Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
She turned her face fully toward him and his breath caught in his throat. His body stirred. He loved her so fucking much he didn’t know what to do with it.
“Can we just say I did something stupid and not get into the why of it? I acted impulsively, and I won’t do it again.”
He shook his head. “No, we can’t.” He pressed her hand tighter against his thigh. His body felt burning hot and he knew she had to recognize the rise in his heat, know the way the fire rushed through his veins. “You were brave, Sonia, be brave now. We need to make certain this will never happen again. Tell me the real reason. Were you protecting me?”
She bit down on her bottom lip, nodding as she did so. “I didn’t want him to get near you. I thought if he really wanted me dead, he’d have no reason to kill you. He might Bastien, but I couldn’t prevent that one way or the other.”
He took a breath and then another one, forcing his lungs to work again. Forcing himself to remain still, sitting in the seat beside her. He wasn’t a hearts-and-flowers kind of man. He wanted to be that for her, but it was so alien to his nature he knew those moments for her would be rare. He was more hands-on, clothes off, anything goes any time of the day or night, no matter where they were. That was him showing her he loved her. That was his way to let her know she was beautiful and so amazing he had to show her what she did to him.
He couldn’t imagine waking up without her now. Not being able to turn to her in the middle of the night when nightmares sometimes took him. She had eased the migraines he often got, so that they were fewer and far between. She was… his everything. “You can’t ever place yourself in danger to save me. I’m able to take care of myself, Sonia. It’s what I do and you have to trust that I’m good at it.”
“I do know that you are,” she agreed. She hesitated.
Here came the but. He forced himself to remain controlled, but he needed movement. He kissed the center of her palm and then slid out of the car, indicating for her to do the same. As he walked around the vehicle to her, he took his time, determined he wouldn’t yell at her. She didn’t need that, but he still wanted to shake her for putting herself in danger. She stopped moving once they got to the verandah and turned to face him.
“I love you, Joshua. I know the difference between real love for my man and affection and gratitude for the only person who was good to me during a terrible time. I don’t want to lose you any more than you want to lose me.”
“If that means you think it’s okay to do what you did, stop right there. It’s not. Not. Ever. Never.” He all but snarled the last word. Where the hell was his cool and calm? He knew what she was going to say, but he still reacted. “Give me your word you’ll never do anything this idiotic again and you won’t try to save me.”
She made a little moue with her lips, sending fire streaking like an arrow straight to his cock, or maybe it was her defiance and his need to conquer. Or just her. Just Sonia.
“Joshua, I want to give you my word, I want to give you anything you ask for, but I’d be lying to you and I think you know that.”
He yanked open the front door and all but thrust her inside. They were going to talk his way and she was going to understand she was going to give him her word and by God, she would keep it too. He’d forgotten Molly. The woman flung herself at Sonia, nearly knocking her down.
Swearing under his breath, he stood back and watched the two women. What were they going to say to Molly and hopefully Bastien? Sasha was capable of killing the man. If Joshua was being strictly honest with himself, he knew he could as well, given the right circumstances. The monster lurking in him was always out for blood, and if Sonia was threatened in any way, he knew he would kill to protect her.
“I’m safe,” she reassured. “Sasha thought I’d been kidnapped and he wanted to save me. He wasn’t the one who’d planted the bomb. It was his father. Sasha all along worked to keep me alive when his father wanted me dead.”
“Oh, no,” Molly said. “Bastien is pissed. He’s after whoever kidnapped him and took me out of his house. He’s really, really angry. If he finds out Sasha did it, he’ll try to arrest him.”