Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 89892 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89892 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
His lips cover mine and the tickling in my spine burns, turning into an all-out eruption of sensation and need.
He’s kissing me. I should be mad. And I am mad. I pull away, but his fingers tangle in my hair, holding my head in place while he ravages my mouth.
Suddenly, I’m in the air, in Nine’s arms. My legs instinctually wrap around his waist. His tongue seeks mine and when they touch, there’s no dancing or sweetness. It’s a war. A battle of mouths and lips and tongues. Clanking teeth and hissing sounds. It’s anarchy. Chaos. Desire burning like heated iron colliding with an unmistakable need for victory. As if whoever wins this kiss wins the argument and gets their way.
Win the kiss. Win my freedom.
You mean win the feeling of his body on top of yours. Win the feeling of his tongue stroking your—
I cut Anxiety off before she continues, because she’s no help to me here. If anything, she’s the reason I find myself writhing against him like a cat in heat.
Nine carries me into the bedroom, tossing me down onto the bed. He stands over me, breathing hard. I can see the outline of his huge erection under his sweats. My face flushes along with the rest of my body.
Of all the things I am imagining that might come next, none of it is close to what does happen, which is Nine, flicking off the light and uttering only a single word before leaving the room completely.
“Sleep.”
* * *
NINE
“I can sleep on the couch,” she calls back to me.
I shut my eyes tightly. “Just go to sleep.” Fuck my life. One more second with Lenny wrapped around me like that, and I was about to take her like an animal. Fucking her isn’t in the cards right now. She doesn’t know who I really am. I don’t know what she’s really guilty of. And the thought of taking her, of being assaulted by the past when I’m with…no, I can’t do it. Not now and not with her.
Although with this aching need and pain in my gut and in my cock, I might have to relieve myself soon with one of the girl’s that’s used to me freaking out afterwards and doesn’t give a shit as long as she gets paid.
“Can you…” Lenny trails off. I duck my head into the bedroom in time to see her roll onto her side, her back to me. “Never mind.”
“What?” I bark, frustrated in more ways than the raging hard-on beneath my sweats.
“Can you just lay in the bed with me for a while? Just until I fall asleep? I’m not a good sleeper, and I don’t want to be alone right now.”
Her question surprises me, considering she was preparing for torture not thirty minutes ago and a fight only a few seconds before.
Reluctantly, and knowing I won’t get any sleep at all with her right next to me, I get into bed and rest my hands behind my head.
How the fuck did I get here? Lenny’s right. What am I doing with her?
“Can you answer one teeny, weeny, tiny question and give me the truth?” she asks quietly. “Have you ever killed someone?”
I can’t be honest with her about so much right now, but this I can give her. I’ll show her who I really am and it’ll be much easier when it’s time to let her go.
If I let her go.
“Yes,” I answer to the ceiling.
“More than one person?” She rolls over to face me, her green-blue eyes searching mine, her lips parted awaiting my answer.
I give her a curt nod.
“Tell me about one,” she presses.
My head snaps in her direction. “That shit isn’t important. Plus, you’ve got anxiety, and the last thing I need right now is for you to fester on what I tell you and grow it in your head into something it’s not. Then, you really won’t be able to sleep.”
She thinks for a moment. “Actually, it will fester more if you don’t tell me. Because what will happen is that my imagination will get away from itself, and I’ll lay awake picturing you slaughtering entire villages of women and children like a Viking.”
I quirk an eyebrow. “That escalated quickly.”
She shrugs and rests her cheek on top of her hands. “Don’t blame me. Anxiety sets the rules. I’m just the messenger.”
The few inches of space between suddenly us feels like an ocean, and I want nothing more than to pull her against my chest.
“Fine,” I submit, but if she wants to hear the truth, that’s exactly what I’m going to give her. “He was someone who knew the consequences of playing this game, but he betrayed us anyway. I didn’t plan on killing him, but like a fucking idiot, he freaked out and pulled a gun. Shot a friend of mine twice. Luckily, he didn’t kill him, but then the guy turned his gun on me.”