Total pages in book: 171
Estimated words: 162003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 810(@200wpm)___ 648(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 162003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 810(@200wpm)___ 648(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
“I’m not your baby girl,” I rasped.
“You’re my anything I fucking want you to be,” he grunted, sliding all the way to the hilt.
My breath was ragged, and the only thing holding me up now were his hands and the leather. He was depriving me of air, but I refused to be the first to give. I refused to show him weakness.
His palm came down so hard on my ass it made me squeal in shock.
“Tell me you’re mine,” he rasped, rolling his cock around inside of me.
“Never.”
“Goddammit, Brighton.” He slapped my other ass cheek.
Spots filled my vision, and if I didn’t relent soon, I was going to pass out. But I didn’t care. I wanted to win at least one round with him.
“You created this monster,” I croaked.
My eyes fluttered shut, and Ryland tossed away the belt. I dragged in a breath as he carried me to the dining room table and laid me on it.
His body covered mine, and he entered me in one deep thrust as his lips found my neck. I moaned when he licked and bit at me, and it only made his thrusts more savage.
When I opened my eyes, the raw power of his body moving above me was a beautiful thing. He was so strong. So fucking strong. But even now, he wouldn’t really hurt me. Not even when I pushed him.
“Harder,” I encouraged.
He gripped my hips in his hands and thrust harder. So hard I thought I might drown beneath the weight of his thrusts. Right now, he was no longer a man. He was an animal.
“Tell me that you’re mine,” he grunted.
He was getting close. I could hear it in his voice. See it in the strain of his biceps. But he wouldn’t let himself go. Not until I gave him what he wanted. And that was where my weakness lay. Because I always wanted to give him what he wanted.
“I’m yours,” I whispered. “Only yours, Ryland.”
The words had barely left my lips when he pulled out and pumped his glistening cock in his fist. A guttural roar escaped him as he spilled his release across my belly and breasts, marking me in a completely different way.
Then he was back inside of me, petting my hair as he continued to pump slowly. It was obvious he didn’t want to leave the warmth of my body.
His eyes burned into mine, the fire gone out of them, and the coldness too. All that was left was regret and something else I didn’t recognize in him. Vulnerability.
He picked me up and carried me down the hall to a master bathroom, where he set me on the sink while he turned on the shower. He removed whatever scraps of clothing we still had on between us, brushing his fingers over my collarbone and neck. I didn’t have to see them to know they were red.
Once the water heated and the room was steamy, he picked me up and moved us inside. He found a place for us on the stone ledge built into the shower, setting me in his lap. I didn’t fight him. Instead, I leaned my head against. Even now, after everything that had happened between us, my heart still echoed his.
There was a vast silence between us for a long time, but I was too tired to question it. I welcomed the silence, the chaos of a situation not yet rectified. My eyelids were beginning to droop when he finally broke it.
“You’ve never laughed like that with me.”
I blinked up at him, feeling the familiar pull of gravity towards the depths of those blue eyes, no matter how much I tried to fight it.
“With Matt,” he supplied. “The way you were laughing with him tonight. You’ve never done that with me.”
His voice was hoarse and unable to conceal the emotions he was so good at keeping in check. There were tears in my own eyes as I spoke.
“How could I, Ryland? You’ve never given me a chance. Everything’s been about the game to you. About the agreement. You’re blackmailing me into a relationship, and you seriously have to question why you’ve never seen me relax around you? My brother’s life is at stake here…”
“I know,” he cut me off. “But how do I know you’ll keep your word if I give you what you want. How can I be certain?”
He looked so much like a small boy as he asked the question, it finally dawned on me what he really needed from me. My assurance I wasn’t going to leave. But there was doubt in his eyes. He doubted I’d be able to convince him.
I didn’t even have to try. I flayed myself wide open and spoke from my heart, allowing my real emotions to shine through.
“Because,” I said shakily… “For better or worse, I’m in love with you, Ryland.”