Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 52178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 261(@200wpm)___ 209(@250wpm)___ 174(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 261(@200wpm)___ 209(@250wpm)___ 174(@300wpm)
“Why won’t you get it?” he roars, so loudly two people walking down the street pause, their eyes widening. “I am a bad man. I don’t know what you think it is I can give you, but it’ll never be what you want. I’m a monster. Cold and fucking empty.”
“Wrong,” I say, but he doesn’t let me finish.
He turns and charges into the hotel, moving past the reception desk where the girl behind it is staring, eyes wide. He pauses only for a second to bark, “She is not to come to my room.”
“Marek,” I yell, so loudly the entire lobby goes quiet. “You are right, you are a monster, you are a bad man, you are all of those things.”
He pauses but doesn’t turn.
The receptionists’ eyes dart to him, then to me, and her mouth drops open.
“That doesn’t mean that you’re not a whole lot of good things, too. You changed that show, for me, and look how it went. You could have,” I pause. I can hardly yell out that he could have killed me if he wanted. That might get us into trouble. “You could have made me go away, at any point, but you didn’t. I know you’re all dark and fucked up, and you would rather let that side of you lead, but if you just give me a chance, I can show you that together, we can be great.”
I hold my breath, waiting.
The receptionist presses a hand to her mouth, a few people in the lobby watch in anticipation for his response.
He doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t continue walking.
“I had a perfect life,” I go on, “and I was miserable. You poured life back into my soul and I want to do this, I want to make this show remarkable, I want to dance and... I want you.”
“Oh,” the receptionist gasps, pressing a hand to her mouth.
Marek turns, his face tight, his jaw clenched.
He’s going to tell me to leave.
He’s going to make me disappear.
I hold his gaze, and then with a frustrated growl, he mutters, “Fuck.”
I know I’ve won.
At that moment, I know I’ve cracked him.
I rush towards him, the receptionist claps her hands together with joy, and Marek gives me a look of warning. “Do not fucking ju...”
I throw myself at him, and he’s got no other choice but to catch me.
My arms circle around his neck and I press my mouth to his, kissing him with such ferocity he can’t help but return it. Someone behind us claps, and the receptionist makes a happy noise. Pulling back, I look at him. “You took me, now you have to keep me.”
“Fuck,” he mutters again.
I grin. “Yeah, I know.”
Then, he takes me to his room.
Have I finally won?
RUNNING MY FINGERS down Marek’s wet chest, the warm water cascades over me, making the cold feeling in my bones disappear. We’re in the shower, and he still hasn’t said a word to me since we came into this room. I know he’s fighting, against everything he knows, and it’s killing him. He wants to push me away because that’s easier than facing the fact that he might care, just a little.
“This will hurt you,” he murmurs, curling a finger under my chin and tipping my head back. “I’m not prince charming, I have done fucking horrible things to women, to people, and one day, you’re goin’ to wish you never met me.”
“I know what you’ve done,” I say, reaching up to grip his wrist, “but I also know there is good in you. I’m not asking you to change, I know the world you live in is dangerous and that’s who you are, but you don’t have to be a monster. That’s a choice.”
“It’s who I am.”
“No, it’s who you think you are. To the bad people, you can be that person, but to the good ones, you don’t have to be. That’s why I’m here, to lead you down the right road. Don’t worry,” I grin. “I’m a good teacher.”
“Fuck.”
“You’ve said that a lot,” I chuckle, reaching down to curl my fingers around his cock. “Maybe we can think about something else.”
“I’ll ruin your life, Ellie Mae.”
I pull him closer by squeezing his dick and making him hiss with pleasure. “You already have, and it was the best thing to ever happen to me. That show, it was life changing. We can do spectacular things.”
He grumbles, low in his throat.
“You’ll get over it,” I whisper, stroking up and down. “I’m sure I can make you forget why you don’t want me here...”
“I fucking want you here, that’s the problem.”
My heart swells.
“Then can’t we just leave it at that?”
He grunts. “That show...it was incredible.”
“It was,” I agree. “That means it will continue to be incredible. I told you it would work; I think it’s time you learn to trust me. We can make something amazing.”