Total pages in book: 15
Estimated words: 13200 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 66(@200wpm)___ 53(@250wpm)___ 44(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 13200 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 66(@200wpm)___ 53(@250wpm)___ 44(@300wpm)
I want him, even if that means the whole world watches. Even if it means opening myself up to an even bigger barrage of criticism and hate from the people who want to see me fail. I'm not half of a person. I'm a whole person, with thoughts and feelings and desires.
I'd rather fail on my terms than live in their box.
I unlock the door, staring up at Madden in person for the first time. He's…Lord, he's tall. I'm five-nine and he towers over me, looming like an implacable wall. He's so damn handsome, even though he's scowling at me.
I think I'm in trouble.
"Baby girl," he says, backing me into the studio.
Yep. I'm definitely in trouble.
I wonder how much of his office he destroyed today?
"Hi," I whisper.
He doesn't say anything. He just keeps advancing toward me, his gaze running over me all hot and wild. It sets off fires in my belly, an avalanche of need. My stomach quivers in excitement.
"You're going to run," he says, his whiskey voice rolling over me in a deep wave. "I'm going to catch you. When I do, I'm kissing the shit out of you. If you're a good girl and apologize for teasing me today, I may feed you before I tumble you to the floor and fuck you raw."
"And if I'm not a good girl?"
Pure wickedness lights his eyes like hellfire. "I may stop long enough to feed you at some point tonight. Do you want to play, baby girl?"
"What happens if I say no?"
"Then I tell you how fucking happy I am to finally meet you. If I'm lucky, you let me kiss you, and then I feed you. We talk over dinner, and we take it at your pace. I won't rush you." He tips his head down so his eyes meet mine. "You hold all the power, Olive. That's what it means to be my baby girl. I may be in charge, but you have the power. You decide what happens. Always."
My heart expands in my chest, filling full of him. I lift up on my toes, pressing my lips to his scruffy cheek. He smells like cedar and lemongrass. It instantly becomes my favorite scent.
"Then I guess it's a good thing I feel like running, isn't it?" I whisper near his ear before I drop back down to my feet and take off across the studio, running as fast as I can. Which isn't that fast. I hate running.
He growls behind me and then he's chasing after me.
"No outside shoes on the wood!" I shout over my shoulder, sailing through the door into the actual dance studio. Mirrors line the walls, reflecting my image back from every direction.
I scurry across the floor, only to hesitate halfway, unsure if I should run toward the locker rooms or into the private studio next door. By the time I pick the private studio room attached to the larger public room, he's at the door, closing in on me.
He's a lot faster than I am.
I squeak and race toward the private studio, flinging myself through the door. I slam it closed between us, laughing when he growls my name from the other side. I quickly run to the far side of the room, hiding behind a massive stack of gymnastic mats. We use them when we're doing aerial work. They make for a far softer landing than the wooden floor.
"Wrong choice, princess," he growls from the doorway. The door closes behind him with a soft snick. "Now, there's nowhere for you to go."
Well, crap. I didn't think about that. I should have chosen the locker rooms.
"I hope those mats make a soft bed. You're going to need it."
I squeeze my legs together, biting my tongue to keep from moaning at his threat.
I want to peek out and see how close he is, but I don't. I prepare to run instead, using his voice to judge how close he is.
"Are you wet yet, princess? Does running from daddy make your little pussy ache?"
Oh, jeez. He's going to ruin me with that mouth, I already know it.
I dart out from behind the mats, circling wide to evade him, but he must have guessed my plan, because I don't evade him. I nearly run right into him. I spin away at the last second and immediately jump into a saddle leap.
He plucks me out of the air as if I weigh nothing, dragging me down to the floor. I land beneath him on my back, his hand beneath my head to cradle it. Hellfire still blazes in his eyes, the blue so bright it's spellbinding. He's spellbinding. I feel like Icarus flying too close to the sun. Only it doesn't burn hot enough. I don't fall fast enough.
I want it hotter. I want to fall harder.