Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
He was right behind her when she reached her apartment and pulled into the space next to her. What was she going to do?
“I really don’t want to talk, Colt.”
“I know you don’t, Angel, but I’m not willing to let you run away. You’re too important to me.” He followed her inside, shrugging into a jacket that seemed unnecessary for the warm evening.
“Not more important than her.”
“I don’t even know what her name is, Little girl. I don’t care. She’s one in a long line of women my manager hooked up with. He knows the music business inside and out but he’s clueless about how to choose the right woman. I don’t want to talk about either of them.”
“You want to talk about us?” she scoffed. “Like there ever has been an us. I’m going inside—without you.”
Slamming the door behind her, Harper couldn’t keep herself from peeking out the peephole. She watched Colt settle with his back against the wall, his eyes firmly fixed on her door. Afraid he could tell that she was looking, Harper flew away from the door.
Sure he would leave soon, she forced herself to go change clothes. Picking up Wombles in the bedroom, she squeezed the stuffie to her chest. Unable to resist, she tiptoed over to the door and peeked out. Colt had settled down to sit cross-legged on the hall carpet.
As she watched, he rubbed a hand over his face in an undeniable gesture of exhaustion. Her heart broke. He looked like he hadn’t slept for days. How did he get here?
That floozy’s voice echoed into her mind, “Colt’s busy and naked. Stop calling.”
Could she have made a mistake? She peeped through the viewer again. Colt’s eyes were closed and his head tilted back to rest on the wall behind him. Would he have come all this way if she weren’t important to him? Maybe the floozy was important to him, too.
Shaking her head, Harper headed for the kitchen. She needed to get something for dinner. Has Colt eaten?
“Stop it!” Harper reprimanded herself.
An hour later, she pushed the remains of the frozen dinner she hadn’t taken four bites of down the garbage disposal. Catching sight of Wombles’ unapproving glance, Harper crept again to the door. Colt’s collar was pulled up around his neck and his arms were wrapped around his torso. Did he look flushed?
Opening the door, she whispered, “Colt? Are you okay?”
“I’ve got to find Harper. I have to make her understand.” His teeth chattered, and he didn’t look up at her.
“Colt. You’re scaring me. This isn’t funny. Just get in your truck and go home.”
“Got to get home to Harper. I have to talk to her in person.”
“Colt?” Harper inched closer and could feel heat radiating from his body. Tentatively, she pressed her hand against his forehead. “Oh, no. You’re burning up, Daddy.”
“Daddy. I love to hear you say that, Angel,” he mumbled, leaning his cheek against her fingers.
“You’re sick, Colt. Let’s get you inside. Can you stand, big guy?” She hooked her arm under his and tugged upward. He weighed much more than a toddler.
Several seconds later, Harper was at the point of running to get help from a neighbor’s hulking husband when Colt got his feet under himself and stood. She threw an arm around his waist to coax Colt to the door. Twisting the doorknob, she froze. “Crap!” She’d run out, and the door had locked behind her. They couldn’t get in.
“This day can’t get any worse,” she muttered, trying to figure out what to do.
“Best day ever. I’m with you, Little girl,” the fevered man mumbled. He carefully brushed her blonde hair from her eyes with his free hand before squeezing her tighter.
“Oh, Daddy. I’m so sorry. I locked us out. I’m trying to remember if I gave a key to anyone I could call. Double crap! I don’t have my phone.”
“My key’s in my pocket, Angel.”
Harper met his fevered glance, shocked. “You could have come in any time.”
“You needed your space, Little girl.” He reached for his keys in his pocket and fumbled around.
Pulling his hand out empty, Colt swayed badly and leaned hard on Harper. “I need to sit down, baby.”
Leaning around his powerful frame, Harper pressed a hand into his other pocket and snagged his keyring. Her fingers brushed over a small, velvety box, jolting her heartbeat into overdrive. A thread of hope kindled in her heart.
“Secret,” he told her solemnly.
“I won’t tell.”
Quickly, she forced her mind away from that small jeweler’s case and pulled out the keys, finding the blue tinted one she’d had made for Colt. His energy was evaporating and she supported more of his weight with every passing second. She coaxed him to her bedroom and leaned him against the wall for a brief second to throw the covers down to the bottom of the bed.