Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 46461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 232(@200wpm)___ 186(@250wpm)___ 155(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 232(@200wpm)___ 186(@250wpm)___ 155(@300wpm)
“Fuck, Emmanuell,” I panted. “Just… fuck.”
She stiffened, looking up at me with wide, questioning eyes. “Did I do something wrong?”
“What? No! Jesus, Emmanuell! I’ve never experienced anything like that. You were perfect.”
“Are you sure? I mean, I didn’t do anything but lie there…” She glanced away, and I could see shame on her face. Harder than I meant to, I gripped her chin and turned her to face me.
“Tell me,” I snapped. “What’s wrong?”
She winced, trying to pull away from me. “Nothing. Let me up.”
I took a deep breath, trying to get myself under control when all I could process was that she was trying to get away from me. That primitive caveman inside me rebelled hard.
“Stop,” I snarled. She did, but she wasn’t relaxed about it. She was stiff in my arms, her body trembling and not in a good way. “Tell me what’s going on, Emmanuell. Talk to me.”
“Look, I know I’m not great in bed. Just don’t pretend something you don’t feel. I already told you I don’t have any money. I’m not the heiress everyone thinks I am.”
Had she stabbed me in the gut, I couldn’t have been more surprised. “Honey, money’s got nothing to do with this. Not one Goddamned thing. The only thing that matters is me and you. I got my own money. More than we’ll ever need. More than enough to take care of me, you, and the girls.” I continued to look at her. She still held herself stiffly, not wanting to meet my gaze, but she no longer tried to get away from me. “Now, tell me what you mean when you say you’re not good in bed.”
She bit her bottom lip nervously. “I’m just not. Devan said I needed to do more than just lie there while he did all the work. But, honestly, I never felt anything like what I just experienced. I didn’t know how to fake it, and he just didn’t do anything I liked.”
I was sure I looked at her in both confusion and anger. “Are you fuckin’ tellin’ me he knocked you up and didn’t even make you come?”
“Well, yeah. He wasn’t really all that concerned with my pleasure. And I was just trying to process all that had happened. I hadn’t been able to get ahold of Mr. Goldstein, and Devan told me I needed to give it a day or two and take some time for myself.” The more she talked the more she frowned. “It was stupid on my part. I should have made my own way back however I could. But I relied on Devan to take care of everything when I didn’t know him.” Yeah. This wasn’t going where I wanted it to go. Her breathing sped up and her face flushed. She pushed at me, struggling to get up. “Let me up, Ripper.”
With a growl of displeasure, I released her. Goddamned motherfucking Beaner. For this alone, I was going to kill the son of a bitch. “Emmanuell, I’m not Beaner.”
She scooped up her clothes and hurried to the bathroom without a word and shut the door. I heard it lock, but that didn’t bother me. If I needed to get in to her, I’d break the fucking door down if I had to.
I stood, removing the condom and tossing it in the wastebasket beside my bed, then pulled up my jeans. Moving to the door, I put my palm against it. “Emmanuell, honey, open the door.” No answer. “Baby, don’t shut me out.”
“Just leave me alone for a minute. I need to think.”
“No, you don’t. At least, you don’t need to compare me to your past experience with Beaner, and that’s what you’re doing.”
“I’m not comparing you to anything. I’m just using my past experience with life to judge my actions, and I’m being an idiot.”
Fuck. “At least give me a chance to prove I’m not like everyone else you’ve known.”
Fully dressed, she opened the door and shouldered her way past me. Tears streaked down her face, and she swiped at them angrily. “Stupid,” she muttered as she headed for the door.
“Where you goin’?”
“Back to my room. I’m sorry, Ripper, but this was a mistake and never should have happened.”
I wanted to deny her, but I couldn’t keep her prisoner. Instead, I ground my teeth in frustration. “If that’s what you think’s best. At least let me take you back so you don’t get lost.”
She hesitated, then ducked her head, nodding once.
Chapter Six
Emmanuell
The second Gideon opened the door to my room, I hurried inside and shut the door. Or tried to. The big bastard shoved his foot in the door, forcing me to look up at him. I knew it was a mistake. The best thing I could have done was to just tell him to leave and shut the door, but I couldn’t.