Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 107(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 107(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Fucking hell. Dirty thoughts slam into my head, and I shake them away. No. Hell no. This is not about me.
Her touch is innocent, and yet here I am, a grown man turning feral at something as simple as hand-holding.
Maybe I’m the crazy one.
“You look angry?”
I slowly pull my hand back and scrub it roughly across my face. This is important to her. My cock is not the priority. “I’m not. Go on, I won’t distract you again.”
“Oh okay.” She gathers herself and from the corner of my eye, I see her straighten her spine. “My only friend is a 16-year-old girl named Elise. She’s very smart with numbers, but she’s also nosy. There’s a small office by the gate, and she goes there every morning to do some calculations and stuff. She has access to the file cabinet and easily figured out the blind spots inside. You know, where there are no cameras.
“That was how she pieced everything together. The graduation? Father wouldn’t bring us to the main house. There is no main house. He’d bring us to a small clinic where our organs will be harvested and sold to the highest bidder.”
I know what’s coming before she even opens her mouth.
“I just turned 18 last month. I’m supposed to graduate tomorrow.”
My pulse pounds in my throat, frustration rolling over me. I can’t take it anymore so I pull over and turn the engine off.
My fists are balled on my thighs, my head spinning and almost about to explode. Man’s capacity for depravity never ceases to amaze me. I take a slow, deliberate breath, trying to quell the raging inferno pumping throughout my body.
Reaching for the interior dome light, I turn it on, unbuckle my seatbelt, and face Dani. She looks pale and exhausted.
As much as I want to rush to this compound with guns blazing, I have to take care of her first. I run a thumb along her jawline and smooth cheek, and with a soft smile, she leans into my touch.
Fierce hunger ripples through me, and air rushes from my lungs.
This desire that began when she stopped in front of me has turned into a full-blown obsession. Something shifts between us, the tension inside the truck so palpable I can slice it with a knife.
Her breath hitches and her gaze lands on my mouth.
No, Dani. God. You’re killing me.
If she gives me any indication that she needs this, who am I to refuse? Maybe she needs a quick break from the hell she’s been through, maybe she wants—
“Kiss me, Damien.”
Say no more.
My pulse kicks into overdrive as I lean forward and press my lips to hers. She tastes so much sweeter than I imagined, and my staff roars to attention.
I struggle to keep it slow and unhurried, careful not to take more than she’s willing to give. The fact that she’s letting me kiss her is enough to tide me over…for now.
With a groan, she pulls back and glares at me. “Dammit, Damien. Kiss me like you mean it. I won’t break.”
And that’s how she unleashed the beast inside me.
Kiss her like I mean it? Consider it done.
4
DANI
Desire pools low in my belly and my toes curl.
I can almost pinpoint the exact moment he snapped. Gone is the gentleman, always-in-control Damien. In his place is someone more savage, more intense, more…demanding.
He claims my mouth in a searing kiss that makes me clench my thighs together. He begins coaxing me to part my lips, and when I do, his tongue slips into my mouth, plunging in and out in a way that has me digging my nails into his arms and moving my hips.
Oh god.
When we come up for breath, he rests his forehead on mine. He’s about to kiss me again when out of nowhere, my stomach rumbles. I’m equally embarrassed and horrified.
I can’t remember the last time I ate. Was it yesterday? Or the day before? All I know is after Elise told me what would happen after graduation, I lost any and all appetite.
He chuckles and tucks a strand of stray hair behind my ear. “Let’s go get you something to eat.”
I don’t protest because yes, I’m hungry. I’ve been running purely on adrenaline, but now that I’m more relaxed, I realize I need food.
It takes us half an hour before we spot a gasoline station. It’s a small, weathered building with faded red and white paint. There’s only one pump, and adjacent to it is a convenience store with faded posters on its glass windows. It’s completely dark now, and a single light bulb flickers overhead.
We stop by the pump and I open the glove compartment, reaching for a couple of bills inside.
“Wait.” Damien reaches for my hand and squeezes it. “Let me fill this up and I’ll go with you to the convenience store.”