Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 95144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
I clenched my jaw slightly and shook my head. “I’ll never understand it, but I’m not going to try anymore. If this is what you’re into…so be it. I grant your request.” I grabbed my glass, finished the scotch, and then slammed it down again before I rose to my feet.
Magnus stayed put, in disbelief.
“Melanie.” I raised my voice slightly, with a hint of affection.
The door opened, and she came back into the room, her eyes on me like there was no one else in the cabin. Her petite frame had an hourglass shape, a flat stomach with large breasts. She had long, slender legs. I usually detested American women. But there was something different about her.
When she was close, my arm circled her waist as I brought her close. “We’ll have dinner then go to bed. I have a lot of things to do tomorrow.”
“Can I see her?” The words flew out of her mouth like she’d been holding them back since we got here. “Please.” Her arms circled my neck, and she brought her face close to mine, leveraging my love to get what she wanted. “I just want to see my sister…please.” She leaned in and gave me a gentle kiss on the lips.
It was hard to deny her anything when she mirrored my affection, when she made me feel like I was the only man she’d ever touched. My hands squeezed her ass before I stepped away. “Take her to the cunt’s cabin. Give them five minutes. Nothing more.”
She grabbed me by the arm, her nails digging into my flesh like it was life or death. “Thank you, mon amour…”
I stilled at the nickname she’d never used before and turned back to her. My eyes took in her features, seeing sincerity that was so true, it couldn’t be forced or faked. We saw what we wanted to see, so perhaps it was all wishful thinking on my part, but when she told me she loved me, it rang clear and true like the bell of a chateau. It seemed real. It felt real. It was real.
She came closer to me, cupped my face, and gave me another kiss.
I forgot my brother was standing there. Like always, it felt like it was just the two of us.
Thirteen
Under Lock and Key
Melanie
Magnus led the way, guiding me to Raven’s cabin that was a short distance away. He didn’t seem interested in conversation, keeping a few strides ahead so I wouldn’t have the opportunity to talk to him.
I rarely had alone time with Fender’s brother, so I took advantage of it. “I heard you and Fender talking. What did you say about Raven?”
He kept going, his silence his answer.
“Please tell me—”
“Haven’t I done enough for you?”
I stayed behind and turned quiet again.
We approached the cabin, and he unlocked the door. “Five minutes. That’s it.”
I looked into his hood, no longer able to see his face. “Thank you…for giving her the note.”
His annoyance was palpable in the air around us.
I stepped inside and found Raven sitting up in a little bed, reading. There was a desk with a laptop, a TV, men’s shoes on the floor.
She dropped her book with shaky hands and looked at me in shock. Slowly, her hands went to her face, her eyes glistening with tears, and her chest suddenly gave a jerk with emotion.
I lived in a palace with a butler and a private chef, and she was still here, still wearing the ugly work clothes, still forced into labor for someone else’s gain. It hurt more than I’d expected it to. “Oh my god…”
“Sister.” She scooted to the edge of the bed.
I rushed into her embrace, nearly knocking her over, and held on like the storm surrounded us once more, like it would blow us apart if we let go. Tears sprang into my eyes as I kept her close, as I treasured the person I loved most in this world.
The hug lasted a long time before she pulled away first. “How…how are you here?”
“I asked Fender to bring me.”
“It must be hard…to be here again.”
I saw Mom when I looked at her. I saw a strong person who only thought about others instead of herself. “I wanted to see you so bad… I guess I didn’t care.” The camp didn’t look the same, not without the snow.
Her hands grabbed mine. “I just can’t believe you’re here…”
I squeezed her fingers. “Me too.”
She inhaled a deep breath, her eyes watering with more tears, staring at our joined hands.
“Magnus continues to help you.” It was such a relief, to know that he looked after her when I was powerless to do anything for her. “I gave him that note and thought he’d rat me out, but he didn’t.”
She shook her head. “I’m living in his cabin right now.”