Total pages in book: 165
Estimated words: 166103 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 831(@200wpm)___ 664(@250wpm)___ 554(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 166103 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 831(@200wpm)___ 664(@250wpm)___ 554(@300wpm)
“You were biting so hard on that lip, you were going to chew the skin wide open. Where’d your mind go just now, darlin’?”
Where did it go? It had gone somewhere stupid . . . where she’d started wondering about what if. “Oh. Nowhere. And I wasn’t hurting myself. I’m f—”
“Don’t even say it,” Hux said in an irritated voice.
What had she done now?
Jeez, he was prickly. And she’d thought Judd was moody.
At least Owen seemed more even-tempered. Even if his personality seemed kind of dark and mysterious. He just watched her like he was reading every one of her secrets.
Let’s hope that wasn’t really the case.
He continued to stare at her as she turned back around to face the front.
“Um, is something wrong?” Shit. Did she have something on her face? She reached up to wipe at her cheeks. “Is there dirt on my face?”
“No. Drink your water.”
Oh, she’d forgotten about her water. She stared down at it in surprise and took a few delicate sips, careful not to spill it down her front again. She’d already made enough of a fool of herself today.
And if there was one thing she hated, it was making mistakes and looking like an idiot in front of others.
She set the bottle down. There, that should make him happy. She turned to him, expecting at least a nod of approval.
But he slowly shook his head. “All of it.”
“All of it?”
“Yep.”
“I can’t do all of it at once. I’ll be sick.”
She couldn’t discern any visible response from Owen, but she had a feeling he wasn’t happy at that.
“Put the lid on. Seatbelt.”
She twisted on the lid, then pulled her belt over her. “Are you wearing your seatbelt?”
He studied her and she wondered what he saw. A messy, frazzled woman who couldn’t even go for a run without collapsing and making an idiot of herself?
Was he going to put his seatbelt on? Or was he going to try and bullshit her that as a man he didn’t need to wear one?
To her surprise, all he did was reach over and buckle his belt.
Okay, then.
Maybe she’d read him wrong.
As soon as Owen had belted up, he took off. She glanced back at Hux, worried that he might not have been holding on. But he seemed to be fine.
Sadness filled her as he kept his back to her. Logically, she knew it wasn’t a rejection. It would have been uncomfortable and probably harder for him to hold on if he’d been facing forward.
But it seemed all of her nerve endings were exposed right now. She needed to build up her shields again. These men were getting to her . . . which was crazy. Stupid.
She’d never been in an ATV. There had never been an opportunity and she’d never have thought she would enjoy it. But as they flew over the land, the wind whipped at her hair and a sense of freedom filled her.
Much like when she went running. Only this way, she didn’t have to push her body to its breaking point to gain the feeling racing through her veins.
She was surprised that she wasn’t more concerned over Owen’s driving. She didn’t know him. He could be reckless. But he didn’t do anything foolish. He was careful, slowing down as he got closer to the palace.
Turning, she smiled at him. “That was so much fun!”
He gave her a quick look, raising an eyebrow. But she thought she saw his mouth soften.
Maybe.
Perhaps not.
But she didn’t care. Things felt lighter.
Until she saw him standing there . . . waiting for her.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
She knew she wasn’t presentable. He didn’t like her running outside. He’d often told her that she should stick to a treadmill.
But he tolerated it as long as she ran where no one he knew would see her.
That wasn’t quite the case right now. They’d passed a few people walking around once they got closer to the palace.
She gulped.
“You okay?” Owen asked.
She gave him a surprised look. Shoot. How had she almost forgotten that they were sitting there?
Jonathan was smiling. To anyone else, he probably looked relaxed and friendly.
But she saw the twitching in his right hand.
And she knew he was furious.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Cool. Collected.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
And mask.
“Of course,” she replied as they came to a stop outside the palace. She reached down to undo the seatbelt. Shoot. Why couldn’t she get the damn thing undone?
Calm.
Owen reached over to undo her belt.
“Thank you,” she managed to say.
Those ants were crawling across her skin again.
Damn it. That sense of calm and freedom didn’t last as long as she would have hoped.
Oppression surrounded her, pushing at her chest. As she turned to get out of the ATV, Hux was suddenly there, holding out his hand to her.
She knew she shouldn’t touch him. It would likely make Jonathan’s anger worse. But if she didn’t, that could be seen as a slight as well. And the idea of Hux being angry at her . . . well, it hurt.