Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 107687 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107687 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
“I bit his dick the next time he tried to force me.” Her voice is muffled against my skin. “And then my mom beat me, and that’s why I ran away.”
I kiss her temple, then below her eye, the tip of her nose, before pressing my lips to her top lip. “No one will ever hurt you again, Janie. I swear.”
Her honey eyes flood with her tears. “I know. I know you’ve got me.”
“I do, Janie. I fucking do.” I kiss her nose, and then it dawns on me. “Austen, I bit you, nibbled on you. I’m sor—”
“No,” she insists, begging me with her eyes. “I welcome your bite, crave it.”
“I don’t want to trigger anything.”
“You didn’t. All you did was give me the best pleasure of my life,” she admits, and my body quivers with delight. “Not to stroke your ego any more.”
“Too late.” I grin at that and kiss her forehead as she giggles softly. My heart pounds so hard in my chest, and I don’t understand how anyone could hurt such an angel. She is so beautiful, so smart, so kind, and I swear on everything I’ve ever loved, no one will ever touch her again.
Other than me.
“Did they ever try to rape you?”
She nods, swallowing hard. “I was the favorite of the Grandmaster. He wanted me as his wife, and he was married to my mother after my dad passed. I thought that meant he couldn’t have me, but my mom was willing to give me to him to make him happy. When I refused, he…” Her words trail off as my eyes fall shut. “He would make me watch him have sex with my mom and I would just cry, but she’d keep on telling me that I could have all of him. She tried to hold me down for him the day I left, and I kicked him in the dick and her in the throat, and I ran.”
“My girl,” I rasp against her lips as I open my eyes again. “My defiant sakharok.”
I see something move in her eyes. “I was scared.”
“I would be too,” I admit, running my soapy thumbs along her cheeks. “But look at you, Austen. You’re standing before me, and I am stunned by you. Every day, you blow me away, and I can’t get enough.”
I see tears welling up again in her eyes. “I still have nightmares,” she whispers. “I sometimes fear they’ll come for me.”
“I dare them to!” I roar, my voice so gravelly and dark, even I get a chill from it. “No one, not even a nightmare, will ever haunt you when I’m around. I’ll make sure of it.”
“Dimitri,” she whispers, her voice drifting off, leaving me aching for her.
I step away from her, only slightly, to finish washing her stomach then her hips. I glide my hands between her thighs, making sure to clean away any sign that she was a virgin. I’m breathless as I do so, especially when I look up, meeting her heated gaze. She cups my jaw, and my hand pauses right at her sweet, swollen lips. “I’m okay, Dimitri. I am.”
I exhale roughly. “I’m not.”
She smiles softly, taking me by my hips. She brings me to her, and my hands go around her waist, pulling her to me as the water beats down on us. I close my eyes, pressing my forehead to hers.
“No?”
I open my eyes, her gold gaze meeting mine.
“Why not?”
I can’t answer her. All I can do is stare at her in awe. I am so proud of her, so inspired by her strength and her fight for what she wants. For who she is. I move my hand up to her cheek, cupping it as I gaze down at her, emotion clogging my throat. My chest hurts, or maybe it’s my heart; I don’t know. But fuck, she’s got me in my feelings. “Because I’ll never be able to recover from you.”
Her lips curve at that, and that little rebellious tilt of her chin teases me. “Good.”
Her boldness has me hard everywhere. I kiss her chin and gaze into her eyes. She smiles widely before I lick and then kiss the spot I bit. Her eyes darken, her hand covers mine, and I can’t even think straight. With a hoarse voice, I say, “Yeah, it’s real good, Janie.”
I take her mouth with mine, drawing the kisses out of her as my hands tremble against her skin. While we both just agreed it’s good, I don’t know if that can be true. I want it to be true, but what scares me most is that I don’t care what could happen.
All I care about is this gorgeous girl in my arms.
With her defiant little chin.
And more strength than I could have ever imagined.
thirty
Austen
I’m gloriously sore.
Not entirely sure those words can even go together, but that’s how I feel.