Total pages in book: 17
Estimated words: 16040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 80(@200wpm)___ 64(@250wpm)___ 53(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 16040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 80(@200wpm)___ 64(@250wpm)___ 53(@300wpm)
“So I need to give you something…in order to get my money?” He has a lot of nerve.
“She’s mine,” he complains, getting bolder than he should be. I ought to kill him just for that, but I won’t. Not until she tells me to do it.
“No. I don’t think so. What are you going to do with her? I want answers, or you’ll never see her again.”
“There’s a special auction for young women.”
I brush my finger over her lips. “Ah. Do you mean the virgin auction?”
“You know about that too?”
“I know about everything.” Tears stream down her face, and it breaks my fucking heart. “And you can forget about her.”
I end the call and press her head to my chest. “I’m so sorry, Phoebe. I didn’t want to do that.”
“No. I needed that.” She sighs as she snuggles closer to me.
“What can I do for you? I don’t ever want to see you cry.”
“I just want to go to sleep.” Her voice is weak, and I hate how much damage that call did to her. She stands up, stepping away from me, and I can’t stand being that far from her.
“Okay, babe. Let me get you to bed.” I scoop her up in my arms and lead the way out of my office and up the stairs.
“I’m not going to run away.” She mistakes my actions. My security is pretty tight. She wouldn’t get far even if she tried. I hope she doesn’t want to leave me…ever.
“I know, but I want to carry you.”
“I don’t know what to think about you,” she confesses, looking up at me with a soft smile.
“How about we worry about that in the morning?” I kiss her forehead and open my bedroom door, helping her inside. Setting her down on her feet, I say, “Let me get you something to wear.”
I walk into the closet and pull out a beautiful, peach-colored nightgown I picked out for her. “Here. You can put this on and get under the covers.”
“This is pretty, but I can’t wear your…” She pauses when she spots the price tag still on the item. “Wait. Did you buy this for me?”
“And everything in there.” I point to the closet.
“Why?”
I lean on the footboard and stare at her intently. “I thought I made it clear. I want you to stay here.”
She freezes, understanding my clear-as-day meaning. “Can you let me change in private?”
“Of course. You can use the bathroom. I’ll be right outside. Let me know when you need me.”
She walks away and closes the door, giving me my own break to calm myself down. My body and mind are at war with themselves. I need her like I need my next breath, and yet, I want to find her father right now and destroy him, punch by punch.
He did this to her. If I’d not learned of her existence when I did, she would be auctioned off to the highest bidder against her will. I slam my fist down on the mattress, and then the bathroom door opens.
“Get in bed, Phoebe,” I growl. “Get some sleep.” I refuse to look at her because I’m not in control of my emotions, and she’s not ready to be mine. It’s not that I’m afraid I’ll take her without her permission because I could never be that bastard, but I don’t want to seduce her into something she’s not ready for. I know that after her reaction to me, it would be easy to get her needy. I stand up and move toward the door.
“Did I do something wrong?” she asks, her voice soft and sad.
“No. Just get some sleep.” As I say that, I hear her feet along the wooden floor. I don’t leave until I listen to her climb into bed, and then I’m out of the room without stealing a glance backward.
An hour later, when I believe it’s late enough for her to be asleep, I walk into the bedroom and strip down to my boxer briefs and climb in behind her. I wrap my arm around her waist and hold her close to me. “Goodnight, my love.”
“Goodnight, my hero,” she whispers, snuggling into me. I close my eyes and let the perfection of this moment drag me into a peaceful sleep.
Chapter Four
Theo
The night could not have been more torturously perfect. I awoke with my cock so hard that I could have pounded nails into concrete. She woke briefly when I bent down and kissed her goodbye, but she fell right back to sleep.
Now, I’m sitting in my office downstairs, far away from her. I thought that once I had her in my home that the ache of missing her would be gone, but I don’t just need her in my house; I need her in my arms. I’m not where I want to be, but work still must be done. Soon, I will take time off to do whatever she pleases. However, until then, I have to try and focus on my work. With my hands in many pots, keeping them clean and organized is the hardest part. When someone crosses an ethical line, I fire them. I’ve just had to do that at my tech company. The CFO was caught dipping into the cookie jar to feed his coke habit. Drugs can ruin the brightest minds.