Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 88119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“I know.” My skin tingled from the friction as I spoke.
His lips moved against mine, softly sliding over them, tasting, claiming. The prickle of his stubble sent a sliver of desire into my belly. My eyes fell shut and I relaxed against the mattress. Alec’s hard body pressed against me, hipbone to hipbone. His hands traveled up my throat into my hair, fingertips feather-soft. My palms marked his back as mine, pressing him tighter against me. His muscles flexed beneath my hands. His kiss was slow, unhurried and spread fire in my body before it pooled in my belly. His lips brushed the corner of my mouth, then moved to my chin and throat. A sound tumbled out of my mouth—a sound I hadn’t known I was capable of. When I opened my eyes, Alec was watching me. A confident smile played around his lips. I pushed my fingers into his black hair, relishing in the silkiness. With a groan, he climbed on top of me, careful not to crush me with his weight and pressed his lips against me again. The feeling of his body on me, his warmth seeping into me, his smell surrounding me, I felt safer than I’d ever felt before. I felt at home. He kissed the hollow of my throat, and I tilted my head back to give him better access. His tongue darted out and flicked across my collarbone. I gasped and dug my hands into his arms. His muscles twitched under my grasp. Something was unraveling inside me—a feeling unlike anything I’d ever felt before. There was no use holding it together—I felt no need to. His hand, warm and strong, crept under my shirt. His palm rested on my stomach, friction of skin on skin raising goose bumps all over my body. But then his fingers traveled up to my ribcage and I froze.
His fingertips rested on the mark left by my mission. The glaring red of the “A” had faded but the scar hadn’t. It had entirely lost feeling, but it was there, and always would be. Alec stopped kissing me, closed his eyes and rested his forehead against mine, releasing a harsh breath.
“Sorry,” I whispered, feeling inexplicably sad—and just as guilty for ruining the moment.
“No,” Alec said fiercely. He pulled back to look at me, and his gray eyes held mine with a startling intensity. “Don’t you dare start feeling guilty for this.” He brushed his fingertips across the scar. I shivered.
I stared at the candle, the way its wick was bent. “I know it bothers you. I mean… it’s ugly…” I trailed off, unsure what else to say.
“It doesn’t bother me because of how it looks. It bothers me because it reminds me of the danger you faced and how I failed you, how you could have died. How I couldn’t protect you from that monster,” Alec said.
“Alec, you won’t always be able to protect me from everything. I’m capable of protecting myself. There’ll be missions in our future that we’ll have to do alone. It was my first time out in the field. I let my guard down when I shouldn’t have, and this scar is a reminder of that.” I touched his arm and kissed his cheek. “It’s in the past.”
I could tell that Alec didn’t want to drop the topic, but he pulled me against him and settled us against the pillows. His lips hovered against my temple, tension coiling in his body. He released a harsh breath and started the movie. The screen turned black before the quote “Revenge is a dish best served cold” appeared.
“Kill Bill,” I said, laughing with approval. “That’s my kind of movie for a romantic evening.” I grinned, and I could feel the gloom of our conversation fall away from me.
The tightness around Alec’s lips vanished. “I know. That’s what makes you so perfect.”
I rested my head against Alec’s shoulder so he wouldn’t see my pleased smile. The opening song “Bang Bang (My Baby shot me down)” started playing and I hummed along with it. The Kill Bill soundtrack was one of my all-time favorites. And when Alec whistled “Twisted Nerve” along with Black Mamba in her nurse costume, the moment was perfect. But no matter how much I tried to allow myself to relax, a thought haunted me.
“Does she still try to talk to you?” I asked, my voice strangely hoarse.
“Hmm?” Alec’s fingers stopped tracing the skin on my arm. “What did you say?”
“Kate,” I clarified. I could see his body tense, feel it in the shift of his muscles, and I regretted ever bringing it up. “Does she still try to talk to you?”
“Tessa, do you really think this is a good time to talk about Kate?”
Of course it wasn’t. But would there ever be a time when talking about his ex-girlfriend wouldn’t be hurtful and awkward? “I need to know. Kate’s been between us for such a long time, and somehow, in some way, it feels like she still is.”