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)
I glance at her, and she glares back with eyes that peel away my clothes and rip open my throat. A paradox of seduction and hostility.
Christ, it turns me on.
It reminds me of our courtship.
I went without sex for a year while I chased her. A year of suffering her rejections, her repulsion, her stubbornness, and the worst case of blue balls.
But when she finally gave in?
It was ebon nirvana. I took her to bed, and she showed me where the shadows of forgotten stars whisper secrets of eternity, where light and dark coalesce, and the divine and the damned fuse in perfect harmony.
As I entered her body, the pink velvet of her soul wrapped around mine, pulling me into an embrace that altered me on a molecular level.
Whenever I’m with her, the sun never fully sets, and the air shimmers with the soft sighs of the universe.
I didn’t settle down with Frankie Novak. I settled up.
Being her husband is as intoxicating as it is humbling.
She’s given me a luscious, technicolor life, and all I want is to bend her over the dashboard and fuck her ass until she passes out.
I also know that’s not what she needs. She’s too much in her head, and she doesn’t feel safe around me.
Except something changed tonight.
Before I pinned her against the bulkhead, she looked at me differently. She looked at me like she didn’t want to drive a stake through my heart.
She looked at me like the woman I married once looked at me.
On the phone, she said she needed me.
She has me. Always.
But I need to be cautious, extra tender, and patient. I need to remember that the pain of being forced, blackmailed, and abused for the sole pleasure of my sick brother creeps into her thoughts and lingers in her bloodstream.
I need to remember that her livid gaze and mutinous jawline are a result of everything I’ve failed to protect. They also represent the resilience that’s kept her standing.
My throat tightens with regret and resolve. “First thing tomorrow, I’ll launch a full investigation into finding your stalker. I want Sirena on it.”
I expect an argument, but she merely nods.
She knows as well as I do that something needs to be done. The texts, the call, the threats, the implication they know where she is and who she’s with—they’ve gone too far.
My hands flex on the wheel as I agonize over her abduction and the months of horrors she endured. She’s been through enough.
“I have nightmares.” Her fragile whisper shatters through my thoughts. “About killing Denver. No matter what he did to us, to Leo, Wolf, Kody, and all the others, I can’t wash that blood off my hands.”
Her confession pierces me. My brother was a monster. His death was inevitable, yet the burden of it falls on her.
She shouldn’t have been the one to end his life. That bane should’ve been mine.
“I wish it had been me.” My voice roughens with regret. “I should have killed him when we were young. It should’ve been my hands that removed him from this world, not yours.”
“I did what I had to do.” Her eyes meet mine. “But it doesn’t make it easier.”
“I’m sorry, Frankie. So fucking sorry.”
“I know.”
We dock at the island, the familiar silhouette of the estate rising against the night sky. I guide her off the yacht, our steps silent on the pier’s wooden planks. This place is a fortress, guarded by a highly-skilled security team, their figures visible in every direction.
But even here, shadows lurk.
Inside the house, I lead her to the living room with the new couch I bought two months ago.
But she stops me with a hand on my arm. “There’s something I need to show you.”
Curiosity piqued, I follow her upstairs, through my bedroom, and into the bathroom.
None of her belongings remain in this space. It took me a few weeks, but I did what she asked. I removed her presence from my private rooms.
That seemed to satisfy her, but it’s done nothing to soothe my heartache.
“Look.” She points to a wall sconce next to the bathroom door, her expression tense.
I lean closer, examining the hardware. There, hidden in the ornate design, is a tiny camera.
“What the fuck?” Rage and violation surge through me. Someone has been watching us. Watching her. “How long has this been here?”
“Two months.” She pulls out her phone and opens an app. “We set a trap.”
My anger thaws into relief. No one trespassed on the island. They did this. Her, Leo, and Kody. They spied on me. I can live with that.
I did the same thing to them.
I turn, following the angle of the camera. It points directly at the shower.
The recordings on her screen confirm it.
“We put cameras throughout the estate.” Her voice wavers. “You have every right to be mad. We thought…”