Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Unable to stop the inevitable torment of her impending climax, the muscles in her body grew taut as her thighs clamped around my hips. She held her breath for several moments until her body began to quiver, and a rush of air escaped from her lungs.
I could feel my release quickly approaching and tried to resist it, hoping to prolong the moment. But it was a losing battle. She felt too damn good. I simply couldn’t resist. With one last deep-seated thrust, I buried my cock inside her, and my orgasm finally took hold.
After several deep breaths, I lowered myself down on the bed next to her. I rested there briefly, then rolled onto my back, slid off the condom, and tossed it in the wastebasket. As soon as I was settled, Toni inched over and nestled in the crook of my arm. “Thank you. That’s just what I needed.”
“You don’t gotta thank me, babe.” I ran my fingers through her hair as I whispered, “I take care of what’s mine.”
“About that...” She looked up at me with love in her eyes as she whispered, “I’ve always been yours, not just since the accident, but since that very first night. There’s been no one else. I’ve just been too stubborn to admit it.”
“Well, there was the situation with our folks. I know how that bothered you.”
“It was more than that.” Emotion filled her eyes as she said, “I didn’t think I was enough, and I’m still not so sure.”
“You’re more than enough, Toni.” I leaned down, and just before I pressed my lips to her, I whispered, “You’re everything.”
I pulled her close, and it wasn’t long before her breathing started to slow. I continued to run my fingers through her hair until she finally drifted off to sleep. My chest tightened as I laid there watching her sleep. She’d given me quite a scare, but she was okay. She was right there next to me, safe and sound, and I was going to do everything in my power to make sure she stayed that way.
I was just about to doze off myself when Antonia started to stir. At first, I thought it was nothing, but then, her entire body tensed, and she started to whimper. I felt her tremble as she muttered, "No... no... Nooo.”
“Toni?”
“No!” She jolted awake, and her eyes wide and filled with tears as she gasped, “Oh, God.”
"Hey,” I whispered, holding her tighter. “You’re okay. You’re safe.”
“I really did it.” Tears filled her eyes. “I killed him.”
“Yeah, but only because you had to. He would’ve...”
“It doesn’t matter.” She cut me off. "I still killed him. I did it. I put that blade to his throat, and...”
“Toni, stop. I know it was bad, and I would give anything to change what happened. But you got out of there and thank God you did.”
She buried her face in my chest as she continued to cry. I hated seeing her so broken. It made me want to lash out and kill Vittorio all over again. I had to find a way to give her some sort of comfort, so I told her, “There’s something my father told me a long time ago that’s always stuck with me, and there’s a lot of truth behind it.”
Antonia lifted her head and looked at me as I told her, “You can’t always control what’s happening around you, but you can control how you respond to it. That’s where your power is.” I pulled her close and kissed her on the forehead. “You face your hell. Face it head-on and walk right through it. And be proud of the person who comes out on the other side.”
“I did that.”
Tears streamed down her beautiful face as I whispered, “You sure did. It may not have played out the way you wished it would, but you got out of there. You survived, and in time, you’ll see that you’re stronger for it.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I am. You’ll see.”
I held her close, and it wasn’t long before her exhaustion began to claim her once again. I stayed awake, watching over her, and in time, the knot in my stomach started to fade. I never knew I could care for a person like I cared for her. The feeling was all-consuming and completely terrifying, but I couldn’t imagine wanting anything more.
Antonia
“You got everything?”
“There are still a couple of bags in the bedroom, but that should be the last of it.”
“I’ll get it.”
Wes had already carried over half of my apartment out to the truck and never complained once. I worried that he was overdoing it, especially since he’d refused to use his cane, but he kept at it. Thankfully, none of it was all that heavy. Most of the furniture came with the apartment, so it was just a few bags of clothes, some toiletries, a few photographs, and special mementos.