Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 64885 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64885 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
“Is that the only reason you asked him and not me? Were you wanting to keep your new purchases a secret?”
Heat spiraled beneath my skin at the tease of a smile that played across his lips. The genuine, endearing smiles were so rare that I coveted them like precious gemstones. His confident smirk that bordered on wolfish I was used to, but those smiles? I might be delusional, but I felt like they were just for me.
“Isn't that a normal thing?” I asked, my heart racing from the adrenaline coursing through my veins. You’d think I was about to take a plunging drop on a roller coaster instead of having a simple, flirtatious conversation with my husband.
“What? Asking my butler for help?”
“No,” I answered, laughing. “A wife wanting to surprise her husband with some sexy lingerie?” I couldn't even say the words without blushing, and by the way Gareth’s eyes trailed to my cheeks, he noticed.
Another low growl rumbled from his very defined chest, evident underneath the white T-shirt he wore. All that beautiful ink swirled over his muscled arms, and while I'd gotten glimpses of him without his shirt on, I wanted uninterrupted time to study the ink that lay beneath the fabric. I wanted to run my fingertips along the designs and ask him about each one.
“You're playing a dangerous game, angel,” Gareth said.
I couldn't help but laugh. “Out of all the games I’ve played, the one where you’re my partner feels the safest. Am I wrong?”
“No,” he said. “You know that's not what I meant.”
“And you know where I stand on the matter,” I said.
It’d been a month since we got married, and while I cherished the quality time I was getting to spend with him in a platonic way, I knew the only way to truly protect myself was to have Gareth take my virginity. It’s not like I wanted to take advantage of him, but I knew that doing me this favor wouldn't hurt his reputation at all, and it would in all legitimacy save my life.
I knew it. The minute I became a non-sellable object to my father, he would leave us alone forever. Not that he’d made an official move against us, but I knew him. My father would wait until our guard was down and then strike when we least expected it.
And maybe it was a fantasy I was living in, but I also knew the longer we didn't annul this marriage, the better off I'd be. Getting Gareth to sleep with me was hedging my bets, as they say, so often in their poker game.
“Gareth,” I said, letting a little bit of the plea slip in my voice. “I've watched you at poker games, you know?”
“And?”
“And,” I continued. “I know the appetite you have. It's been a month since we took our vows. Unless there's something I'm not seeing, you haven't done anything to satisfy that appetite.” My heart raced in my chest, and I took a deep breath to try to slow it down.
“Are you saying you want to be my snack?” he asked playfully, and desire unfurled beneath my skin. I felt hot and breathless all at the same time. Warmth pooled in my core in a way that begged me to shift my legs.
“I'm a man of my word,” he continued before I could respond. “I meant those vows. There won't be any other women. You don't need to worry about that.”
The relief that fluttered in my chest told me just how worried about that I’d actually been. “And that's fine with you?”
“Of course it is,” he said. “I'm working on making sure we're both out of this before it becomes an issue. Don't worry, I'll find a way to protect you and not ruin you at the same time.”
A sense of urgency washed over me, my eyes widening at his admission of working on actively trying to get us out of this marriage. One that obviously left me alive, but didn't he realize that if he left me the way I was, I’d still be a prime target? I knew he'd been out of the game for a while, but had it been so long that he could be that naïve?
I needed to double my efforts. Operation Seduce Gareth Maxfield was definitely not working so far. Except for the one night I hadn't actually been trying. That night I’d simply been eating ice cream in his kitchen, enjoying the little freedoms I was allowed, and somehow, that had earned me a kiss.
The memory of that kiss stayed with me every second since, and it’d been two weeks. I swear I could still feel the impact his lips made on mine. He’d been gentle at first, explorative, and then he’d been something else altogether. The combination had become this intoxicating thing that I was consumed by. I would happily die inside that kiss and had spent shameless hours living in that memory because it was one of the most exhilarating and happy memories I had to cling to.