Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 130048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
She shook her head, her nostrils flaring as fury painted her pretty face. “I never let him—”
“You did. I heard it for myself. You gave him a blowjob when you didn’t want to.”
Her cheeks pinked, highlighting her stunning eyes.
I froze as I fully took in the colour.
I guessed she was like me. A fusion of lineages. An exotic creature blended with culture and authenticity.
But her eyes?
They were as unique as her inky hair.
The lightest hazel. The faintest honey. A golden brown that bordered on inhuman.
She blinked, breaking the spell she’d cast me under.
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you eavesdropping is poor form?” She sniffed. “And besides, you don’t know a damn thing about me. Even if you did listen—”
“I learned you like rocks.” I grinned coldly. “You’re adopted and adore your family, especially your brother. I know you’re unfulfilled in your work and most likely haven’t figured out what you want to do with your life. I also know you haven’t been properly fucked since you agreed to date that asshole and probably wanted to end it for far longer than you care to admit.”
Her mouth fell open. “Who the hell are you?”
I froze for a heartbeat as her question soaked into my skull.
Who was I?
The bastard son of a monster? The orphaned son of a dead mother? The unwanted half-brother of a trafficker-killing vigilante—
I’m dead.
If the Master Jeweler didn’t kill me for seeing through my lies, then my brother would for seeing the truth.
That truth tainted my tongue, and before I could censor or shut down what needed to be shut down, I snarled, “I’m barely clinging to sanity, that’s who I am. I’m pretty sure my life is already forfeit and you…” I chuckled low and deep. “You are the worst thing to ever happen to me because every time I look at you, I hurt. And when I hurt, bad things happen.”
She stiffened. “If I hurt you so much, then let me go.”
“I can’t.”
“What do you mean, ‘you can’t’?” She threw up her free arm. “Of course, you can. Just open your stupidly strong fingers and—”
“I paid a tidy sum for you.”
“Paid?” Her eyes cooled, glittering like chips of amber. “You gave my stupid ex money for something he had no right to sell. That transaction wasn’t legal, and you know it. Go chase Sam if you want your money back because I’m not giving you shit.”
The way her shoulders tightened with hate.
The way her skin flushed with anger and sweet, sweet rebellion.
She’d be stunning when she broke.
She’d be the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, gasping and kiss-bruised, begging at my feet.
An involuntary groan escaped me.
“Let go of me,” she commanded. “I won’t ask again.”
Breathing hard, I held her rage-violent stare for a moment, then shoved through the crowd, dragging her behind me again.
No one looked our way.
I was just another guy pulling a reluctant girl onto the dance floor. Her protests were probably marked as cute. As coy. Doing her best to play hard to get, all while I buckled beneath sick, despicable urges.
I walked faster.
Yanked harder.
Not to get my task over and done with, but because if I didn’t keep running from the urges in my blood, I’d break.
I’d fall.
I’d become the monster prowling inside me.
Ily continued to squirm while I clung with desperate fingers to the last tatters of my sanity. Every cell commanded I claim her. To march out of this club and keep her for myself. At least she’d be away from the Master Jeweler and his sad, shattered collection.
But then, Q would hunt me—just like he’d done to every bastard who thought they could traffic, rape, and own.
And I really didn’t want to die.
Despite my previous attempt.
“I said stop!” Ily yanked with all her pathetic strength, then darted in front of me, making me crash into her.
I clenched my teeth together, fighting, fighting, fucking fighting not to tear off her top and feast on her braless breasts beneath.
A sharp lance of jealousy cut through me.
What would the Jeweler do to her?
And why did that question make snarling possession raise its ugly head?
Slamming her palm on my chest, she hissed, “Stop dragging me around like a Neanderthal and let me the hell go!”
A dark-skinned girl with sparkly eyeshadow and sweat on her upper lip looked over at us. My arm moved on its own accord, lashing around Ily’s waist and jerking her far, far too close.
We both sucked in a breath as her body moulded perfectly to mine. Her heat kissed the wildfire inside me, drenching us in proverbial gasoline, striking a condemning match and ensuring flames devoured us whole.
The longer I imprisoned her, the brighter we burned. If I never let her go, if I claimed every single piece of her, we’d be nothing more than a pile of ash and pain.