Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 81767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
“Someone sounds jealous.” I laugh before hanging up without hearing their answer.
Braken is still on the phone, so I finish my wine as I wait. He still hasn’t changed out of his new Mariners jersey, but now the flaps hang open and show off his skin-tight wife beater. How can one man look so damn handsome in normal clothes? It isn’t his sharp jawline or his toned body. It’s the way he carries himself.
A man who knows his power.
A man who knows what he wants.
And a man who stares at me, ready to put his money where his mouth is.
He ends his call and pads over from the bar, pocketing his phone in the back of his jeans. “Your sisters?”
“Worse.” I slide my phone across the coffee table with Marco’s text message open so he can read it.
Braken sits perpendicular to me, reading the message a few times before exhaling. “No.”
“No?”
“You’re not meeting him.”
“Do you trust me, Braken?”
He eyes me over a few loose strands of chestnut-colored hair. “That’s a loaded question, sweetheart. What answer do you want to hear?”
I ponder his words for a second. What do I want to hear? Yes? No? At this point, I don’t want to meet Marco either, but don’t know if I owe it to him after years of… whatever we were? We were so close for so long, and it feels wrong to let it fizzle out like this. On the other hand, Marco Pollozo can kiss my ass. Power-tripping men don’t deserve my time or effort. Blocking him now would solve all my problems.
And yet…
“That you trust my decisions,” I admit, “but I also think your overprotectiveness is sexy.”
Braken raises a thick eyebrow. “Well, then you are going to think I’m sexy as fuck, because my life is now about keeping you safe and protected.”
I draw a deep breath and sit up on the couch. “I just don’t want to feel controlled. That is all I’ve been my entire life.”
The corner of Braken’s lips quirks up. “I can agree to that, and I can also relate to it.”
Really? I feel like that was much too easy. My face must convey my skepticism because Braken chuckles.
“One condition.”
“Of course,” I respond with a grin. “Always a condition with you.”
“The Vault is part of my life. Can you handle that?”
My cheeks heat at the confession I’m about to give. “The idea excites me. If The Vault is part of your life, then because I’ll be your wife, it’s part of my life. The couple times I visited before I loved it. And you know how much I liked The Hunt.”
“But we follow my rules at The Vault.” His eyes darken as he speaks.
“I can agree to that,” I say. “I have a feeling I’ll like your rules.”
“Well, you know what happens if you break them,” he takes a predatory step toward me.
Warmth floods my body at the reminder. Honestly, the thing I remember the most from my times with Braken are the white-hot orgasms he effortlessly rips from me.
I rise and saunter over to stand right in front of him. I pluck the phone from his hands, shoot a quick acceptance text to Marco, and throw it away. “I’ll meet him for closure, and that’s it. I feel I owe him the last goodbye.”
Braken watches my every move as I tug my hair out of its ponytail, letting my locks fan around my face, before I straddle his lap.
He immediately grabs my hips and pulls me even closer with his large hands.
“No one fucks with what’s mine, Fiora,” Braken says so close to my ear it makes me shiver. “No one. So, you better hope he doesn’t touch you because if he does, he’s a dead man.”
“Well, I hope you fuck what’s yours,” I counter, tracing the bottom of his chin with my pointer finger. “Since she’s sitting here looking so pretty.”
I expect Braken to kiss me or pull me in, but instead, he merely shifts me so I’m straddling his right thigh instead. He doesn’t even grab me; he only flexes his leg so his meaty thigh presses directly against my cunt through my jeans.
“Go on,” he urges.
Is he kidding? I don’t move, but neither does he. Braken puts his arms across the back of the couch and watches me with a raised eyebrow. So, he’s not kidding. My cheeks heat at his piercing gaze. He’s challenging me to do something, but I’m not sure what. I just said I’m his. What else could he want?
I look toward the door with uncertainty.
“They’re all downstairs,” he reassures. “They won’t come up here unless you want them to.” He raises an eyebrow. “Do you want them to?”
I slowly start moving, grinding my pussy against his thigh. He doesn’t even help me move my hips. I must hold onto his shoulders for leverage to move faster. The friction feels so good against my pulsing cunt, especially when Braken moves his leg up and down slightly to match my motions. That’s the only sign of being affected he gives me. Oh, and the twitching outline of his half-hard cock when I groan.