Series: Willow Winters
Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50025 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50025 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
“I don’t need you to promise me the world, James,” I tell him as if he needs reminding.
I smirk at him, and the spaghetti strap of my black silk cami falls down my shoulder. James’s gaze follows it and there’s a hunger there, a lust … but when he looks back up at me, it shifts.
My heartbeat pauses, frozen where it is. As if it too wants to know if that’s love in his gorgeous eyes.
“You don’t need promises,” he scoffs at me before kissing the tender spot on my neck. Whispering at the shell of my ear he says, “You love it when I fuck you like I did tonight, though, don’t you?”
I can only hum in response, my body instantly responding to his as his warmth covers me. “You know why I love fucking you like I do?”
“Hmm?” is my only answer to him, as if I don’t care, as if it’s not a thought that keeps me up at night. He doesn’t answer until my eyes are on him.
“I love that I tame you.”
They say he fucks the wild out of me. He has me on a leash. I don’t know how or why, but he does.
“You’re saying love an awful lot tonight,” I murmur.
“Is that really why you’re acting differently? Because you love me?”
“Because I’m scared to love you.” Before he can respond I add, “To love anyone.”
“You can love me, Ella. I promise,” he tells me. “I’ll protect you, provide for you.”
My gaze drops to the moonlight spilling across the bedroom floor. I can’t look at him as the memories flash through my mind.
Promises, promises. Men give them out like candy. James whispers promises just like my father did to my mother.
Those promises he gave her that she fell for.
The promises he told before he killed her. And before I killed him.
ZANDER
Present time
The mixture of anger and fear are so intense that I could never calm myself. It’s impossible to feel anything other than rage as my hands tremble. My feelings won’t make any difference in the end, though. I’m going to do what I need to for Ella even if my heart is pounding so hard it threatens to leave my chest.
It hasn’t stopped since I left the motel. This unwanted concoction of emotions threatens to consume me.
All I need to do is gain control over this situation. And that means getting to Ella. The sound of my footsteps echoing on the staircase is foreboding as I climb up to the next floor. My ears burn knowing everyone else knew where she was before me. The fact she called Kam over me is something I’ll have to deal with later.
Speak of the fucking devil.
As I round the corner to the hall, Kam stands outside the door to her bedroom, his arms crossed over his chest. His irritation darkens his eyes and furrows his brow. The closer I get, the more palpable his anger is.
I’m thankful now for all the years on the job. Difficult clients and high-stress situations. High-risk scenarios. Nothing has ever felt like this before, though. Like I’m on the cusp of losing her. Losing everything. All my experience with The Firm means nothing if I don’t have Ella. Kam can be pissed all he wants; he can’t make me feel any worse than I do right now.
Kam draws himself up to his full height as I stop in front of him, the wooden floor creaking slightly. “You have no idea how badly you fucked up, do you?”
He squares up with me like he wants to fight and as much as I’d love to oblige, my feelings on the matter are irrelevant. Still, I sure as hell don’t want to get into a discussion of whether or not I fucked up, let alone how it all happened. I want to get to Ella. I need to get to her. I will make damn sure she never runs from me again.
If Kam weren’t her conservator, I’d ignore him entirely. As it is, she called him. I can’t ignore that.
“Is she okay?” I ask in as level a tone I can manage, bypassing Kam’s question to discuss the only topic that matters.
Kam lets out a breath. He’s obviously pissed, but wary as well. His expression slips, revealing he’s more scared than anything. Fuck. I didn’t think I could sink any lower, that I could feel fear any more than I did the entire drive here.
“Is she all right?” I demand.
“Right now? She’ll be okay,” he admits finally. “I ran her a bath. When she’s finished in there, she needs to get some sleep.”
I can breathe again with a hint of relief. But only a hint. He continues, “Damon checked her out, and there’s nothing wrong, but she needs rest. I was just stepping out to get her some water. She’s … not sober. I’ll stay with her tonight.”