Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 125465 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 627(@200wpm)___ 502(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125465 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 627(@200wpm)___ 502(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
“No,” she assures me, her voice cracking after all that screaming.
“Are you hungry? Thirsty?”
She nods, her eyes closing again, limp with exhaustion. My sweet, exhausted angel wasted from what the man holding her heart and body hostage put her through.
“You just rest.” This is a pleasure being able to take care of her. I’ve been alone for so long; the prospect of fixing a sandwich for someone else is a joy. Especially when that someone else is her.
It’s not anything gourmet, but I have the feeling that after what she’s been through, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich will taste just as good as the lavish meals her family puts together during holiday parties.
Strange how even the briefest thought of them sets my teeth on edge. Those are happy memories, or they should be. And they were back when I could think of Xander without resentment flaring to life.
I make sure to include a glass of water before taking the simple meal to the bedroom. She’s still limp, recovering.
“Too intense?” I ask as I take a seat on the bed.
She chuckles as she opens her eyes. “Just a little. I literally thought I was dying.”
“I wouldn’t let that happen.” I offer her half of the sandwich, guiding it to her lips, glad when she takes a big bite. Because it seems she’s too worn out to do it herself, I lift her head with one hand and hold the water to her lips with the other. She drinks deep, then sighs happily once I remove the glass.
With her appetite as it is, it takes no time before she’s polishing off the last bite. I’m content to sit in silence rather than fill it with small talk. We don’t need to do that. We’re not strangers. There doesn’t need to be any awkwardness between us. Having her here is enough.
The knowing look in her eyes when they meet mine confirms this. There’s a deeper sort of understanding there now. A familiarity that didn’t exist before. There I go, taking another one of her firsts when it isn’t even her birthday.
“What do you need?” I ask once she’s drained the glass and looking more like herself.
“I think I could use a shower…” She looks down at herself and frowns. “If that’s okay.”
I have to ignore the telltale twitch in my shorts while I nod in agreement. “Sure. I haven’t shown you the rest of the cabin, either. Not that there’s much to show.”
Now I wish I had cleaned the place up somewhat before taking her, but I wasn’t exactly thinking clearly, either. Too busy obsessing, watching her from afar, out of my mind with want. I would come back here to change clothes or shower, but that was about it. Everything that did not involve having my eyes on her became secondary.
Still, she gives no reaction as her gaze moves over the clutter in what passes for a living room. The kitchen is tidier, at least, with a small fridge and wood-burning stove.
Those two rooms comprise the entirety of the cabin aside from the bathroom, which is where I lead her. “This is cozy,” she says, and she sounds sincere when she says it. Her eyes widen at the sight of the claw-foot tub in the rustic bathroom. “Oh, that’s beautiful. This is really charming.”
“I’m glad you like it,” I murmur, fighting back a grin I know would come off as cheesy, like a little boy glowing under the praise of a teacher.
“Wait,” she blurts out, her cheeks flushing when I turn back after starting up the shower and explaining how tricky the taps can be, how they take a delicate hand. “Where are you going?”
“I wanted to grab you some more clothes, maybe fix myself something to eat.”
Her eyes narrow slightly, teeth sinking into her lip. This can only mean one thing, and desire and dread immediately begin fighting it out.
“Why don’t you join me instead? The rest of that can wait.” She slowly strips down, staring at me all the while. Almost daring me to look away.
Her body. Fuck me, every inch of skin, every curve seems like it was made for me. To be touched and held, stroked, and grabbed.
Eaten. Fucked.
It seems to me she’s forgetting who’s in charge around here. Yes, I need to focus on that because it’s the only way I’ll be able to resist.
“I already took a shower,” I inform her with a tiny shrug even as fire begins raging in me all over again.
“There are other reasons to get in the shower besides washing up.” As she speaks, she steps into the tub, leaving the curtain open. I can’t tear my eyes away from the sight of her, the water hitting her hair. It runs over her chest, drips from the pink nipples of her perky tits, and it’s all I can do to keep from growling like the animal she turns me into.