Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 74428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
“Alright.” I took a bite and swallowed. “I wanted to fuck you the moment I saw you because of your confidence. You sucked that olive into your mouth without the least bit of shame, hinting at all the sexy things you could do to my dick. Instead of coming over to me, you successfully called me over to you. That’s impressive because I’m not much of a chaser. I couldn’t turn down that olive skin, those firm tits that pushed against your dress. You were playful, mysterious. You’re the most desirable woman in the world. Why else would Lucian make you his wife? He didn’t have to take a spouse. He could have just had you as another mistress. You were too valuable of a prize not to claim. Now when I fuck you, I feel like I’m screwing a very talented virgin, someone so enthused it’s like their first time. You pull me up against the car and ask me to fuck you underneath the night sky even though I already made you come several times. You’re voracious, insatiable. You’re the kind of woman that makes me feel like a man.”
She listened to every word without a reaction, probably unsure how to respond to such blunt compliments. She looked down at her cereal and stirred the remaining pieces without taking a bite. After she cleared her throat, she lifted her gaze to look at me. “Women don’t just want to fuck you because of your eight-pack and rock-hard chest. You’re confident, intense, and mysterious. You get this look in your eyes that’s just so possessive… It makes me feel naked even when I’m fully clothed. You’re strong, so it makes me feel safe, like nothing could ever hurt me. Lucian is a powerful man, despite what you think. He’s executed dozens of men right before my eyes. He has incredible allies. I’ve never seen anyone disrespect him and terrify him the way you do.”
I noticed she didn’t mention my wealth. A lot of women wished they could be the woman on my arm so they could be decorated in jewels and expensive things. They wanted my money as well as my power. That didn’t seem important to this woman. All she really cared about was being protected.
Probably because she hadn’t felt safe in so long.
The man she trusted betrayed her and let her become a prisoner. She wasn’t gone long before he moved on and married someone else. Then a cruel man made her life unbearable every single day. Now she had a new owner. More than anything else in the world, she just wanted to feel safe.
There was no safer place in the world than by my side.
I cut into my salmon and kept eating.
She stirred her cereal and looked down into her milk. Now the bits were too soggy to be eaten, but she continued to play with them.
“So, you hate me?” I had been sheathed to the hilt when she’d said those words to me. She despised me, but she still wanted me.
“Yes.” She got tired of playing with her food and pushed her bowl away.
“You hate me but want me all to yourself?”
“Hatred and lust aren’t mutually exclusive.”
“But they don’t go hand in hand either.” I kept eating. “And why do you hate me so much?” I didn’t raise a hand to her or force her to do something she didn’t want to do. Even when she threw a tantrum, I put food outside her door so she wouldn’t starve. Her living arrangements could be much worse.
“It’s pretty clear.”
“Not to me.”
Her green eyes flashed in hostility, her rage palpable with just a look. “I’m locked up in a tower with no rights. I have a tracker in my ankle, and I’m not allowed to leave. If you’re as much of a man as you seem to be, you wouldn’t need to keep me locked away. As a free woman, I would keep bedding you because I like it. Only a shadow of a man coerces a woman.”
“I’ve never coerced you.”
“I woke up last night, and you were inside me—”
“Because you were saying my name with your fingers inside your panties. We both know you wanted it, so let’s not pretend.”
She still wore that angry expression but didn’t argue with me.
“And we both know I did you a favor. You prefer me to him—a million times over.”
“That was before you captured me.”
“You want me to give you back, then?” I challenged. “Because I will.”
She didn’t call my bluff. Going back to Lucian was far too appalling for her to gamble. “I thought you were rescuing me.”
“I did rescue you.”
“Then why don’t I have any rights?”
“I told you if you wanted freedom you had to earn it.” And she’d started to earn it last night when she confessed she didn’t want to share me with anyone. She pulled me deep inside her and revealed her possessiveness. Maybe she did hate me, but she was also obsessed with me. My bed was the only one she wanted to sleep in every night.