Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 140940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 705(@200wpm)___ 564(@250wpm)___ 470(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 705(@200wpm)___ 564(@250wpm)___ 470(@300wpm)
His words hit home hard. I couldn’t help but admit that there was truth in them—an undeniable truth that resonated within me from the deepest corners of my heart.
“I can do that.” I wrapped my arms around him, drawn by his warmth and understanding. “I just want to leave New Orleans. . .whole.”
“You are one woman who has been through so many experiences that they have shaped different aspects of your personality.” He put his finger on my chin and lifted my view to him. “You are complex, but that does not make you any less whole.”
His gaze was intense yet gentle as if trying to reassure me through mere eye contact.
A lump formed in my throat as I forced myself to maintain his gaze.
“Those parts make up you.” He smiled. “Just like different colors make up a painting.”
Tears brimmed.
“But most importantly. Let us return to what pissed me off.” To my shock, Kaz’s expression shifted to angry. “Do not ever question my love for you again.”
I blinked.
“I told you in the car last night that I accept you and your personalities, that I love you—”
“But, Kaz that’s before you really understood—”
“I understood then, but do you understand now—”
“You didn’t—”
“Do not question my love for you!” Hot rage blazed in his eyes.
I trembled.
“I would bomb and kill for you,” he spoke through clenched teeth. “I would fucking die for you.”
I tried to look away.
He tightened his grip on my chin, kept my view on him, and sneered. “I already told you that I love you. All of you. Every single personality that you hold within you is a part of the woman I’ve come to love deeply. And all of them are mine. Including this M.”
My bottom lip quivered.
His words washed over me like a balm, soothing the raw edges of my soul. Here was this man, who had seen the deepest, most hidden parts of me, and not only did he accept them—he embraced them. . .again and again and a-fucking-gain.
He sneered some more. “I told you this in the car.”
“I know. . .”
“And then I gave you some dick to solidify that point.”
I widened my eyes. “Oh my God.”
“Do you need more dick, mysh?”
I melted right there. “A little later.”
Disgust rode his words. “Fucking asking Baba if I would stop loving you.”
“Hey.” I tried to step back from him, but he wouldn’t let me. “I’m raw with emotion right now.”
“Get un-raw, when it comes to thinking about my love for you.”
I sighed.
He dropped his hand and looked down at my still wearing his shirt. “Did you get some sleep?”
“I’m not tired. I think that drink put me in a deep sleep. When I woke up, I felt like I had over eight hours.”
“You want to stay in New Orleans?”
“Yes.”
He groaned. “I would like to leave and once we are in the air, drop a bomb on the witch’s house—”
“Kaz, relax.”
“She is disrespectful—”
“We’re not here for her respect.”
“You were on the ground with snakes sliding over you—”
“Man, I would sleep in a tank full of snakes to get whole—”
“Next time you go there, I will not leave your side.”
“Fine.” I smiled and left his embrace. “That would make me feel safer knowing you are next to my body while I’m on the inside. . .figuring shit out.”
“She said to give her three days before returning.”
I let out a long breath. “Okay.”
“She also wants us to get this special bottle of absinthe from some idiot that would want to throw a party for us.”
“Do we know where the idiot is at?”
“I am sure the pansy will know.”
“The pansy’s name is Rafael. I’ll call him to set up a meeting.”
Kaz crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you think she can put me in your head with you?”
Horror hit me. “Kaz. . .I hope not. It’s crazy enough that I’m in my head.”
“I will ask her, if she—”
“It would be too much.”
“You all need me. The little girl. Amber. Lunita. M. I want to meet them.”
“Oh my God.” I left him and walked off. “Don’t even say that—”
He called after me. “Why not?”
“Because they may just come out, and we don’t need me walking around New Orleans like a man, trying to fuck women on Bourbon Street.”
“Hmmm.”
I stopped and gazed over my shoulder. “Hmmm?”
“That might be interesting.”
I shook my head. “I’m going to check on Paolo and Emilio and get them ready for the day if Baba has not already. You go take a shower and get dressed too.”
“What are we going to do?”
“We’re in Nawlins, baby.” I grinned. “Time to do the tourist thing.”
God knows we need a break from all this heavy shit.
Chapter twenty-seven
The Lion and the Shark
Emily
I prepared for our day out in New Orleans, standing before the mirror in our hotel suite and couldn’t help but smile at the reflection staring back at me. I wore designer high-waisted jeans with a tucked-in top, offering a flattering silhouette and nice cleavage. On my feet, I opted for a pair of comfortable, flat leather sandals.