Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 76222 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76222 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Her touch was soft, the softest thing I’d ever felt. God, she was so careful, like she thought I’d break or that she’d cause me more pain.
The sting of her cleaning my wounds was there, but it was so minimal compared to how mesmerized I was. “I’ve never had anyone take care of me before,” I said under my breath, not meaning to say the words out loud at all.
She glanced up, and I could see the worry etched in her eyes, the lingering tension from everything that happened earlier reflected at me.
“My mother never tended to me like that,” I admitted. “And I never let Claudia and Amara see my wounds after a fight… or when my father got done beating the shit out of me.” Although my sisters knew what had gone down and that I fought back, I refused to let them see the brutality that covered my body and that was now hidden under my tattoos.
I’d never uttered those words out loud, never admitted what I perceived as a weakness.
She glanced at me again, the sadness and empathy in her expression so strong I couldn’t stop myself from leaning in and resting my forehead against hers. For long seconds, we stayed in that position, neither one of us moving or speaking.
We just lived in that moment, and it was fucking perfect.
“I’ll always take care of you,” she whispered, and then she let out a shaky breath. And just as quickly as she said it, the moment was broken, and she went back to cleaning my cuts.
I stayed silent as I let her do her thing, but I couldn’t stop myself from staring at her and realizing I was the luckiest fucking bastard alive. The way she focused on me, so intent on mending my broken body, made something deep inside me stir. There was this feeling I’d never known before, one that I felt growing from the moment I killed that motherfucker for her.
I hadn’t known what it was, this feeling that had multiplied within me to the point I was consumed. I was obsessed. Tatiana, my little Russian doll, was ingrained in every single part of me. There was no going back. I couldn't live without her.
My sisters had been the only things that mattered to me in my fucked-up world. They were the only ones I loved. But this… what I felt with Tatiana… was different.
She was everything.
She ran her fingers lightly over a bruise forming on my side, hidden amongst the dark lines of ink. She looked up, her gaze meeting mine since I was already staring at her. My world seemed to stop. Nothing else mattered because the only thing that existed was her.
I knew what this was. This feeling. And I wanted her to know and realize it meant everything.
“I’ve never known love like this, Tatiana,” I confessed, never having uttered these words in my life. Even though I loved my sisters, telling them was a rare occurrence. I showed them how I felt rather than using words that didn’t embody my commitment to taking care of them.
I heard her breath catch after I admitted how I felt.
“Aside from my sisters, I never thought I needed anyone else. But then you came along, and everything changed.” I reached out and cupped her cheek. “Because when I look at you, nothing else means more to me. When I stare into your blue eyes, the entire fucking world just stops.”
My gaze drifted down to her abdomen that was still flat but would grow big and swollen with my baby over the coming months.
“All I know is that I want you.”
Her eyes were wide, but she didn’t speak. Maybe she didn’t know what to say. I knew I had found myself speechless more times than I cared to count when she was around.
“Gio,” she finally said, just that one word—my name—sliding from her perfect, pink lips.
“I’d do anything for you,” I continued, my voice getting rough with emotion I never allowed myself to feel, let alone display. “Do you understand what I’m saying, Tatiana?”
She exhaled and licked her lips, but I did my best not to be transfixed by how beautiful she was. I wanted her to know without a doubt that she was mine, and I wasn’t letting her go.
“No one will ever hurt you or our baby. I swear it. I vow it, sweet girl. I’ll protect you both with everything inside me that is dark and dangerous and deadly.”
“Oh, Gio,” she said, her voice choked-up. Her eyes glistened, and I knew my girl was so full of emotion that she was going to cry. And even if they were happy tears, it broke my fucking heart to see them.
She was the one to reach out now and place her tiny hand on the side of my neck. Could she feel how fast my pulse was racing? She moved closer, her little body dwarfed by my own. And when my girl brushed her lips against mine, her kiss spoke volumes.