Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 79020 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79020 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
"It won't always be easy," he warns.
"It hasn't been from the beginning," I remind him. "Yet here we are."
"Here we are," he echoes. "I hope you know what you're getting into with me."
"A life of frustration, annoyance, and irritation because you're stubborn and set in your ways?"
I swear when he laughs it's as if the angels in heaven are playing the music.
"I like that," I tell him. "It sounds good coming from you."
"And it doesn't feel as awkward when you're the one to witness it."
"We'll eventually have to talk about the restrictions I already know will be in place. I don't know how I feel about being supervised all the time."
"Having protection is non-negotiable," he says, his tone as serious as it always is, all hints of laughter quickly fading away.
"We'll see," I tell him because there's no sense in arguing now about a situation that hasn't arisen yet.
"Zara," he growls, warning in his tone, but all I do is smile a little wider until a thought strikes me.
"What happens to me if you grow tired of me and I've heard things and seen things?"
He tilts his head, and confusion is clear in his multicolored eyes.
"We're not the criminal element here, sweetheart."
Sweetheart.
I swear I swoon standing right here with the endearment, but despite being as solid as a rock and as equally unmovable, it doesn't sound foreign or forced coming from him.
"So I'll be safe?"
"I'll always protect you, but I'm not getting into this thinking that it's going to end one day."
"Me either," I tell him with complete honesty.
"I have one more confession," he says, taking a step back, making me wonder if he's managed to get me to fall head over heels for him only to rip the rug right out from under my feet. "I need you. Not only do I crave your closeness, but you also somehow provide me with a sense of calm. I felt that the first moment I walked up to you at the bar. As corny or unbelievable as it might sound, you ease something inside of me that only violence had the ability to silence."
I watch as he struggles with admitting this, and I know he might see it as just another weakness I am to him, and I still don't know how to feel about that. Weren't couples supposed to be stronger together?
"I'm telling you this because there will come a time when no matter if you're angry with me, I'll need you. I'll want my arms around you or I'll need you beside me in bed. I don't feel what most people would describe as normal unless you're around."
I take all of this in, trying my best to understand what he's saying, but the reasoning sounds foreign to me. I know it's just one more aspect of us that I'll need to take some time understanding, but it doesn't change anything for me.
There will be times he needs to hold me in his arms because that's what makes him feel better. Hell, who can't say that about the one they care for? Looking at it that way doesn't seem so strange after all.
"I think I'll be okay with that," I say, giving him yet another smile.
"You're okay with moving in here with me?"
"A ten million square feet house with an indoor swimming pool? Gross. I think we need a place that's better," I tell him with a quick roll of my eyes.
His dimple deepens, but before he can respond, I step into him and wrap my arms all the way around him, leaning my head all the way back so I can look up at him.
"Why don't we seal all of this with a ki—"
His lips are on mine before I can get the last word out.
The sweep of his tongue along mine lights my entire body on fire. Butterflies take flight in my gut, and cold chills race their way from my mouth outward, covering every inch of my body. I've never felt anything like it in my life, and if I had any doubts, this perfect moment would've easily cleared them all away.
His soul speaks to mine much the same way mine does to his.
Chapter 39
Hemlock
The care I want to take with her tangles with my need to just take her.
The kiss is the best one I've ever had in my life, not that I've kissed many people. It's not something I did once I was old enough to understand it wasn't necessary to get what I wanted when I had a craving I couldn't shove out of my head.
My hands trace her body, wandering up her back and down her arms, and I feel the tremble in her muscles as she moves against me.
I pull back and look her in the eyes.
"You're mine?"
"I'm yours," she promises, a brilliant smile on her gorgeous face.