Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 54092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 270(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 270(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
"You miss him."
"He's free," he says, his voice soft. I see the regret in his eyes though. The longing. He misses his twin a great deal. "That's all that matters. "
"You don't think he would have survived, do you?" I ask, watching him intently, trying to understand. He sacrificed so much for his twin, but I don’t think he did it to keep him from having to live this life. I think he did it to keep him alive, period.
"He wasn't made for this life, Amalia," he answers, his jaw tight, and I know that I'm right. That's what he really feared. Losing his twin like he lost his mom. My stomach ties itself in knots, my heart ripping itself to shreds as I realize that's always been the force that drives him. "This life is kill or be killed. That's not something he could have lived with. I can. I do. To protect my family, I'll chain my own soul in hell if that's what it takes."
The quiet intensity in his voice is unmistakable. He means it. He didn't rise to the top because he wanted to be there. He fought and killed his way to the top to make his family untouchable. To keep his brothers safe the only way he knew how. In this world, fear is power. And Rafael Valentino has a whole lot of both. No one crosses him. No one defies him. They wouldn't dare.
Until now.
Until Diego.
Until…me.
God. When he finds out why I'm here, he's going to hate me.
Somehow, I have to find a way to end this. He’s suffered enough already. Every day, he suffers still. I can't add to it. I won't. But I don't know how I'm supposed to stop this either.
The man I love and my brother are runaway trains on a collision course. And I'm standing in the middle. To save Diego, I have to sacrifice Rafe. To save Rafe, I have to sacrifice Diego. Neither of them will back down. Neither of them will concede. Until Diego is dead or Rafe's empire crumbles, they won't stop now.
How can they?
They both have too much to lose.
Please, God, I pray. Please help me find a way to end this before anyone gets hurt.
Shaking, I climb to my feet and then step in front of Rafe. He leans back, looking up at me through dark lashes, every inch the king. But I see the cracks in his armor now, the thin spots where the steel isn't quite as thick. His nerves are raw, his shoulders tense.
I crawl into his lap, straddling his thighs.
His hands settle on my hips, his lips curving up at the corners. "What are you up to now, tigrotta?"
I desperately need him to make me his, but I don't say that.
"Well," I say, looping my arms around his neck and sliding down his thighs. I bite my lip, fighting back a moan at the glide of fabric and the thickness of his thighs against my bare skin. I'm still in a skirt. They're what I wear most days. I may be big, but the world can just deal with it. I refuse to hide behind baggy clothes and the weight of their shame. "I was thinking."
"About?" He slips his hands beneath my skirt, palming my ass. One fingertip skims along the band of my panties, teasing me.
"You gave me something I want," I murmur. "I should give you something you want."
"Yeah? I want you bouncing on my cock and screaming my name." He smirks, one brow arched. "Preferably with my hand around your pretty throat. I know how much you liked that this morning."
I moan quietly.
His smirk grows, his fingers digging into the cheeks of my ass. "Or maybe I'll take you face down so I can watch this ass bounce while I'm bottoming out in you. Tell me, Amalia, how hard do you think I can fuck you before you break?"
Not very. Not if he's going to use that wicked mouth and his filthy words.
"Depends," I say, leaning forward like I'm going to kiss him. I bring my mouth right up to his, until I feel his uneven breath pelting my lips. Something wholly wicked prompts me to flick my tongue out to touch his lip before I turn my head, denying him the kiss he silently demands. I kiss a trail along his jaw instead, slowly driving him crazy.
By the time I reach his ear, he's rigid and tense beneath me, his fingers gripping me hard enough to leave marks in my skin. I hope they do. I want a reminder of the moment I brought this man to his knees.
"On what?" he snarls.
"On how hard you want me to fight," I breathe before biting his neck. Hard.
He bellows my name like a bear, only he's not wounded. Not even close. I know that sound. I made the same one earlier today. It's ecstasy. This wicked, beautiful man likes it rough and dirty. And as it turns out, so do I.