Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 95196 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95196 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
“Darling,” I said, using my sweetest tone. “With me there’s always a need for if. When I touch something I shouldn’t and when I make a mistake, what will you do?”
Tone low and casual, his accent thick, hinting at the seething emotions within, he said, “Donna spar with me, wife.”
“Will you erupt and lash out?” I arched a brow, mimicking him. “Am I to become a victim of your berserkerage?” Berserkerage was a word, right? If not, it should be.
Callen shifted to peer out a window. “You are’na new to life with a man like me. You spent eighteen years under your father’s care and months sneaking around with Roderick, whose temper surpassed mine. You know verra well what happens when we are provoked.”
No. No, I didn’t. I knew only what I’d read. Maddened. Unstoppable. Frenzied. I ignored the comment about his brother. There was no way to defend Isobel’s actions. Nor did I wish to try.
“Every man is different, even those who are the same,” I said. “Maybe you should explain things like I’m brand new to this. As if I’m actually an innocent bystander.” I leaned over and fiddled with his silver tie, proving my fake nonchalance was one hundred percent authentic. “You did promise to follow my lead, did you not? And this way, you can be assured there are no misunderstandings between us.”
A crackling pause. “All right,” he said with a slow nod. “I’ll explain it so a newcomer can understand.”
He reached over, unbuckled my seatbelt, and caught me by the waist, lifting me onto his lap. My breath lodged in my throat, and my gaze jerked up, colliding with his. Such intensity! Those baby blues glittered with something stronger than longing.
Why had he put me here? Why did I… like it?
“I am a grenade,” he stated, “and my pin has been pulled. At any moment, I could explode.” As he spoke, his attention snagged on my hair. He licked his lips. Then he shook his head and narrowed his eyes. “If that happens, there will be casualties. Your job, your only job, is to keep me calm and hold off my detonation. You do this by obeying my commands. Understand now?”
My hackles buzzed. “That sounds made up to gain my cooperation.”
“It isn’t, I promise you.” His focus strayed to my hair again. Only for a moment. Okay, a moment more. Then another and another. What thoughts rolled through his head?
I shifted against him, edging closer to inhale more of his intoxicating scent. Would he act?
A minute passed. Then another. We stayed exactly as we were, balanced on a precarious ledge of something I didn’t wish to name.
Then, he moved. Reaching out, he sifted a lock of my hair between his fingers. Tingles spread over my scalp. An urge to cup his face and offer the comfort he sought struck me. A wild temptation I had no business entertaining, especially after what he’d just said. And yet…
Unable to resist, I glided my fingers across his jaw. His beard stubble tickled my skin, a caress that penetrated to the bone.
He hissed air between his teeth at the same time I did. I melted over him, but he released my hair and set me aside swifter than humanly possible. Whoa!
Confused by the abrupt rejection, after such a gentle exchange, I buckled up, muttering, “Thank you. This is where I prefer to be. Right?
After what had happened, I expected him to look away. But his attention remained fixed on me for a long while. A very long while. I wouldn’t react. Not even a little. Except, I did. Ribbons of heat uncoiled in my veins, and I squirmed.
“Do I make you nervous, wife?”
Must Callen purr such a leading question? “Yes,” I admitted without thought. I pursed my lips. Honestly, not even August had made me feel this jittery. “But only sometimes, so don’t go getting a big head about it.”
He blinked and rubbed his thumb into the center of his lower lip. “Hmm,” he uttered, too sexy for words.
My heart lurched into a race. Hmm? What did ‘hmm’ mean? It must be good, because yep, the ring twisting started next. Man, I loved recognizing this tell.
We said nothing else as the car came to a halt in front of a lovely stone building near a body of pristine blue water. So not where I’d expected an immortal king to work. I recognized the densely populated shopping area. I’d toured here. Had even passed the building’s row of windows. Had Callen stood behind the glass, neither of us comprehending how we’d be connected one day?
The driver opened his door, and Callen climbed out. Once again, he offered me a hand. This time, I accepted without an intermission. Warmth sizzled in my cheeks upon contact. I almost pulled away. Almost.
Hand in hand, we crossed the threshold, and oh wow. Historic on the outside, modern on the inside. A sapphire-veined marble floor paired nicely with the chandelier dripping with thousands of blue crystals. Azure light reflected over a round table displaying a massive vase of fresh bluebells. The most incredible floral scent sweetened the air.