Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
If I weren’t scared that she’d run from me, I’d have her spreadeagle on my sofa while I made her beg for mercy. Hear her screams from the multiple orgasms I’d give her. Put her in a coma from coming so damn hard that she’d forget all the negative shit she’s been subjected to.
She’s stunned silent, her pretty eyes wide as she bites her bottom lip. Her long nails dig into her palms. But her dilated pupils and erratic breathing aren’t lost on me. I’m unsure if her reactions are from fear or because she’s turned on. It could be both. If she weren’t so vulnerable, I would be into scaring her before I fuck her. But I don’t think she’s ready for that or ever will be.
I offer her a smile, trying to appear more like a sheep than the wolf I am.
“I’m sorry,” I say as I take her hand and tug her toward the sofa. “You hungry?”
She doesn’t appear as frightened as she was earlier. She sits on the soft brown leather, and I drop to my knees in front of her. My eyes lock on hers as I grip her ankles, gently removing her shoes before lifting her legs onto the coffee table.
“I was three the last time someone removed my shoes for me.”
“Three seems young to become self-sufficient.”
“Yes, well, witnessing your mother get beaten in front of your eyes because she helped you instead of being at your father’s beck and call tends to affect a young child's psyche.”
“Is he still alive?”
“No. He died a long time ago.” She sinks into the sofa, and her eyes slide shut as I massage the soles of her feet. “Where does a guy like you learn a technique like that?”
“My mother. I couldn’t get her a nice spa day back then.”
“You’re nothing like Paul.”
I shrug, wishing my son wasn’t who he was. “Apparently, being a wife-beating piece of shit skips a generation.”
She wiggles her foot out of my hands and scoots to the edge of the sofa, the ease of a moment ago gone.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“It’s all right. I have to get used to the fact that nothing in my life will ever be normal. That not a second will go by when I’m not reminded of the shitty hand I’ve been dealt.”
I move up to the sofa and wrap my arm around her. To my surprise, she doesn’t pull away like I expected. Instead, she turns her head to me and offers a smile. I don’t overthink it. Ignoring every logical thought in my brain telling me to stop, I bring my mouth to hers and touch her lips with mine.
Isla doesn’t pull back. She sighs, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me closer. At this moment, I’m just a man, and she’s just a woman. No complications. I grip the hair at her nape and tug gently, forcing her to part her lips for me. Pressing her into the sofa, my body shields hers, and every curve of her body makes my cock throb with need.
My hand glides down her body, and my fingers brush the hem of my shirt that looks like a dress on her. Bunching the material, I push it up and savor the sensation of her soft flesh. The animalistic part of my brain switches on, and all I can think about is sliding my dick into her warmth and fucking her into oblivion.
She gasps as I fist her right tit. “Make me forget. Please.”
I freeze. The desperate tone of her voice is like a surge of ice water injected into my veins. Right now, I could be anyone, any man. It isn’t me Isla begs for, but a body. And I want to be more than a vessel for her to numb her pain temporarily. I’m not sure why I want more, but I do. For the first time in my adult life, I crave a woman like a junkie longing for the release of heroin in his veins.
Heat floods my body—not the kind that comes from burning desire but from a threat. If I fuck Isla the way I want, like an animal, desperate and hungry, she’ll run. “I think we should get some food in you.”
I push off her and turn my back, heading into the kitchen. Isla deserves better than me, but she won’t get it. The least I can do is give her time to adjust because I realize that my desire for her will win. I just hope I don’t do more damage.
As I open the fridge, I hear the front door slam.
Chapter Fourteen
ISLA
Humiliation is a powerful emotion that warps logical thought into doubt and pain. I comprehend that what Bryce did was the right move, that sex with him could unleash a trauma I’m not ready to tackle. But the sharp blade of rejection has my mind spinning in circles. I wanted to sleep with him because it was my choice, giving me a shred of power I’d lacked my entire life.