Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 96714 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96714 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
They were going to make their appearance known, but I had to be constantly on guard.
Ivan came and went as he pleased, which I didn’t mind. Oleg’s territory was still being taken by the five of us, as well as Ivan.
So far, he’d not chosen anyone for the job, but I also had word that The Beast and The Butcher had disappeared. I didn’t know if they had gone to work for the cartel, or if they’d been killed. I never used their services. I believe Ivan had in the past, but they were two people I didn’t need. I had my own means of taking care of business.
My cages were currently empty. With no enemy to speak of, there was no reason to fill them.
And so, life went on, but even as it did, I kept waiting for them to strike again.
****
Lottie
Our First Anniversary
I still wasn’t pregnant, but that was fine. We didn’t have to get pregnant right away. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to have children yet. I was only nineteen years old. There was plenty of time to have children and a family, and to do everything married couples did.
Rushing around his home like a crazy person, I checked the candles and turned down the lights. Michael had already left for the night, and his staff were around, but they were very good at being invisible. I knew they were there, somewhere. Ive had told me there was never going to be a time that I wasn’t alone. Someone had to take care of me at all times.
I liked not being alone. I loved that someone was there no matter where I turned. Growing up, being forced to be alone so many times, I had grown out of loving alone time. I much enjoyed company time.
And Ive was due home any minute. Rose was in her bed in the corner of the dining room.
Ive and I had been married for a year. One freaking year. I couldn’t believe it. Time had flown by, and even though that day had been one of the most terrifying, it had turned into one of the best years of my life.
Honestly, being married to Ive, I felt like a fairy tale princess. If the fairy tale princess had married a villain, but it was the good kind of villain. The kind that was mean to everyone else, but loved her.
That was Ive.
He was rarely nice to anyone else. He was respectful to his staff, and he loved Rose. I knew he did. I was so pleased he loved her, and Rose had come out of her shell. She was a mixed breed dog, a mongrel to many, but I didn’t care. I loved her, and it was nice to be able to tell someone that I loved them.
I still hadn’t told Ive yet, but I was afraid to do so. There was no rush in telling someone you loved them. I wasn’t going to tell Ive. He didn’t want to hear it, and besides, I still had the horrible memory of my father, taking everything off me that I loved and cared about. Yep, those feelings were going to be kept locked up tight, with no way of escaping. Not in a scary way, but in a more preserved, I don’t need to express my feelings to anyone. Cassie had told me I should.
She had really thrived since leaving the MC. I rarely saw and heard from Rage. I knew he called and asked about me, but my life was not part of that world anymore. Cassie told me he finally earned the respect of the club, and no one questioned his decision to join with Ivan and the Volkov Bratva.
I didn’t understand why there were so many men against it. Ivan Volkov was a good man. Well, maybe a good man was a bit of a stretch. No one got to be in that kind of power for being all butterflies and rainbows. No, Ivan was deadly, but I had never seen him in action, so to me, he was still like a teddy bear.
Anyway, I tried not to listen to too much gossip when it came to the MC. Ive rarely talked to me about work. He asked me about my day, and he filtered his. I’d seen the bruised knuckles he had, as well as on his body and face, so I knew stuff still went down. I was his home though. I was the person he went to at the end of the day.
So, I never brought up work. I never demanded he tell me what he’d been up to. I was home.
I gave Ive what I always wanted as well. A place to call home, and to be loved.
“Do you think he’ll like it?” I asked, looking toward Rose. She opened her eyes, but didn’t even bother lifting her head. This made me laugh. “You’re so lazy. I walked for miles today as well.”