Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66134 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66134 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
She swallowed hard, and though her eyes were steady on mine, I saw the flicker of something vulnerable in her gaze that made my chest tighten. “Do you remember our first night together, on the drive to your place, when you asked me about my parents and I told you they were both gone?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“I lied,” she said, and before I could react to that, she quickly went on, as if she wanted to get all of the truth out in the open without any interruptions. “I lied because…my father was an abusive and drunk asshole my entire life and took his anger out on my mother, who was so afraid of him she made excuses for his behavior, but it was bad. We lived in a trailer park, and the circumstances were shitty because we were poor and my father couldn’t keep a job because he was an alcoholic. He beat my mother regularly because of his rage issues…until one day he went too far and choked her to death.”
I stared at her in shock, because that was the last thing I’d expected to hear.
She took advantage of me processing that information and continued in a rush. “So, yes, while my mother is gone, my father is serving a life sentence in prison for her murder. Valerie and I left Connecticut and moved to New York because we wanted to sever all ties to our father,” she said, her voice hoarse and her entire demeanor stiff, which I hated. “I know that this isn’t something that could negatively impact your custody case, not when your own twin is in prison for some pretty heinous crimes of his own—”
“I agree,” I interrupted her, before she kept rambling. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t shocked because this was the last thing I’d expected to hear, but you’re right. I doubt this is something that would be detrimental to the custody case, so what’s the issue, Stevie?” I asked, because she was clearly very upset.
She wrung her hands in her lap. “Alyssa now knows all this and insinuated that ‘once the word gets out’ about my past, where I come from and what my father did, that it’s going to make me look like a desperate gold digger who latched onto you for your money…and she’s not wrong about that perception.”
I laughed harshly and shook my head at my ex’s last-ditch efforts to try and undermine what I had with Stevie. “The only one here that is desperate is Alyssa.”
“But it’s true how things could look,” Stevie insisted, her fingers still twisting together anxiously. “And the thought of my past creating some kind of scandal for you…”
Reaching out, I cupped the side of her face in my palm, then stroked my thumb along her cheek in an attempt to calm her. “Do you honestly believe I give a shit what other people think about me or anything else in my personal life? I know who you are, Stevie, and it’s never been a gold digger or the kind of woman who would ever take advantage of me, and that’s all that matters to me when it comes to us.” I emphasized that word, wanting her to know we were in this together, whether she realized it yet or not.
“We all have pasts, and yours and mine are not pretty,” I went on. “But you have to know that I understand about your father because of my own situation with Lance. I just wish you would have trusted me enough to tell me before now.”
“I know,” she said, and ducked her head. “It’s not something I’m proud of when it comes to my family, and I didn’t think my past was relevant to our arrangement.”
I lifted her chin back up so her eyes met mine. “That’s where you’re wrong, Stevie. Everything about you is important and relevant to me,” I said, meaning it.
She gave me a small, regret-filled sigh. “I’m sorry…I didn’t want such an amazing night like tonight to end like this, with such a serious and uncomfortable discussion.”
“Tonight isn’t over, and we can end it however we like,” I countered, unwilling to let my ex’s vindictive behavior ruin anything. In fact, I was more than ready to leave the conversation behind for now and focus on the only thing that mattered to me tonight. Stevie.
Before she could argue, I smiled at her and let my fingers trail lightly down the side of her neck. Her eyes darkened with desire, and I watched as she shivered and her nipples peaked against the soft cotton T-shirt she wore—the exact reaction I was hoping for.
“Given the choice, I want tonight to end with me buried deep inside of you, and you coming around my cock,” I murmured huskily. “Preferably with you screaming my name.”