Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 47579 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47579 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
“Wraith will be here in a minute,” he told her. Did he look disappointed in Caroline?
Wraith’s voice came from her right. “I’m here, Lucien. Thanks, brother.”
Lucien faded away, leaving them alone.
“I’ll walk you out to your car if that’s your destination,” Wraith told her.
“I was just going to get some fresh….”
“Don’t lie to me, Caroline. I’ll see you safely to your ride.”
He knew. She swallowed hard, feeling terrible. “You don’t have to.”
“I do. Come on.”
Wraith pulled a loaded keyring from his pocket and deftly located the key. Unlocking the door she’d tried to open, he ushered Caroline through. Once outside, he locked it behind them. “Where’d you park?”
Caroline waved a hand in the general direction.
“Lead the way,” he instructed. Wraith fell in step next to her as she walked.
Searching for anything to say, Caroline’s heart broke. His face was expressionless. For the first time, she couldn’t read him at all. She couldn’t see any trace of the playful Daddy who’d made her pancakes or the intense lover who’d rocked her world. “I’m sorry….”
He cut her off. “That’s too easy to say. You’re running away from something that could be magical, and I have to watch you do it.”
“Wraith,” she tried when they reached her car.
“I won’t bother you, Caroline. Have a great life.” Wraith stepped back and waited a car distance from her as she slid into her car and started it.
How she maneuvered her car out of the parking spot, Caroline didn’t have a clue. She drove by instinct. Her brain whirled with the argument of whether she’d done the smartest or stupidest thing in the world.
Walking into her house, Caroline gave into the tears that had threatened since she’d seen Wraith’s deadpan face in the hall. He’d hidden his emotions from her for the first time. She’d hurt him badly. She wrapped her arms around her torso and threw herself on the couch. Tears coursed down her cheeks until she was completely empty inside.
Adam had ripped her heart to shreds by not caring about her. She couldn’t risk giving her heart to someone from the wrong side of the law. Violence made her ill. It went against every value her parents had drilled into her. Caroline knew without asking Wraith couldn’t change who he was. How could she think she could fall in love with a bad boy?
CHAPTER 6
The End.
Caroline stared at those two simple words. It had taken her six weeks to write and rewrite her first motorcycle club romance. She loved the grit and emotion that had woven its way through the story. Caroline didn’t think she’d done it alone.
The magic had happened, along with so many anguished moments. Some days, she’d struggled to read the words she typed—her vision blurred by the tears that cascaded down her cheeks as she immersed herself in the two characters. Deep inside, Caroline understood this was the best book she’d ever crafted. She had a hunch her editor would agree. Before she could second-guess her decision that the story was perfected, Caroline sent it off.
Pushing her chair away from her desk, she glanced out the window. The light green spring leaves had matured, and the sun blazed. Caroline had survived every single day that passed. The hole in her heart hadn’t repaired itself. She could still feel Wraith’s arms around her.
She’d tried to go see him at Inferno. Scythe had turned her away at the door. His harsh expression had softened a bit when she’d burst into tears. Horrified by losing her control, Caroline had fled past all the bar goers lined up to get in. She’d dressed up twice to visit again and hadn’t made it out of her garage. Pride hadn’t held her back. A picture of Wraith’s face flashed on repeat in her mind. He didn’t want to see her.
Brushing the tears from her cheeks, she stood and walked purposefully into her bathroom. After washing her face, Caroline pulled on a comfortable pair of jeans and her favorite fuchsia top. Maybe it would bolster her confidence. After applying a scant amount of makeup, she grabbed her keys and courage on the way out the door.
At three in the afternoon, no one stood at the front entrance. Caroline walked in and scanned the room. A few people sat at the bar, getting an early start. Caroline headed for a stool.
“What can I get you?”
“Wraith and a diet cola, please.”
“He’s pretty potent by himself,” the young woman said with a smile as she dispensed the drink. “I don’t think Wraith is here yet. I’ll call up to the office to see.”
“He’s not.”
The flat voice made Caroline turn. Scythe’s expression was hard and remote. She ignored it and forced herself to say, “Hi, Scythe. I’ll wait.”
“He doesn’t want to see you.”
“I know. I want to see him enough for both of us.”