Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 129944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Ignoring me, he closed his eyes and placed a sweet, tender kiss on my lips. “Are you okay?” he murmured. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to crawl onto his lap and lay my head on his shoulder, or push him away and tell him to get the hell out. I couldn’t bear the kindness or the concerned look on his face. It was a drug, addicting and dangerous for me.
“Yes. I’m fine. Why would you ask that?” The snappy tone in my voice made him pause. His hand dropped back down, leaving my face cold and lonely where the warmth of his palm had been.
“Ben told me what happened with Marcus. I’m sorry. That won’t ever happen again. They’re gone. I threw them out.”
My eyes widened. The last traces of sleep evaporated. He threw them out? “What did you say to him?”
“I told him that if he ever looked at you again I was going to make sure he tripped head first into a wood chipper.”
My mouth gapped open. “You’re joking…right?”
“I’m deadly serious about keeping you safe. He’s right to be scared of me.”
Words deserted me. How was I to respond to that? His expression was hard and remote, a current of violence emanating from every fiber of his being. I needed to bring him back to me, to restore some sanity. I placed my hand over his heart and petted him gently in slow circles, working the anger out of his muscles. My hands traveled up his neck and around his skull, coaxing him closer. When I ran my short nails over his nape, he let out a deep sigh. Sensing his acquiescence, I kissed him, teasing his lips apart until he softened and kissed me back. I don’t know how I knew what he needed from me. I just did––as he knew where to touch me.
“Will you come to the lake with me tonight?” It was the first time he’d asked, instead of issuing a decree. That was progress.
“I don’t know. We’ll be done late with dinner this evening.”
“Meet me in the woods by midnight.”
Okay, well, baby steps.
“Go now. I need to change my uniform.”
He gave me a curt nod and smacked my lips with a quick kiss, then stood and quit the room. I stared at the door as it closed behind him, his words still ringing in my head. I’m deadly serious about keeping you safe. His behavior in the past was starting to make sense now. He was worried for me. Sweet, beautiful man. And the look on his face…it had been so long since anyone was concerned for me. I was in serious danger of losing what little grip on reason I had left. There wasn’t even the smallest doubt that I would meet him at midnight…and we both knew it.
* * *
He pulled me through the woods that led to the north side of the estate, where the small lake was located; Lake Geneva being too dangerous and cold for midnight swims. The moon concealed itself behind a carpet of clouds. It was so dark I could barely see a foot ahead of me. All of a sudden, a warm gust of air pushed them aside and a shaft of light fell on his flexing shoulders. I stopped abruptly, my hand yanking out of his grip, and he turned with a questioning glance. He was so beautiful my heart hurt––probably because I knew he would never really be mine.
“You’re beautiful,” I whispered.
His sharp gaze softened and his mouth curved into a lopsided smile. Moving swiftly, he pushed me up against the rough trunk of a sycamore and kissed me, driving my head back with his passion. He grabbed my rear end, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of my hips, and lifted me up without any effort. I wrapped my legs around him and held him tightly, binding him to me.
“I need you,” he said breathlessly, between kisses. I had unleashed a monster. He’d never been this impatient, demanding. He devoured my mouth, his tongue in deep penetration. There was nothing I could do but submit. He fumbled with his athletic pants, trying to free his erection, and roughly shoved himself against the thin linen of my nightgown, hard and hot against my sex.
“I want you,” I murmured. I was so worked up I couldn’t stop the words from spilling from my lips. He cupped me, stroking impatiently. He pressed his fingers inside of me and discovered just how much.
“God, you’re wet,” he whispered, the rasp in his voice more pronounced. He positioned himself and let my body sink, fully impaled by my own weight. My short fingernails dug into his shoulders. My teeth scraped the delicate skin of his throat, making him gasp and press closer. The feeling of utter fullness, of possession, was mind-blowing. He was everywhere. He began thrusting up hard and sure, the sensation so acute I came in a sharp, explosive climax that had my body closing around him in a vise-like grip. He kept pounding into me until he allowed himself the same relief; my name ripped from his throat in a shout loud enough to echo through the woods. He wasn’t quiet in his passion anymore. Sagging against me, he buried his face in the curve of my neck. I could feel his chest rising and falling rapidly as he struggled to breathe.