Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 115400 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115400 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
My gaze sails over the gown, taking in the plunging neckline and the hip-high split that will show off my legs perfectly. And all I can do is wonder why he claimed me as his own. Even on the balcony after his meeting, he said no other man would ever touch me again, but if I’m just a toy, why take me as a date to a family event? I can’t claim that I know anything about the ins and outs of mafia life, but wouldn’t bringing me as a date make a statement? I just wish I knew what.
All I know is that being here with him is a million times better than any other outcome that could have come from being auctioned off in that warehouse. I should thank him for saving me, but he insists he’s no hero. If only he could see it the way I do. He offered me salvation, and while he might think of it as satisfying his wicked needs, I see it as a chance to live.
Striding across my room, I gaze out my big window that looks over the back of the property, admiring how the soft hues of gold shine across the mountaintops. It’s dazzling, unbelievably gorgeous, and a sight I could happily wake up to every day of my life. It sure as hell beats waking up to the sound of my landlord banging on the door, demanding rent.
I slept like a baby last night, completely satisfied. Despite the fear of someone unwelcome sneaking into my room and the comments about bearing Killian an heir, I couldn’t help the need to step into the shower and clean up. Now, barely twelve hours later, the need to have him inside me is stronger than ever before.
He said he was going out to attend to business this morning . . . whatever business that might be. But I wonder if he needs a wake-up call.
That first time we were together was his opportunity to exercise control over me. Hell, every moment since the warehouse he’s had his chance. I’ve pushed the limits with him and tested the waters with just how far I can assert my will. But I’m not the type to simply allow a man to rule over my world. I’m far too independent for that. If this little arrangement is going to work out, I need a better understanding of my boundaries, and I need to have some control. Even if it’s just a little.
He got to dictate how he was going to take my body, but now it’s my turn.
If he gets to take me however and whenever he pleases, then he better be prepared for me to demand the same in return.
Before I’ve even had a chance to truly think this through, I’m marching out of my bedroom, uncaring about the fact that beneath my silk robe, I’m still as naked as the day I was born.
Finding his room, I grip the door handle and slowly push it open before peering in. The sun rises on the opposite side of the property, so it’s still mostly covered in darkness, but there’s just enough morning light for me to make out his sleeping body dead center on his bed.
His arm is propped behind his head, and while he’s sound asleep, his usually tense jaw hangs slack, and his serious expression has melted into a soft, boyish innocence. During the day, there are deep lines in his forehead and his posture is cold and rigid, but there have been a few times when I’ve caught him watching me with his guard down. He doesn’t look at me with the same disgusting disregard that I received from the other men at the auction. There is a connection between us, something that pulls him in, an odd infatuation, and as long as he’ll have me, I’m willing to stay.
Swallowing over the growing lump of unease caught in my throat, I let out a shaky breath and make my move. My hands shake, but I forge ahead, determined to make my point.
Climbing the four steps up to his bed, I hit the platform before slipping out of my robe and slowly sliding in beside him. I’m certain that if he were to wake up right now, this wouldn’t go down well. My Romanian mystery stirs as the bed dips under my weight, and I hold my breath, trying not to move as he settles back into a deep sleep.
Scooching closer to him, I inhale deeply, letting his magical scent wrap around me.
I don’t know what it is about this man. Perhaps it’s the knowledge that he could kill me without mercy, but he’s so enraptured by me that he won’t.
Fuck, I can’t think like that. Or can I?
Testing the waters, my hand drops to his bare chest with a feather-soft touch, and I take in his handsome face to find him staring right back at me.