Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89493 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89493 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
He fucked me like an animal, the table sliding against the floor with every thrust. His dick was starting to swell inside me as his head lolled back, eyes closing.
“Birdie,” he pleaded as he was on the threshold of sanity. “This pussy is mine now. Fuck, you feel so good. Come for me, angel. I can’t hold back.”
I melted around him as spasms ricocheted through my core. I wanted to hear him say those filthy words again and again. My body was his. He could have everything but my heart because that would only ever be mine. At least that was what I wanted to believe.
But then he buried himself deep, shuddering out his release inside me with a breathlessness that seemed to purge years of pent-up anguish. I felt him throbbing, his come warming me as it leaked into my womb. He didn’t pull away. He opened his eyes, and they clashed with mine as he leaned in to kiss me.
“Mine,” he declared between whispered breaths. “You’re fucking mine.”
BIRDIE LOOKED UP AT ME with soft, crystalline eyes and lips swollen from my kiss. She was messy and perfect, and I didn’t want to leave the warmth of her body. My dick was still inside her as I silently chanted my claim to her on repeat.
Mine. Mine. Mine.
But then reality began to decay the fantasy, and the weight of what I’d done settled over me. I’d just taken from her the one thing I said I never would. I poisoned her with my seed. With the demonic DNA woven into every fiber of my body. My actions proved that I wasn’t any different than the monster from my past.
You did this. You killed her. You brought her here knowing this would happen. Because you’re fucking evil, and it spreads to everything around you. There is no salvation for you. Everything good will die in your presence.
My head collapsed forward, and I didn’t know what to do next. The only thing I ever knew how to do was retreat. I pulled away and broke the eye contact between us as I tried to gather my thoughts. Zipping up my jeans, I glanced at Birdie one last time. She was still mostly naked, on full display, and it physically hurt me to look at something so beautiful, knowing that I might have caused her further pain. Ed was right. I could never have something as good and pure as her.
“It’s late,” I told her. “You should go get ready for bed.”
My eyes drifted away from her, unable to witness what I’d done. Birdie moved robotically, wrapping the robe around herself and concealing her body as she stood. I felt her gaze on my face, but she never said a word.
When she padded down the hall, I finally felt like I could breathe again as I collected my thoughts. I waited until her door slammed shut before I grabbed my phone and keys and headed outside.
“Ace.” Lucian looked surprised to see me at his door, but he didn’t hesitate to usher me inside. He didn’t ask me the reason for my visit, and I didn’t expect him to. I wasn’t even really certain of it myself, but Lucian had always extended an open-door policy to me. I’d just never really used it before.
I walked inside and sat down on the sofa while he lingered on the threshold of the kitchen. “Can I get you a drink?”
“No, I’m good.”
He nodded and took a seat in the padded chair across from me, both of us quiet while we observed each other. Beneath his eyes, dark circles lingered, and I gathered he wasn’t getting a lot of sleep in early fatherhood.
“You taking care of yourself?” I asked.
He smiled in a way that was typical of the reclusive man I’d come to know. He never wanted anyone to worry about him. “Always.”
The room fell quiet, and I knew he was giving me space. He never felt the need to fill such stretches with meaningless words, but in my disconcerted state, I wished he would. “How’s the baby?”
“A champion,” he answered proudly. “He’s resting with Gypsy right now, or else I’d bring him out to show him off.”
Admittedly, it was weird for me to see Lucian as a father and a husband. They were both fairly new developments in his life, and something I’d never really expected to see. For as many years as I’d known him, he’d only ever been married to his work as an attorney. When he wasn’t saving lost souls like me, he was finding what small semblance of peace he could in a confessional booth. But if anyone deserved a second chance at happiness, it was him.
“I know a lot has changed recently,” Lucian observed, seemingly aware of my thoughts. “My attention has shifted. But as long as I still have breath in my lungs, you should know my home is always open to you, Ace.”