Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 70661 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70661 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
“Well, you aren’t doing that. We’ll find another way…” She scooted closer to me and rested her head against my chest.
I didn’t want my life to be decided by a lone bullet in a barrel, but Kamikaze was too powerful of an opponent to conquer on my own—without my father’s help. I was just as likely to die in bullet warfare as I was to roll the dice.
How could my life be worth gambling for Arwen'? She was someone I’d been forced to marry, someone I didn’t even want when we first met. But now, I really did see myself as her husband…and that’s what husbands should do. They should do whatever it took to protect their wife…even if it meant their own death in the process.
I woke up the next morning with her on top of me. She was snuggled so close, her body using mine as a crutch to get through the night. She seemed to feel safer the closer she was. When we were practically a single person, she felt the most secure.
After what she’d been through, I let her get away with whatever she wanted.
My hand stroked her hair, and I admired her beautiful face, loving the beautiful fairness of her cheeks. There wasn’t even a freckle on her skin, making her look like a porcelain doll. She had the face that could grace billboards and star in commercials. But instead of being a famous face, she was in my bed.
I stared at her for another minute before I rolled her to her back then scooted out from between the sheets. I skipped a shower and pulled on my clothes before I quietly slipped out the door. I headed downstairs, skipped breakfast, and went to my office at the factory. My workers were producing twice the amount of product we normally shipped, but since my cheese was in demand, we had a lot of orders to fill.
I took advantage of the privacy in my office and made the call I’d been thinking about all night. If I were to avoid it altogether, it would make me seem like a pussy. I didn’t have a plan right that second, but it was better to face him without a clue than avoid him instead. I made the call and held the phone to my ear.
Ring.
Ring.
Maybe that asshole wouldn’t pick up.
Ring.
His booming voice came over the line, like we were old friends sharing an inside joke. “Maverick. I thought I would be hearing from you today. Was hoping to see you in person…but this will do.”
“Trust me, you don’t want to see me in person right now.”
He laughed. “Ooh…big man.”
I was glad my father and I got out of the business when we did. I didn’t have the energy to deal with crazy people anymore. Kamikaze was a pain in the ass, and every second he was still alive was obnoxious. “I warned you not to cross me.”
“I know,” he said with a chuckle. “But all of that went out the window when you lied. I have a debt that needs to be repaid, and your little bitch owes me.”
“Lied about what?” I never told him a lie because we hardly spoke to each other. I spent most of my time not talking rather than digging myself into a hole I couldn’t get out of. “I have better things to do than be a coward.”
Instead of laughing, he turned quiet and formidable. “Maverick, I know your marriage is a hoax. You cut a deal to get what you needed—and I respect that. But you need to respect the fact that her father owes me millions—and she’s going to give it to me. We can still be allies. This doesn’t need to get ugly. We just need to understand each other.”
I looked out the window, but I couldn’t enjoy the beautiful fall morning we were having. There was dew on the grass and the leaves of the trees. The summer heat had faded away, replaced by an inviting breeze that licked the sweat off the skin. But all I could feel was the deep pounding of my heart, the shock that his announcement gave me. My marriage was bogus, but I didn’t expect him to know that. He seemed confident in his assessment, so someone must have told him…but only a couple people knew the truth.
“Just give her to me, Maverick. You can go back to your bachelor life, and I can get what’s mine. We both walk away winners.”
My dreams would be haunted by her face, and my heart would be scarred by the guilt. I wouldn’t be able to close my eyes without thinking about what was happening to her, whether it was Kamikaze or some sheik who’d traveled across the ocean to pay a fortune to fuck her. I’d rather blow my brains out then carry that burden. “Despite what you’ve heard, it’s not a hoax…at least, not anymore. She’s my wife and she’s mine. She’s not for sale, and she’s not for the taking.”