Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 72308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
“Frightened me?” I asked incredulously. “You disgusted me. You stomped on some guy’s head until there was nothing left. And I’m the one responsible for it.”
“He’s the one who fucked with me, and he’s the only one responsible. All you did was confirm what I already knew. Whether you testified or not, I would have killed them.”
“Then why did you make me go through that?”
His eyes steadied before they shifted back and forth between mine. His look was subtle, but not subtle enough to hide the tiny glimmer of remorse. “So my men know that I’m always fair. I always do my research. And I always carry out a sentence that fits the crime. But you’re right. I shouldn’t have put you through that.”
My arms tightened over my chest.
“It won’t happen again.”
“You won’t make me testify?”
“No. But I’ll make sure you’re out of the building before I act.”
I looked away in disappointment. “I feel like one of your men.”
“You are one of my men.”
“I was okay with it up until now. I’m sentencing people like a judge.”
His eyes scanned my face again.
“I don’t want to be in that position again. And no, you can’t pay me more to change my mind.”
He gave a slight nod as he conceded. “I respect your wishes.”
“Thank you.” I rubbed my arms like I was cold, even though I kept my apartment at a toasty temperature. Without a man to warm my sheets and light my body on fire, the thermostat had to work a little harder.
After he stared at me for a while, he drew close, crossing the distance between us until he was right up against me. It was the closest he’d ever been, just inches away. His scent came into my nose, the smell of fresh snow on the cold ground.
I drew a slow breath, my body ice-cold but on fire at the same time.
He held his stance and stared, looking into my face like he was waiting for a sign.
“Are you going to kiss me?”
He stared for a long time. Let the silence linger like he thrived on tension. He had prominent cheekbones, a naturally stern face, a jawline my fingers ached to stroke, a little bit of stubble down his neck that looked coarse to the touch. “That was your chance to say no.” His hand slid into my hair and cupped the back of my neck before he pulled me to him, tilting his head so his lips could land against mine.
My actions were involuntary. My arms moved over his broad shoulders and circled his neck, and I arched my back just as his arm slipped around me to pull me close. His kiss was the perfect reflection of his personality. It was hard, domineering, almost oppressive because he took the lead in every way imaginable. His body had a lock on mine, the kind that didn’t have a key.
He was a good kisser.
I liked it.
Didn’t want it to end.
But…
It wasn’t right.
I had to pry myself away from him and pull back.
He let me go, but the sternness on his face showed his disappointment. The man clearly had never been rejected—ever. He didn’t say a word, but his countenance demanded an explanation.
“It’s not you…”
He waited for more.
“I recently got out of a relationship, and I guess I’m not ready.”
He stared for a solid ten seconds before he spoke. “If you aren’t ready, why are you in this line of work?”
“I guess…I thought I could do it.”
His eyes glanced at my lips, like the kiss was still on his mind.
“It’d be different if it were just a job. But the fact that you’ve given me the option…makes a difference.”
He still didn’t say anything.
And I’d run out of things to say.
“You’re in love with this guy.” He didn’t phrase it as a question, but it came off that way.
“I wish I weren’t…”
“Why did it end?”
“He…didn’t want to be with me anymore.”
He analyzed my face like a shrink on a couch. “Then he doesn’t deserve your loyalty. If a woman treated me that way, she would forfeit my fidelity. She would forfeit everything because I don’t put up with bullshit—and neither should you. That’s my advice.”
“You don’t seem like a one-woman kind of guy.”
After a long stare, he said, “I was once. A long time ago.”
“What happened?”
He never answered. “Let me know if you change your mind. I’m always open for business.”
I sat in the back seat with Bartholomew beside me. We were in a long line of cars approaching the roundabout in front of a three-story mansion. It was the first time I’d seen him wear anything nice. It was usually boots and a jacket. But now, he was in a tuxedo, and of course, he looked handsome as hell.
He was typing on his phone, indifferent to the fancy party we were about to attend. It reminded me of Cauldron because work never slept for him either. I wore a dark teal dress with ruffles on one sleeve. Bartholomew didn’t buy my wardrobe, so I recycled something from my old life in the South of France. It felt like a betrayal to wear it when I was with another man, but if I didn’t wear these things, I might as well give them away.