Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
She rested her forehead against mine, her hands moving to my biceps. “So, it’s over? Do we need to worry about that man again?”
He got what he wanted. He defeated me, humiliated me. Now that I was out of the way, nothing would stop him from taking everything he wanted. “No.” My hand glided up her neck again, cupping her cheek because I wanted to feel those lips against mine. She sheathed my anger like it was a sword, drenched my rage with cool water.
She looked at me through her thick lashes, her lips parted in preparation for a kiss.
My hand slid into her hair, and my fingers dug deep as I cradled her head to mine, kissing her with a softness I didn’t know I possessed. I breathed into her mouth, let the horrible evening wash away. It somehow seemed insignificant now that I was with her…like she was the only thing that really mattered.
Our relationship had changed so much in just a week. She had been indifferent to me, fiery and disobedient. She’d resisted my every request on principle, refusing to trust me. But then one night…all of that changed. Her walls finally came down, and instead of defying me, she wanted to please me.
She wanted to be my wife…finally.
It reminded me of the way we used to be, the untamable desire that consumed us both like a wildfire. We couldn’t get enough of each other, couldn’t satisfy our urges no matter how many nights we spent together.
Maybe one day we could be more. Maybe with enough trust, affection, and lust, she would see me as something more. Maybe she could allow herself to love a man for the first time.
And maybe we could break my curse.
I straightened my tie in the mirror before I turned to leave.
Sofia only had a towel wrapped around her waist because she’d just stepped out of the shower. Her wet hair settled across her shoulders, looking like a teenage fantasy. Her wedding ring was still on her finger because I asked her to wear it always, even if she was home alone. “Leaving?”
I clasped the watch around my wrist. “Yes.”
“Where are you going?”
“Work.” Where else was I going?
“I thought you didn’t have a job anymore?” She walked up to me, her arms crossed over her chest.
“The bank still needs my attention.” At least I had something else to fall back on. I had more money than I could ever spend in a lifetime, so financial gain wasn’t my motivation to go to work every day. I did it because I enjoyed it. It gave me purpose; it gave me power. If I retired and lived a mundane existence, I’d shoot myself in the head.
“I see…” She lingered in front of me, something clearly on her mind.
“What is it?”
“I was thinking of stopping by Damien’s place…to check on him.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“I know I don’t. But if he’s family to you, he’s family to me, right?”
My mood soured. “Not anymore.”
Her eyes softened. “I’m going to bring him over here. We have several guest bedrooms on this floor. He shouldn’t be alone right now.”
“You don’t need to be his nurse.”
“No. But I can be his friend.”
I was a bit jealous that Damien was getting all of Sofia’s attention. If I came home bruised and bloody, she would probably be attentive to me too. Maybe I should walk down a dark alleyway and pick a fight with somebody.
“Is that okay?”
“Does that mean you’ll be staying home?”
“For a couple of days.”
I preferred to have her here instead of at the hotel, so that worked out in my favor. “Alright.” My arm hooked around her waist, and I pulled her in for a kiss. My fingers gripped the cotton towel in my fingertips, tempted to rip it off her body and take that clean body on the bed. But I had shit to do, problems to fix. “I’ll see you later.”
Her hands cupped my face as she kissed me. “Be safe.”
“Always.” I left the bedroom and called Damien.
He answered after several rings had passed. “If you just want to yell at me, it can wait…” He took a deep breath between his words, like carrying on a conversation was too difficult. “Because I feel like—”
“Sofia wants you to stay with us until you’re back on your feet.”
“What?”
“Just get over here. Can you manage that?”
There was a long pause before his next words. “Yeah. I’m just surprised she wants me there.”
“Says you shouldn’t be alone right now. I couldn’t give a damn, but she’s the better one of the two of us.”
“I don’t know what to say…”
“Then get off the phone.” I hung up.
11
Sofia
Damien was in terrible shape.
When his men helped him into the house, I hardly recognized him. With swollen eyes and a face so discolored, he barely looked human, he had been beaten so badly that it was a shock he’d survived at all.