Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 110824 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110824 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
“I don’t want to skip them. I want to be here with you.”
“Yeah right,” I scoff.
“I’m serious, Kitten, and if you ever mock me like that again, I’ll show you how serious I am.”
“And how would you do that?” I laugh.
“Try me, sweetheart. I dare you,” he warns. The tone of his voice drops down and it’s enough to make my heart run away with me. Shit. I don’t know what’s going on, but right now I get the feeling that Victor is a sleeping bear and the last thing I want to do is poke him.
“Tell me what is really going on,” I respond quietly.
He sighs and then, before I even realize what he’s doing, his arm goes around my back and his other slides under my legs. He lifts me up as if I weigh next to nothing and deposits me in his lap—ignoring my screeching of surprise.
“Sweetheart, I truly want to watch your movies with you tonight.”
“You said they were lame, remember?” I huff.
“They are,” he laughs.
“See—”
He leans down and kisses my cheek. My mouth slams shut. I don’t know what to say to him. He just kissed me. Sure, it was on my cheek, but it’s the first time he’s kissed me there. I don’t know why, but it feels more personal than when he presses his lips to my forehead. I mean, I love when he does that. It makes me feel cherished and it’s sweet. This feels different, though.
“I have to go out of the country for work, Kitten.”
“I…uh, what?”
“I have to leave in the morning. I’m going with Antonio and a few men for a problem that Marco is having.”
“Oh,” I whisper, ignoring the pain I feel. It’s silly, but I’ve gotten so used to having Victor here that the thought of him not being around settles a weight on me that I don’t like. It’s a weight filled with despair because I don’t want him to leave me. I want him to stay with me.
“I wanted tonight with you so that we could have as much time together as we could get, before I was forced to leave.”
“I see.”
I can feel his eyes on me. They’re boring into me, flushing my whole body with heat. Victor is always intense, but right now it feels even more potent. I have to force myself to lift my gaze and look at him.
“Don’t you have anything you want to say to me, Gia?”
“Will it be dangerous where you’re going?” I ask him, instead of blabbering on about how much I miss him already and don’t want him to go.
“Gia, we don’t talk about my job, I know that.”
“Victor—”
“I also know that you are Emilia’s cousin. You’re not blind to what I do and the people I do it for.”
“You’re a bodyguard,” I murmur.
“For the most part,” he hedges.
I sigh. “Will you at least try to be safe and not to…” I let out a breath before finishing, “get hurt?”
“Worried about me, Kitten?”
“You’re my best friend, Victor. Of course, I am.”
His lips thin out with my answer. I think maybe I’ve upset him. It makes me nervous, so I try to backtrack. “I mean, you don’t have to feel that way. I’m sure you have a lot of friends. I don’t though. I have trouble trusting people. Really, I only have a handful of people in my life. I’m not complaining, I like it like that. Of everyone, though. I’m closest to you. That makes you my best friend, but you don’t have to feel bad. I am not expecting to be that to you. I mean, I doubt I’m anything much to you. I’d like to think—”
His lips push against mine. My eyes squeeze shut as I close my mouth to stop from thrusting my tongue into his mouth. Oh my God, what in the hell is happening right now? This is more than any woman should have to endure. I know I’m stiff in his arms. Right now, I’m afraid to breathe. The temptation to deepen the kiss and beg him to let me love him is so strong that it could bring me to my knees.
When I don’t open my mouth, he sucks my bottom lip into his mouth and runs his tongue along the inside. I feel desire pooling at my core. I can feel my panties grow damp as juices begin to trickle against the lips of my pussy. I try to squeeze my inner thigh muscles, to fight against the desire that’s growing inside of me. When he finally pulls back, I’m scared I may be having a heart attack because of the way it is pounding against my chest.
I bring my hand up to my lips, trying to ignore the way they tingle—or the hunger inside me wanting more. It takes a minute to get my breathing under control. I feel as if I’m going to cry if he doesn’t bring his lips back to mine. God, what is wrong with me.