Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80303 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80303 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
“You’re trying to overthink. Why is it okay for me to kill, but when you decide to it’s wrong?”
That was a good question. I was no better or worse than he was. He had more experience with all of this given the way he was raised and for him to accomplish all he had, but our moral capacity for the aspects of his world was the same.
He reached out to slow me down and pointed to a door a few feet away from us on the left side of the hall.
“This isn’t like some prison cell bathroom, is it?”
“I don’t allow less than luxury for those I employ and knowing you’d be spending time here, you too. The target rooms aren’t meant to look nice, but I promise everything you’ll use is.”
“You make me sound so materialistic.”
“I just want you to have the best.”
Suppressing a smile, I shook my head and moved away from him. “Aren’t you the sweetest?”
I expected him to wait in the hall, but he continued to follow me. I didn’t waste my breath asking him to do otherwise. The bathroom didn’t look as if it belonged inside his industrial warehouse. It would be more fitting for an upscale restaurant if you ignored there were no stalls. I went straight for the sinks, desperate to get the damned sawdust off of my feet.
“Hop up on the counter, I’ll help you,” Judas said.
“That’s the least you could do seeing as this is your fault.” I turned around and braced my hands on either side of me to hoist myself onto the countertop. Judas moved in front of me and grabbed my hips to help.
“I need a broom or something,” I said, watching him remove both my shoes and set them inside the left sink.
He glanced up at me with annoyance. “I’m not letting you sweep the floor here. I have hired help for that. Now if you want to sweep at home do so until your heart bursts with joy.”
His fingers brushed across the skin on my feet in a repetitive motion to remove the sawdust still clinging on. I struggled not to laugh or jerk away.
I studied him as he tended to his task, his gorgeous face a mask of concentration beneath the recessed lighting. It was an intimate gesture.
I wouldn’t have ever been able to picture him doing this if I weren’t here experiencing it for myself. He only stopped to turn the sink on and adjust the tap.
Everything about this moment was surreal. I never thought I’d see him again. Not close enough to touch, to feel. Definitely not by my side as I killed a man for the first time, something he had yet to really comment on.
His mind was a fortress I needed a ladder to scale. I had no idea what he was thinking right now. He was still such an indomitable enigma. What he said to me the night before played in a loop inside my head. I couldn’t discern how much of it was true or link his words to his actions.
“You don’t have to take care of my every need, Judas.”
“I’m doing this because I want to. It’s as much for me as it is for you. Trust me.”
“It doesn’t fix what happened.”
“Is that what you think I’m doing?” He paused and gave me his full attention. “There isn’t anything to fix. I’m not seeking to make amends for what needed to be done. I’m taking care of you because you are mine to cherish and place on a pedestal. I need to do this for my peace of mind and yours.”
He wasn’t sorry.
He didn’t feel remorseful for how everything went down. I wanted to hate him so much for it. No matter how many times I said I did my heart wouldn’t listen to reason. My brain couldn’t erase him from my favorite memories.
But for him to say he cherished me? Why did that hurt? I swallowed and looked down at my lap.
Judas placed his palms on my naked thighs. The chevron dress was a few inches above the knee, leaving them more exposed now that I wasn’t standing.
I took note of how clean and well-maintained his nails were. Something about a hard-working man with blood on his hands, still maintaining such basic hygiene was sexy.
“Look at me,” he commanded softly.
I raised my head and met his piercing stare. “Tonight, principessa.”
“What’s tonight?”
He traced the outline of my engagement ring before answering me. “I need to take you somewhere and then you and I are going to spend the night righting wrongs.”
I leaned forward and draped my arms over his shoulders to pull him closer. “Is this another surprise?”
He came to me without hesitation, spreading my thighs apart so that he could stand between them.
“You could say that.”
I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck, drawing his mouth to mine.