Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 27066 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27066 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
“Thank you, Dorian. I’m going to bed now.” She’s standing in front of me now.
“I’ll just take a quick shower and join you.”
“Whatever you want.” I pull her into my arms, breathing in her scent. I hug her until she wraps her arms around my waist and hugs me back.
“Thank you for marrying me,” I tell her.
“I didn’t have a choice,” she says, pulling away from me. I watch her as she climbs into the bed and pulls the covers over herself.
When she reaches over to the night stand and turns the light off, plunging the room into darkness, except for the light coming from the open bathroom door. Going in there, I close the door behind me. I take a quick shower and pull on clean boxers from the bag she left on the counter. When I open the door again, I can hear her sobbing. She tries to stop but she can’t. I get into bed and pull her into my arms. She comes willingly. I hold her until she cries herself to sleep. Every gut-wrenching sob broke my fucking heart. The heart that didn’t really start beating until I met her.
I have to make her fall in love with me. I have to. I thought I could live with it if she didn’t, but there’s no way in hell we’ll make it through the rest of our lives if she doesn’t.
Making her love me is my only goal now.
TEN
MATILDE
FIVE DAYS LATER
I didn’t have a choice.
I didn’t have a choice.
I didn’t have a choice.
That’s just one of the many lies I’ve been telling myself. He hasn’t touched me since our wedding night, well that’s not exactly true, he just hasn’t fucked me again. I can’t bring it up without sounding desperate for his cock, can I? I’m not desperate. I’m not, I swear.
He sleeps beside me in the bed we now share. He pulls me close and kisses the top of head and sleeps deeply. He’s also made sure to eat my pussy every night, getting me off. It’s fucking great but when I try to reciprocate, he denies me and himself. Surely he’s in pain? Unless he’s getting taken care of by someone else? What has this man done to me?
My family is coming to dinner tonight and I’ve been cooking all day. I’m pulling out all the stops. My mama and aunts taught me everything I know but I rarely get a chance to cook anything because they do it all the time. This is my house now and I’m in charge, or so Dorian says. I want to make a good impression on everyone. Cashel is sitting at the center island reading a magazine and chatting away while I cook.
“Ooh, take this quiz with me,” she says.
“What kind of quiz?” I ask as I chop the onions for my fresh pasta sauce.
“How well do you know your man?”
“I don’t think I’d be any good at that.”
“Yeah and I don’t have a man,” she says sadly.
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with waiting for the perfect man.”
“You didn’t get to wait.”
“I… uh don’t know about that.”
“Really? Are you starting to like him?”
“He’s growing on me,” I hedge.
“Hmmm.”
“What?”
“Nothing. I just want you to be happy.”
“I am happy. What’s not to be happy about? I’m in a beautiful kitchen, about to feed my family, chatting with my new very bestest friend. I’m happy, trust me.”
“What smells so good in here?” an unfamiliar voice asks. I look up. A cute guy is standing on the opposite side of the counter. He’s not one of the bodyguards Dorian introduced me to yesterday. My team includes Daisy, Rhea, and Cooper. Cooper is maybe forty but looks like a grizzly bear. I wouldn’t want to cross him.
“Hey Duncan,” Cash says.
“Duncan?”
“Duncan is our IT guy. His office is the pool house.”
“I live there too.”
“Oh, okay. Well, I’m Matty. It’s nice to meet you.” I wipe my oniony hand on my apron and extend it for him to shake.
“Nice to meet you too. So, what’s cooking?” he asks, stepping closer to the stove.
“Pasta sauce to start with and a couple loaves of fresh Italian bread in the oven.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
“Any chance I could get some when it’s ready?”
“Oh, sure. There’s going to be loads left.”
He sits down next to Cash and three of us talk for hours.
I’m standing at the stove stirring when he comes up next to me. He starts telling me stupid sci-fi jokes. I can’t help laughing, especially when he tells one about a hand droid. My hyena laugh pops out and I can’t stop.
“Oh my God. Stop. Please. I can’t. It’s too much,” I say, holding my side with one hand and pushing Duncan away with the other hand.
“What’s funny about that?” Cash asks. Confused.
“The hand droid does the masterb… uh, nevermind,” I say, stopping myself when I remember that she’s only seventeen.