Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 127461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
She poured a wealth of challenge into her voice, daring him to deny the truth of her statement. She had no idea what she was doing. What if she couldn’t stay with him? What if she had another panic attack in front of him? She didn’t want to appear weak to him.
Maya spun around and stalked toward the primary bathroom. She needed to find some breathing room. She didn’t spend a lot of time with other people, and she needed space—especially from Gorya. She never expected to be the one fighting for something she didn’t even believe possible.
Fingers settled around her wrist. Gently. Firmly. A shackle, yet barely felt. She swung around, prepared to fight, her heart wild, adrenaline rushing through her system. She recognized his scent. His touch. Yet she was still wary. No one put hands on her, yet she hadn’t pulled a knife and stuck it into his chest. That was something. That was progress.
Her eyes met his, her heart skipped a beat and her stomach did that funny flip. She didn’t know how to interpret his look. It was soft. No one had ever looked at her like that before, and she wasn’t certain how to respond. There was a melting sensation she didn’t want to admit to. Instinctively, she tried to pull away, but it was a half-hearted attempt and they both knew it.
“Maya.” His thumb stroked over the inside of her wrist, sending a thousand fiery embers sparkling through her veins. “You don’t want this. Once we commit, you know there isn’t going to be a way to turn back.”
She knew he was right. She knew, but she couldn’t let him go. She detested that he could feel her trembling. It made her look weak when she wasn’t a weak woman.
Maya lifted her chin at him. “At least we need to give ourselves time to sit down together and discuss the possibilities.”
He had to stop brushing her bare skin with the pad of his thumb. An electrical current flowed from Gorya to her and back again in a continuous loop. She felt sparks over her skin, in her bloodstream and even in her mind. She told herself to pull away from him but found she couldn’t.
“You don’t find my touch entirely repulsive?”
She wanted to lie, but he was a man who could read women. He could see he was affecting her breathing. She was fairly certain he would affect any woman’s breathing.
“Not entirely, no.” She interjected a teasing note into her voice in an effort to show him she wasn’t as affected by him as he might think.
The color of his eyes deepened to a frosty, silvery blue. It was quite a beautiful color and she didn’t want to get lost there, so she looked at his knuckles instead.
“You might want to leave the walls alone. It’s nice in here. Holes in the wall won’t improve the look.” She used her strength to twist her wrist, subtly reminding him to release her. “I’m going to sit in one of those really comfortable-looking chairs by the windows and put my feet up. We can continue the conversation there if I don’t fall asleep.”
“Where were you staying? I can have someone get the rest of your things.”
“I wasn’t staying anywhere around here.”
The chair seemed to embrace her as she sat down and leaned into the curved back. The seat was positioned perfectly to look out the bank of windows toward the trees and brightly colored flowers just outside. She liked that the thick brush gave the primary bedroom even more privacy. She hadn’t realized how tired she was until she sank into the comfort of the chair.
“Since we’ve decided to establish that we’re going to do our best to work things out,” Gorya said, moving to the other side of the glass coffee table to sink into the opposite chair, “the first rule we should agree on is to tell the truth to each other. No one else ever has to know us, but we need to be honest with each other about everything, no matter how bad it gets.”
Maya’s long lashes swept down, a ploy she often used to give herself time to think. She had been certain Gorya had been honest with her all along. She’d been deceptive, trying to figure out a way to make a run for it, afraid there was no way to resolve the situation. She still didn’t have a clue how they could—but she couldn’t bear the thought of Gorya destroying himself or his leopard.
“I can try, Gorya.” She lifted her lashes and met his penetrating gaze. Her stomach dropped. He saw too much.
“That isn’t going to cut it, Maya, and you know it. We both need to commit, all the way. It has to be the two of us. Not our leopards, not anyone else. The two of us. We’re both damaged. Broken. Any way you want to put it. We’re dangerous to others and to each other. The only way we have a chance is if we both say we’re going to do this thing. We have iron wills. We make a vow to dedicate our lives and loyalties to each other. Tell the truth no matter how bad it gets. Depend on each other. Have each other’s backs. It won’t be easy. It will be a learning process, but we’re both highly intelligent, skilled, and if we make up our minds, I know we can succeed.”