Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 128290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
I’m pretty sure I’m as addicted to him as he is me, and I find I’m not mad about that. This marriage has turned into more than I thought he would give me, and he’s offered more than I would have thought him capable.
I knew I’d be safe with the founder and CEO of the nation’s top security firm as my husband, having bet on his need for me to be alive while he waited to be given all the things he wanted out of our contractual marriage, but I never expected that safety to come with tenderness, maybe not even desire. I assumed sex would be required, and after meeting him face-to-face, decided it wouldn’t be a hardship of any kind—I’d use him for my own pleasure the way he was going to use me for power.
What I anticipated and what I’ve gotten couldn’t be more different.
He couldn’t be more different.
There’s passion in his touch, a raw reverence he never tries to hide but rather goes out of his way to ensure I feel it in every part of my being. His yearning for me. His need. And not just for my body or what he sees on the outside, but the girl within. The one who was never good enough to everyone else.
That girl, she means a lot to him.
I mean a lot to him.
A fluttering tickles low in my stomach and I lift my feet up on the chair, dropping my chin to my knees, a soft smile I don’t fight written along my lips.
I’m not sure how long I sit there, but my coffee is long since empty and I’ve reached the epilogue in the story by the time Grandma appears in the room.
“Did you enjoy your morning, Miss Revenaw?” she asks.
I nod, unfolding my legs from the chair and pulling my robe a little tighter, so my breasts don’t pop out.
“Good. We have a very busy day ahead. I’ve had your breakfast delivered. Can you be ready by ten, it’s nearly nine now?”
“I can.” I eye her warily, a strange sort of excitement curling her features. “Why?”
“As I said. Busy, busy day.”
“Grandma.” I tip my head. “Are you trying not to smile?”
“No, dear. I don’t smile.”
I scoff, and just before she turns away…she smiles.
Now I’m really concerned.
I hear them before I see them and my feet move quicker along the stairs. It’s not until I’m rounding the last curve that familiar blonde hair comes into view.
Rocklin whips around, a smile on her lips as she cocks her hip out. “About damn time. He’s literally holding us hostage in the foyer.”
Bronx nods, what looks to be a mimosa in her right hand…the bottle of champagne hanging from her left.
“I quite like the view from here.” Delta smiles, taking in the architecture and gliding along the floor, trying to get closer to the window leading to the back.
My confusion must show, not only in the fact that I’m frozen in place, but on my face as my sister’s sass turns to a scowl.
She takes a step toward me, but then Enzo comes around the corner, beating her. My eyes lock onto his, the golden hue shinning brighter today in his dark purple suit.
“Little Bride,” he murmurs, not stopping until he’s on the step before me, yet still I have to tilt my head the slightest bit to hold his gaze. “You look good enough to eat, as always.”
“Why are they here?” I whisper, not realizing my palms found their way to his chest until he closes his fist around my wrist, drawing my left hand to his lips.
With his eyes on me, he kisses the spot just over the tattoo, his eyes blazing with a fiery need that sparks heat in my core.
“I love you,” he whispers only for me. “Did you know that?” His words are so calm, so clear.
And a complete shock to the system.
I tense so hard a shiver runs through me, refiring my nerves all at once and without warning.
My stomach flips, a trembling sensation I can’t quite explain taking over until it’s spreading across every limb.
Butterflies and tiny tingles. That’s what the feeling is.
“I…” I swallow back the lump in my throat, eyes wide and locked on his. “No. I did not.”
He hums lightly, a small smile gracing his lips as he leans in. My chin tips, meeting his lips in a ghost of a kiss before he shifts, creating a fiery path along my jaw on their way to my ear.
My eyes close, fists clenching over his tie as his warm breath fans across my skin.
“Well, now you do,” he rasps. “There is no one I need more. No one I trust as completely. It’s you and me, baby. Through the fires of hell, I will stand by your side. Always.”
His words break past barriers, clawing at my defenses and shredding them piece by piece until there’s nothing left but him and me and this moment.