Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 28711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 144(@200wpm)___ 115(@250wpm)___ 96(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 144(@200wpm)___ 115(@250wpm)___ 96(@300wpm)
"Xavier, please," I sob.
"Please, what? Say it?"
"Please let me come!" I cry.
"Nah, kitten. You say my name. Say, 'Please make me come, Xavier.' if you want me to give it to you," he demands.
"Please," I whimper. "Please, make me come, Xavier."
He snarls, his eyes flaring with dark possession. "Whatever you want, baby," he breathes. "Whenever you want it." He buries his face in my center again, attacking me like a man possessed.
He doesn't tease me this time. He goes in for the kill, sucking on my clit and fucking me with two fingers.
I scream as I shatter apart, falling into a million tiny pieces. Each one is stamped with his name. Each one belongs to him.
"I need to do something," I murmur what feels like hours later, stretching beside him on the bed as he runs his fingers through my hair. We've been making love all afternoon. If tomorrow is doomsday, then today has been the perfect last day.
"What's that?"
"I need to call my parents."
Xavier falls still beneath me and then slowly drags us into a sitting position. "You want to call your parents?"
"Yes," I whisper.
His gaze flits across my face. "I thought you didn't want them to know what was going on," he says.
"I had an epiphany today."
"Oh, really?" He smiles at me, his eyes lighting up. "And what was this epiphany?"
"Well, maybe it wasn't an epiphany. Maybe it's been slowly coming to me over the last couple of days. I don't know. But I realized when we were talking to Chloe today that I've spent most of my life living in fear of this one thing, and I'm never going to grow past it if I don't face it," I say, tracing his lips with my fingertip. "I want to grow past it, Xavier."
"My brave little kitten," he whispers, smiling at me like I hung the moon.
"So I think I need to call my parents and tell them what's going on instead of hiding it from them and hoping they never find out," I murmur. "It's the only way I'll ever get over the fear that they'll regret adopting me every time I cause a problem. Because I have a feeling I'm going to cause a lot more of those in my life."
"You don't need to call them. I already did."
I blink at him. "What?"
"I already called them, Charlie."
"You…I…" I gape at him as a tangle of emotions run through me. "You called my parents?"
"Yes." He grabs me when I try to climb off his lap. "Stop trying to run, and let me explain," he growls.
I huff, not sure if I'm mad or sad or confused or hurt or relieved or something else entirely. But I stop fighting and glare at him.
"You've spent most of your life living with this fear that they were going to regret adopting you," he says, hooking a finger beneath my chin and forcing me to meet his gaze. "You hate being alone, yet you forced yourself to go through this alone because you were so afraid they would stop loving you. That breaks my fucking heart for you, kitten."
"That didn't give you the right to call them," I mutter.
"No, but being your man did," he says. "My job as your man is to take care of you while you take care of everyone else. And part of doing that is eliminating the things that hurt you. This has hurt you for long enough. I won't ever stand by and let something hurt you when I can stop it. You were afraid they would regret adopting you, but there was never a doubt in my mind that you were wrong. It's impossible to know you and not want to keep you. I knew you for all of five minutes before I knew I had to keep you."
"Xavier," I whisper, tears filling my eyes.
"They love you, Charlie. You're messy and wild, and you cause trouble, and you do whatever you want, and you never back down, and you never fucking quit. They don't love you despite those things. Those are all part of what makes you who you are. And they love you. Your dad is so fucking proud of the person you are, kitten."
I sob, overwhelmed as relief crashes through me.
"They'll be here in the morning," Xavier says, pulling me into his arms. "They're coming to support you, kitten. They want you to know once and for all that they will never, ever regret adopting you. Regardless of whether we get you back into school tomorrow or not, they're proud of you."
Chapter Eleven
Xavier
Charlie is a bundle of nerves all night. I don't think she sleeps at all. She tosses and turns and thinks up eight thousand scenarios that aren't even remotely within the realm of possibility. Each one is more ridiculous than the last. What if we get stuck in the elevator and the fire department doesn't rescue us in time? What if we get kidnapped on the way to campus? What if Professor Rothman finds out that we have evidence, breaks into the Dean's office, and sends through the paperwork for her expulsion before we get there?