Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 39689 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 159(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39689 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 159(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
With slow movements, I pushed open my car door and stepped out of my car, beeping it locked. Damien would have a fit if he found out I accidentally left my car unlocked. He was a stickler when it came to my safety and well-being.
I strode up to the door and pushed it open, walking inside. I knew Damien wouldn’t have been home by then, and with tired movements, I kicked my shoes off by the door and dragged my feet to the bedroom.
Damien was leaning against the doorjamb when I walked down the hallway.
My eyes widened in shock as I stared at him. “You’re home early,” I commented, walking towards him as he stood up to his full height.
He pulled me against him and kissed me softly. I smiled into the kiss and stepped a bit closer to him, desperately wanting to be closer to him. He pulled back all too soon and stepped backward into the room, grabbing a glass of chilled wine off of the table beside our bedroom door. He handed it to me with a gentle smile. “Happy six-month anniversary, darlin’.”
I smiled and took a sip of the wine, loving that he always remembered my favorite kind. My eyes widened again when I looked at the floor and saw the rose petals scattered on the floor to make a path. I laughed softly, my eyes filling with tears as I followed them towards the bathroom where the light was off, candles lit everywhere. The jacuzzi-style tub was filled with bubbles and was letting off the aroma of vanilla—my absolute favorite scent.
“Go ahead and relax, darlin’. I’ve got dinner in the oven,” Damien told me, his deep voice wrapping around me, soothing me after such a long day.
I turned and smiled at Damien, reaching up to wipe a tear of happiness off my cheek. “This means a lot,” I whispered. “Thank you.”
He softly smiled at me and reached forward to wrap his hand around the back of my neck to kiss me. “Anything for you, beautiful.”
He turned and walked off. I smiled and stripped out of my clothes, settling down into the tub, sighing at the perfect temperature as all my muscles began to loosen and relax.
When dinner was ready, Damien and I ate on the back porch under the stars with the moon and the candles our only light as we spoke softly about our future, and the great moments we knew we would have together.
Damien might have been a monster, and he might have been controlling as hell, but he loved me in his own twisted, fucked-up way.
I was staring up at the moon in silence when Damien’s chair scraped against the concrete. I jerked my head around to stare at him as he got down on one knee in front of me, a velvet box opened in his hands to reveal a gigantic diamond ring.
My breath caught in my throat as tears spilled down my cheeks.
“Hayley, you are the only woman I’ve met who has been able to worm her way under my skin. I don’t make a single decision without thinking of how it would affect you. I’ve created an empire for myself, but without you, it all means nothing to me.” He drew in a deep breath like he was actually nervous, and that was insane. Because Damien Parrish didn’t get nervous. “Hayley, please, do me the honor of marrying me and sharing all of this with me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” he murmured, nervousness showing in his eyes.
Damien was never nervous, and yet, tonight, he was nervous that I would turn him down.
Tears of joy slid down my cheeks as I nodded and launched myself out of my chair at him, knocking us both to the ground as I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him for all he was worth.
I was jerked out of my beautiful, yet heart-breaking memory when I heard a gunshot go off, the sound of glass shattering meeting my ears right after. I shrieked and jumped off my bed, landing on the floor on my hands and knees. My bedroom door crashed open, and Damien rushed in, Drake and Tyrone hot on his heels.
I heard another gunshot go off, and I whimpered, trying to not panic. Damien rushed over to me and knelt in front of me. He gripped my chin, forcing my eyes to meet his. His blue eyes soothed me, calming me down and grounding me to the Earth.
“You need to breathe and stay calm,” he commanded. I nodded. He placed a gun in my hand. The steel of the handle was warm from where he had been holding it. “Do you remember how to use this?” At my nod, he continued. “Good. Crawl on the floor and get in the hallway, understand?”