Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 69875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Shaking my head, I glance in the mirror and expertly line my eyes with the dark Kohl pencil. The black makes my eyes pop; the blue prominent tonight.
As I straighten, I spin around, taking in my reflection. The sleek black dress Callia loaned me fits like a glove. Luckily, we’re the same size, and I’m able to borrow outfits from her. I’ve managed to order a few things, but I didn’t focus on party dresses. Which brings me to Callia’s dress. It’s short, shorter than I would usually wear, but I think it looks good.
With a smile, I head out after slipping on the heels she’s loaned me. Downstairs, the music blares through the speakers, along with the voices that filter up to where I am. I’m about to make my way down the stairs, but my arm is gripped by a strong, firm hand.
I glance over my shoulder to find Monster glaring at me. “What the feck are you wearin’?” he asks through his teeth.
The man is seething. He’s practically expelling steam from his ears. I bite back a laugh as I picture it in my mind.
“A dress,” I respond to him, which I realise may not be the best idea since he’s not in a good mood. But I’m so tired of him ordering me around when he has no claim over me. We’re not together. If I want to dress in a sexy outfit, and perhaps find someone who wants me, then so be it. He can’t stop me.
“You’ll go back to yer room and put some jeans on,” he orders, his fingers still gripping me harshly. “Do it. Now.”
“You can’t tell me what to wear. You don’t do it with any of the other girls,” I retort, tugging my arm from his hold. “Why are you like this?” I bite out in frustration.
The man before me has my hands fisting at my sides. He takes a step towards me, his eyes practically glowing with anger. With each movement he makes, I move back. Even as my heart thuds wildly in my chest, I’m not scared of him. I may want to run, but it’s because he makes me feel something. He makes me want to stay, to tell him just how much I want to be here, and I can’t do that. I can’t stay.
“I told ye once before,” he speaks, his voice low, commanding. There’s no amusement in his tone, and I know I fucked up. “You’re in my home, and that means, I’m meant to take care of ye.”
His thick Irish brogue has me squirming. I didn’t expect to ever want someone so much, but when Monster leans in, I want nothing more than for him to kiss me. I move away from the stairs, and my back hits the wall.
We’ve been tiptoeing around each other since I arrived. But when I move, so does he. If he’s not close, I seek him out in the crowd. The man who tried to touch me a few nights ago was beaten to within an inch of his life. I have come to realise these men would do anything to keep the women safe. As much as it fills me with warmth, Monster frustrates me.
“I didn’t think he would—”
His hand slams into the wall behind me, causing me to flinch. “Didn’t think he’d want to feck ye? Or didn’t think he’d want to run his hands all over ye?” The anger in his tone is tinged with something else—jealousy.
“Why do you care?” I throw out before I have time to think. Rage blazes in his eyes then, and I realise I’ve just angered the man they call Monster. “I’m sorry.”
He reaches for my chin, pinching it between his thumb and forefinger. “If you think for one second you can talk to me like that and get away with it, ye’re sorely mistaken, wee fox.”
The nickname he’s given me makes my cheeks heat. When he first called me that a few days ago, I couldn’t respond. I wasn’t embarrassed, but I didn’t want to admit to myself how much I liked that he’d given me something that was unique to the two of us.
“Why?” I bite out. “You going to spank me?”
My retort has him chuckling. “Oh, darlin’, I’ll gladly put you over my knee,” he tells me, and I know he’s not joking. “Now,” he says. “You be a good girl and get back to work. I have shite to do, and I can’t do it knowing you’re runnin’ around with yer arse hangin’ out while feckin’ arseholes paw at ye.”
He pushes away from me, the heat of his body gone, making me shiver. When he’s far from me, I miss him. And when he’s close to me, it feels as if I’m burning up. It’s stupid. I realise I can’t want a man like him. I’ve come from one violent person, and I cannot be with another.