Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 121696 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 608(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121696 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 608(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
“Where were you?” he asked.
Rushing to the lamp, she switched it off. “You can’t come here any longer. It’s not safe.”
He got up and crossed the floor, stopping short of her. “I won’t get caught.”
“You don’t know that,” she hissed, backing up a step. “I need you to leave.”
“Kitten?” His gaze narrowed. “What happened?”
She hugged herself. “Nothing.”
Gripping her chin, he tilted her face and searched her eyes. “Don’t lie to me.”
She pulled away. “I’m trying to keep you safe.”
His expression darkened with suspicion, but he opened his arms and said in a gentler tone, “Come here.”
“Sean, please.” She took another step back. “You have to go.”
He closed the distance and wrapped his arms around her. “You’re not yourself. I’m not leaving you like this.”
Against her better knowledge, she leaned into the caress, basking in the safety and warmth of his embrace.
When the tension somewhat eased from her shoulders, he kissed the crown of her head.
“That’s it.” Stroking her back, he continued, “I was looking for you this afternoon. You weren’t in the spa room or on the beach. You didn’t show up for dinner either.” Although he kept his voice soft, the undercurrent of anger was unmissable. “Something happened. Tell me.”
“Stop, Sean.”
He held her at arm’s length. “Do you trust me?”
She didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
His jaw set in a hard line of resolve. “Then tell me.”
“Promise me you won’t do something stupid.”
A muscle ticked under his jaw, but he kept his features composed. “I won’t do anything that will risk you.”
“Or yourself,” she insisted.
“Or me.”
She took a deep breath. “I was in Juan’s room.”
His body went rigid, his fingers tightening on her upper arms as a look of cold calculation came over his face. “Did he fuck you?”
“No. He wasn’t even there.”
He clenched his jaw. “Then what were you doing in his room?”
If she told him the truth, he’d be upset. Not wanting to lie to him either, she told him what she could. “He locked me in.”
“Why?”
She swallowed. “A lesson, I suppose.”
The tightening of his eyes told her he didn’t believe her. “And then he let you go, just like that?”
“Just like that,” she said with a challenging lift of her chin.
“If he brought his dick near you—”
She twisted out of his hold. “He didn’t.”
Clenching his hands at his sides, he said, “I’ll crush his skull.”
“He didn’t fuck me.” Suddenly feeling cold, she rubbed her arms. “He’s really set on no sex before marriage.” Just saying it made her feel sick. “It’s as if he’s trying to rebuild a situation from the past, thinking if he copies it exactly like it happened, it’ll bring back his dead wife.”
He flexed and curled his fingers. “I need to get you the fuck away from here.”
“The meeting with Godfrey is in the next few days. Juan won’t know where and when until he gets the call. Godfrey won’t contact him before.” The knowledge weighed heavy on her. “We can’t give your friend the information he needs.”
“I gave him what we have. That’s good enough. I expect him to call before the end of the week.”
She touched the collar. “What about this?”
“I told my friend about it. I trust him to come up with a solution.” He brushed his knuckles over her cheek. “I wish I could do more. I fucking need to do more.”
Risking his life was more than enough. She couldn’t ask that of him, because she cared. She cared about the moody, handsome, intense Scotsman. But their time was running out. Instinctively, she knew it. Their moments together were stolen, and this might be the last one they had. How could she waste it?
Folding her arms around his neck, she pulled him down for a kiss. The minute their lips touched, a spark ignited. Flames erupted, incinerating the anger, suspicion, and helpless fury. All that was left was the fire they fueled with their need.
He slanted his lips over hers, taking control of the kiss. He nicked and licked her bottom lip before spearing his tongue into her mouth. Without breaking the kiss, he walked her backward until her body hit the wall. Consuming her mouth with feverish urgency, he nudged her legs apart with a knee. When he pushed his thigh between hers, she grinded down on him. Her already threadbare need exploded. It took only one roll of her hips to climax. The release was so powerful her knees gave out. If not for the arms he wrapped around her, she would’ve slid to the floor. Burrowing her face against his chest, she shook with aftershocks.
Carefully, uncertainly almost, he flattened a palm on her lower back and pressed her closer. “Fuck, Asia. What just happened?”
“I just needed to come.”
“Nobody comes just like that.” He pulled away to look at her face. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Sean, please. I’m tired. I just want to go to bed.”