Total pages in book: 192
Estimated words: 189782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 949(@200wpm)___ 759(@250wpm)___ 633(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 189782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 949(@200wpm)___ 759(@250wpm)___ 633(@300wpm)
All eyes fall on me.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” I finish my coffee, thinking through our options. “I’ll have Sirena look into flight traffic during that time. Maybe we can identify the pilot.”
“Why Sirena?” She squints.
“She leads my investigative team.”
“And she’s the best?”
“She hasn’t failed me yet.”
“Oh, good. You should let her handle your other problem, too.”
“What other problem?” I lean forward, daring her to cross that line.
“You know…” She twists her lips. “Those urges that aren’t being satisfied.”
I lower my voice to a silken pitch. “Only one person can satisfy those urges.”
She grabs Leo’s arm, stopping him from lunging.
His unbridled fury blasts in my direction, and a snarl pitches from Kody, the sound vibrating with raw power.
I don’t look at them. My eyes are solely for my wife.
She lets out a slow, heavy sigh. “You’ll be waiting a long damn time.”
“Haven’t you heard? Waiting is my thing now. Every second without you is a second spent waiting for you. Even if you don’t want me in your life, you’re the constant in mine. Always here.” I tap my temple. “And here.” I touch my chest. “Doesn’t matter how long it takes. My feelings for you are timeless. I’ll wait forever.”
A harsh noise shoots from Leo’s lips.
She gives his arm a warning squeeze. “Monty, please, don’t make this harder than it already is.”
“Harder for whom? You or me?”
You, her eyes assert sadly.
She’s right. It would be so much easier to let her go and move on. I can have any woman I want.
But I already tried that.
Seven unsatisfying minutes with Aubrey was all the confirmation I needed.
Seven minutes that I’ll regret for the rest of my life.
There’s no walking away, letting go, or moving on from Frankie Novak. She’s it for me, and that’s a goddamn shame. Because earning back her heart after I stomped it to pieces? It’ll be the hardest thing I ever do.
“I hear you.” I edge closer. “But pushing through the hard shit is where we excel. I’m not backing down.”
Her stare shoves into mine, frustrated and intimate.
She’s so painfully gorgeous. Her knitted top and jeans fit her perfectly, accentuating every faint curve of her beautiful figure. Even in her anger, she possesses an effortless grace that hypnotizes.
When she looks away, something shifts in the air around her.
A deep furrow etches itself into her brow. She removes a hair-tie from her wrist, her movements sluggish. As if gathering her thick mane of hair requires immense effort. As if invisible chains burden her arms as she secures those red tresses in a high ponytail.
The action exposes her delicate neck, and that’s when I see them.
Hickeys.
They cover every inch of her nape.
She runs her fingers over them, ensuring I don’t miss a single bite.
My jealousy is instantaneous—a dark, seething beast climbing the rungs of my rib cage.
Burning heat surges through my veins, my vision narrowing on those maddening marks on her skin.
The world around me fades, leaving only a crimson haze of possessive rage.
My hands curl into fists, knuckles turning white, as I scan her body, guessing what lies beneath her clothes.
“Where else did they mark you?” I spit the words like shards of ice, cutting through the tense silence. “Tell me where!”
“None of your business.” She glares at me, defiant.
I glance over at Leo and Kody, sensing the violence brewing between us. Leo’s eyes flash with a feral intensity that mirrors my own. Kody, ever the calm one, shifts forward, his gaze unyielding.
Refocusing on Frankie, I drop my voice to a menacing whisper. “Everything about you is my business. They’re touching you, fucking you, and marking what’s mine.”
Her eyes go wide, but she holds her ground. “Goddammit. I’m not yours. You have no right to—”
“You think I don’t see the way you look at me? The way you try to provoke me?” I reach out but stop myself from touching her, my hand hovering inches from her neck. “These marks are a challenge. A test of my patience. A punishment for my mistakes.”
“They have nothing to do with you.”
“You showed them to me, darling.” I sit back, my pulse jagged and bloodthirsty, each exhale a strike against the air. “I told you I would wait forever, and that terrifies you. So you exposed your neck, hoping to provoke my jealousy and turn me into a liar.”
“I need you to understand.” Her expression softens, but her voice remains firm. “While you are waiting alone, I will not be. Listen to me, Monty. This jealousy…it’s going to destroy you. I’ve been here one day, and it’s already happening.”
“I’m not destroyed.” I grind my molars, my gaze falling to her neck. “Seeing those marks feels like a knife in my soul, but I’m still breathing. I bleed, and I breathe to protect you.”
“You can’t protect me from everything. You have to let me live my life.”