Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 125121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
“I’m fine,” I said with just a bit of a snap. “Just help me get it out.”
“All right. Hold still.”
“No, don’t pull like that.”
“I have to. The zipper closed on it.”
“Just let me do it,” I cried, craning and twisting to see.
“Don’t. You’re making it worse—”
“You made it worse!”
After ten minutes of pain, bickering, and flailing around, our clothes finally made it to the floor.
Victor gave me a soft smile as he caressed my sore scalp. “I’m sorry. Should we try that again?”
“Yes, please.”
I rose as he dipped. That time, our lips met perfectly.
An hour later, I gazed up at the ceiling—sweat cooling on my skin. Victor stretched out next to me, studying the same spot next to the light fixture.
I cleared my throat. “That was nice. We should do it—”
“That sucked,” Victor dropped. “Worst sex I’ve ever had.”
The breath whooshed out of me. “Oh, thank goodness you said it. That was freaking terrible. I thought you were good at this?”
“Me?!” Victor shot up. “You stabbed me in the eye with your toe while we were kissing. How in the hell does that happen?” He pointed at the angry red orb. “I think you scratched my cornea.”
“Oh yeah? Want to talk about how someone elbows a girl in the tit while giving her head? I have a bruise.”
“That wasn’t my fault. You were never where you’re supposed to be. And you’re so stiff.” He slid out from under the sheets and snatched up his pants. “Push down your legs and your top half pops up like a seesaw.”
“That’s not true!” There was no one alive more outraged than me. I shoved out of bed and grabbed my clothes. “If anyone is stiff, it’s you. I heard the gears grinding in your hips while you were pumping.”
“Gears. Nice comeback as always, Sinclair. Why did I think this was a good idea?”
I lobbed my pillow through the air. It snapped off his head, taking his shout with it. “You don’t get to be the one who regrets it. I regret saying yes to this. I’ll never unsee the sight of you sneezing out your own cum.”
“Why did you point my dick at my face! Have you never given a hand job before?” Victor half tore his shirt yanking it on. “What do you and Dumont do in his room all night? Knit?”
“No, he fucks me—thank you very much. And he does it well.”
Victor muttered under his breath. “...ass...”
“What was that?”
“I said you’re an asshole!”
“You’re the asshole!”
Getting my dress on was even more frustrating in the middle of a fight. I yanked on the zipper and heard an unwelcome sound. The damn thing broke.
“There goes the idea of us being lovers,” I snapped. “And since you think I’m such an asshole, I doubt we’re going to be friends either.”
Scoffing, Victor finally got his pants on. He turned on me as he zipped up and buckled. “Oh, sure, give up at the first chance. I bet you messed this up on purpose, so I’d accept there was no sexual chemistry between us and jump at an open marriage.”
My eyes bugged. “What kind of manipulative jerk do you think I am? Even if I wanted that, no one could have sex that bad on purpose. I think you put me off it for good.”
“That’s my line. I used to love a tight pussy. Now I’m wondering if I’ll ever have a full erection again. You strangled the thing half dead.”
I flashed him a tight smile. “Damn, I was so close.”
He cursed. “See? There you go again. We can’t get through one day without you picking a fight or finding an excuse to get pissed off. When you said you wanted to start over, I actually thought you meant it. But you can’t help yourself,” he said, flapping his hands at me. “You have to self-sabotage. It’s what you do.”
“Excuse me? What I do?” I planted my hands on my hips—facing him down with a ruined dress and sore boob. “Don’t act like you know me.”
Victor glared. “No one knows you better than me.”
“What?” I shrieked. “Where the hell did you—?”
“You’re loyal,” he sliced in. “When you care about someone, no one will fight harder to protect them than you. You’re not afraid of what you don’t know. Life is for learning, experiencing, and taking chances. Most people will live their life in the box they were born in, but not you. You want more and you always have.”
I quieted, sinking back on my heels.
“You don’t need attention, or money, or fame, but you do need purpose. A reason to get up in the morning,” he said, closing the distance between us. “Despite what a massive pain in the ass you are, you have trouble fighting for yourself. You spend so much time making sure that everyone else is okay, that what you need becomes an afterthought.