Total pages in book: 247
Estimated words: 234281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1171(@200wpm)___ 937(@250wpm)___ 781(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 234281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1171(@200wpm)___ 937(@250wpm)___ 781(@300wpm)
He had seen Mairi this same fucking way once.
Devastation in eyes made glassy with tears, face too pale, and lips that wobbled in an effort to keep her emotions at bay.
He had seen her like this when Damen broke her heart for the first time.
It was the time Damen had told Mairi he only wanted her to be his mistress and not his wife.
She had left him after that.
Damen willed himself to breathe and keep his voice even as he asked, “What’s wrong, Mairi?” She was not going to leave him. She was not. Whatever the trouble was, he would fix it. She was not going to leave him. She was goddamn not.
Drake’s jaw clenched. What the fuck had happened now? What the hell had Damen done? He ignored the fact that Damen had been with him the whole time. Mairi was a strong woman, but she was, had been, and would always be weak where Damen was concerned. “What is it, Mairi?” His voice was harsh with concern.
The two men had spoken at the same time, and they turned to each other as if in challenge. One sized the other’s right to care for Mairi while the other sized the other’s ability to do so. It was clear in both their stances that Mairi only had to say the word and one of them would die fighting for her.
Chapter 5
She said: To wed a Greek billionaire, one must need a bodyguard.
He said: As long as his name isn’t—-
She said: Don’t say his name—-
He said: Asshole Morrison. There, I didn’t say his name. See how you’ve tamed me so well, sweetheart?
“HER NAME WAS PAIGE.” These were the first words that Drake had written in the letter he had saved in the flash drive, which Mairi guessed he didn’t want Damen to know about.
Both of us joined the Army at the same time. She was a few years younger than I was, and we had different reasons for joining. I had been idealistic then. I wanted to fight for our country. Paige, she wanted to die for it – she said it was better than dying raped in her neighborhood.
We grew...close. We didn’t want this closeness, but it happened.
And I messed up.
I made her think she could depend on me, the way she couldn’t rely on anyone else in her life. But I messed up – we were on a mission when she was injured, and I had to leave her because I needed to bring the people we rescued to a safe place.
That was the last time I saw her.
When I saw your picture, Mairi...you reminded me of her. In so many ways that...it wasn’t right. When I accepted the assignment, I had known right away that it was wrong. That I was the wrong man to look after you and teach you to be strong.
I was the wrong man because I had my own motives.
I saw you as another chance to convince myself that somewhere in this fucked-up world, Paige was still alive. That if I could make someone like you fall for me...that maybe Paige could find it in her heart to love her captor.
But you didn’t.
I did everything I could to make you choose me, but you didn’t. You loved Damen so much that I knew even during that night, it was Damen you were thinking of.
And when you managed to escape the hospital...when I saw the blood on the ground and knew that you didn’t give a shit if you had to die because you wanted to get to Damen so badly—-
God help me, Mairi, but a part of me rejoiced in it. I’m sorry that I forced you to do something so drastic, but I don’t want to lie to you anymore. When you did that, I knew that Paige would do the same thing for me.
Even if she has to fuck someone and pretend to love another man, Paige would do anything to survive. You made me believe that she would do everything to stay alive and wait for me until I killed every damn man who dared hurt her.
And now you know the kind of man that I am.
I am no better than Damen Leventis.
I’m a lot worse because I don’t care about how many people would bleed just so I can be with Paige again.
It’s because of you that hope burns inside me again, and it’s the kind of debt I can’t ever hope to repay. Even so, I want you to know – whatever you want me to do for you, Mairi – I will do it.
Mairi’s breath was dragged out of her as she slowly closed the Word file and deleted it, knowing that this kind of letter could never be read by anyone else – not even Damen. It was too raw and personal, the love that Paige and Drake shared something that couldn’t be shared with just anyone else.