Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 78487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
“Don’t be afraid, little one. Our dreams can’t hurt us.” He wraps his arms around me. “And I’m here to chase any of the monsters away.”
Tears prick at my eyes. This man. He’s so damn protective.
I have to hold back a whimper when I grip onto his big arms and kiss him fiercely.
“Fuck me,” I beg against his lips. “Make me forget.”
With an aroused growl, he spins me around and bends me over the counter, where he pushes me down. He nudges my ankles apart, and his hands glide over my hips and down my legs as he removes my underwear. “What my girl wants, my girl gets.”
My girl.
I can’t hold back my tears, and they spill down my cheeks onto the counter.
Standing behind me, he cups my ass and moans. “So good. So perfect.”
He shoves down his sweatpants and sinks into me, his low groan rippling in the air around us.
My pussy throbs.
But so does the hole in my chest.
I’m so damn confused.
My hand slides across the marble counter and through the space between the sugar and coffee canister until my fingertips brush against the gun.
When we were kids, Joey was my best friend. Our father was dead, murdered because he was a crime boss in an unstable time when families were at war over power, money, and turf, and our new stepfather was a cold-hearted deviant who believed he could take what he wanted, when he wanted, and from whom he wanted.
There was a time when Joey protected me against the harsh realities of being raised in a crime family. But as he grew older, he became more distant and less interested in protecting me.
But I still loved him because he was my brother.
We had a bond.
But the man sliding his cock into me ended it when he killed him.
Yet the more I get to know Ares…
Oh God, a delicious sensation takes up in every nerve ending of my drenched pussy, and I can’t stop the desperate groan that falls from my parted lips.
A war rages inside me.
And as I come on Ares’ cock, I still don’t know which side is going to win.
Afterward, we fall into bed, and he pulls me into his strong arms.
I feel safe in his embrace.
“Do you believe in destiny, Ares?”
“Yes.”
I murmur into his big bicep. “Do you believe in God?”
“I believe in something. Do you believe in God?”
“I didn’t think I did, but sometimes I find myself talking to Him.”
Ares leans down and tenderly kisses the crown of my head. “I know what you mean. Every fucking day I thank Him for sending you to me.”
ARES
With the harvest in full production, I spend most of the day overseeing the transportation of the day’s yield to the packing house.
When I’m done, I leave and stop by Rory’s apartment to take her for a ride.
She’s dressed in a yellow summer dress, cowboy boots, and a sunny smile, and the moment I see her I feel that familiar kick in my heart.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she says self-consciously. “Have I got something on my face?”
I slide my hands around her waist. “No, you’re fucking perfect.”
We set off in the late afternoon light with the cloudless blue sky stretching above us and the warm golden sun on our backs.
I sigh and settle into the ride. There’s nothing like the feel of my girl’s arms around me and her lush curves pressed against my back as we ride through the magnificent landscape of Eastern Tennessee. Farms give way to winding mountain roads and breathtaking panoramic views of treetops and rocky mountain passes.
I feel free and happy.
Hell, I’m so fucking content I can’t get this stupid goofy grin off my face.
Life is near perfect.
I push the Harley harder and enjoy the whip of the wind in my hair and the sting of fresh air on my face. It takes us almost an hour to get to the lookout. When we do, I pull off the road and carefully navigate the Harley down the dry, beaten track through the trees and come to a stop on the rocky lookout.
This is my thinking place, where I go when I need to decompress all the thoughts and feelings that twist chaotically through my mind. Here, I feel at peace as l look out over the sea of trees and deep valleys below.
I don’t bring people here.
It always felt too sacred to share with anyone else.
But I want to share it with Rory.
“What’s this place called?”
“Deadman’s Pass.” When she frowns, I ask, “You don’t like the name?”
“Oh no, I do. I think it’s perfect.” She turns to look back at the sweeping view, and sunlight glints in her beautiful eyes. “Because standing here is like looking into the face of paradise. Kind of like you’ve died and gone to heaven.”