off the wheel to take hers in his and held it firmly. “I haven’t let myself care about anyone like this ever. I’m afraid of getting attached to someone only to have them ripped away from me. It took me three years before I let myself accept the Carusos as my family. I was too afraid they’d change their minds and throw me back out on the street. I understand the thoughts in my brain aren’t healthy. It will take some time before I ever believe you won’t leave me.”
“I don’t plan on leaving you again.” Her grip held his back tighter in a promise.
While they had talked about his past last night, he hadn’t mentioned those kinds of thoughts and feelings for her yet, also revealing both of them had a fear of abandonment due to their own issues. She supposed it was only another reason Sal had joined the mafia. Giving his oath to the family meant he’d have one for life.
“If you don’t want me to, of course.”
“I’ll never be able to control my thoughts on your safety,” he warned, letting her know that he didn’t have plans to let her go, either. “A made man will always worry about his girl’s safety.”
His girl, she replayed the words, looking down at their intertwined hands in disbelief. No one had ever held her hand before, let alone make her their girl. Certain she had just gotten her first boyfriend, she’d be sure to iron out the details later.
Right now, only one thing came to her mind as butterflies fluttered in her stomach. “Are we going back to the house?”
He seemed unsurprised by her sudden change in subject, so he had obviously grown used to her focus level.
“Yes, your stuff is still in my car, and I don’t exactly enjoy driving this shit box,” he reminded her of her little key stint.
“The Casino Hotel is closer, though,” she couldn’t help but mention.
“I thought you might want your computer back.” Sal looked at her in confusion. Maybe not wanting her clothes, he could understand, but not wanting her computer back was practically unbelievable.
“I suppose the car could suffice …” she said, looking at the back seat. While it was rather tiny on the outside, her car was a bit of a clown car with the inside more spacious than you’d think.
Sal took his eye off the road to look over at her.
“Suffice for what?”
“To fuck.”
Valerie ran her hand lovingly over her PC. “I have missed you so much. Come to Mama.”
She loaded up her game; it wasn’t hers, but it would do in a pinch. She had been playing for five minutes when she saw the notification of a name pop up as they were entering the game.
“What’s up, Justice?” she squealed through her headset. “I’ve missed you. Have you missed me?”
“Yeah, I really missed losing to you. My ranking went higher. I have to admit it did dull the pain.”
“If I weren’t so happy to have my computer back right now, I would be hurt,” she said, placing a hand over her heart as if he could possibly see it.
“You going to tell me what happened? I’ve been waiting for you to get online and find out.”
“You still haven’t gotten my message? I sent you one through … well, a now deceased person’s Xbox.”
“Geez, we will have to get back to that.” You could hear the headset practically shaking on his head before he continued. “I don’t own an Xbox anymore, so I never linked my account to my PC to even receive a message from there.”
Of course, he didn’t. Justice had taste. With her hope restored in gamers, she began to catch him up to speed.
“My dude, I got arrested! Can you believe that?”
“I did happen to catch that,” Justice reminded her of that night they had stayed up to play games. “So, what did you get arrested for? Eating too many Twizzlers? Buying too many MoonPies?”
“Bro!” Gunning him down, she raised her arm, doing a fist-pump. “I’ve missed kicking your ass.”
“Valkyrie! What did you get arrested for?”
“For cyber-attacking the Horseshoe. Can you believe that? It’s why I had to try messaging you through someone’s Xbox. They confiscated my electronic devices.” Valerie gave a sarcastic snort into the mic. “If I were to cyber-attack someone, I would—”
“Valkyrie!” Justice yelled. “Get your tanks!”
Concentrating on the game, she waited until she was safe before she started talking again. “Anyway, I got to meet this really hot lawyer. I’m going to make him an avatar in a new game I’m thinking about. Once I go back and put some final finishing touches on Bubblegum Blitz, that is.”
“You can’t use your lawyer as inspiration for an avatar.”
“Why not? Did you not hear me tell you he’s hot?”
Valerie pulled out a bag of Twizzlers that she had hidden from Sal. He only let her have a pack a day, spewing all these scientific facts about red dyes she couldn’t care less about.