Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 148184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 741(@200wpm)___ 593(@250wpm)___ 494(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 148184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 741(@200wpm)___ 593(@250wpm)___ 494(@300wpm)
“Angel, you’re still thinking pretty hard over there,” he says, almost conversationally, but there’s an edge to his tone that belies the casualness.
“It happens on occasion,” I snip back and shovel another bite of oatmeal in my mouth.
He stands again, marches around the table, draws me out of my chair by my upper arm, and drags me down the hallway. I stumble behind him, my spoon still in my hand. “Where are we going?”
“You used to ask a lot fewer questions,” he says over his shoulder, then opens the door to his armory.
I follow him in because he doesn’t give me a choice, and the smell of the guns sends a wave of nausea through me that might bring up my breakfast.
After he finds the table with the knives, he shoves a few out of the way, lifts me up, and sets me on the stainless-steel table. I squeak and settle against the chill on my bare legs below my skirt. “What are we doing in here?”
He lifts a knife by the blade and slaps the handle in my palm. I jump so hard I almost drop it, but he clamps his hand around mine at the last second. “Calm down. I’m going to show you a few things, so you feel safer and also see that I can handle myself…even if the five aren’t with me.”
I swallow hard and nod. “Okay…what do I need to know?”
He repositions my hand and then lifts my wrist to move up and down. “Hold it like this and always come from below, never above.”
“Or I could just not stab anyone at all.”
He waves behind him. “Do you want a gun instead? I can teach you that next.”
The man has made his point. I stare down at the gleaming edge of the knife. “What do you want me to do with it until I might need to use it? If we get to that point, then I’m pretty screwed already, right?”
His hand tightens, and he locks his gaze to mine. “We made a deal…you protect our child with your life. If I’m down, and they are coming at you, you still try to protect yourself, understand?”
I nod and try to press the knife into his hand. “Can we put this away now? I don’t need it here.”
His eyes shift down to where I’m holding the blade, and I follow his gaze to watch our hands clutching it almost on my lap. “Not until I show you how to use it.”
“Oh my God, you’re so weird. I’m not going to stab you, even if you’ll enjoy it.”
The corner of his mouth ticks up the tiniest hint. “Funny, Angel.”
He lifts our bound hands and presses the tip of the blade to his neck a couple of inches below his solid jawline. Then he grabs my free hand and uses it to press my index finger into the groove of his neck muscles there. “Here, feel how soft it is. This is a great place to stab, especially with a shorter knife, all damage, no bone impact unless you hit the spine.”
He’s clutching me tightly, so tightly I’m afraid the point is going to cut into his skin any moment. “Understand?”
I nod, a little scared of the demonstration while a little turned on by his knowledge and confident execution. This is a man who can keep me safe, and my cavewoman brain loves it.
His hand comes off mine, clutching the knife, and curves around my low back. “Now lean forward, Angel, bring your hips to mine.”
He doesn’t have to tell me twice. I scoot forward, the steel making uncomfortable noises under my bare thighs and now bare ass since my skirt has ridden up.
I hike my legs up around his and lock my knees there. He brings my arms up around his neck like we are about to slow dance in high school. But when my hand with the knife curls around his neck, he guides the point of it right between his neck and his shoulder blade on the outside of his suit jacket. “There is another soft spot. The knife will sink right in, then leave it and run. They will spend time spinning around, trying to dislodge it while they bleed out very quickly.”
My throat feels tight with his sexy mouth so close to mine, talking about murdering a man, of all things. “Any other tricks you need to show me?”
“Mmm…not with the knife.” His mouth takes mine in seconds, dragging my bottom lip between his teeth and nibbling until I moan loud enough for him to hear. Then he kisses me again and trails his hand up to take the blade out of my grasp before I do some real damage in my lust-fueled haze.
I think he’s going to put the knife away now, but instead, he brings it to his throat and wraps my hand around it again. With a gasp, I break away from his lips and stare down at it. “No way, I could kill you.”