Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 72308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
I didn’t pick it up right away. There was only one person who ever texted me this late.
With my heart in my throat, I looked at the screen.
I’m outside.
I read that message over and over again, even though it was just two simple words.
I know you’re awake.
What do you want?
To talk.
We’ll wake up the kids.
Then don’t yell.
I sat there and thought it through. He wouldn’t force his way inside and risk waking the kids upstairs, so I could just ignore him until he went away. But my heart was beating so fast, knowing he was right outside. Six-foot-something hunk with espresso-colored eyes. The only man who ever made me feel weak and made me enjoy it.
I caved and opened the door.
He stood on the threshold in a black bomber jacket, his eyes as intense as I anticipated them to be. He looked at me like he hadn’t seen me in years, like I wore a little black dress with no panties underneath instead of the white pajamas covered in little pink hearts. My hair was in a bun, and my makeup was long gone. I looked like shit.
But he didn’t seem to care.
I stepped aside to let him in.
He came into the apartment and headed for my bedroom, his massive body oddly quiet. When he was inside, he stripped off his jacket until he was just in his long-sleeved shirt with the fabric pushed to his elbows. He faced me and stared.
My arms crossed over my chest like a draft had come through the window. I stared while I thought about the other times he’d come over, the way he’d fucked me so good in this bed until I saw stars.
He stared like he was giving me the opportunity to speak first.
I was at a loss for words.
“I’m sorry for what I said.”
There were a lot of things said that night. I didn’t know what he referred to.
“You’re more than just my whore, and you know that.”
His eyes continued to absorb my every move, my every reaction.
“I could have Camille if I wanted her—but I don’t.”
“Because you want to preserve your relationship with Cauldron…” My arms tightened over my chest, and I looked away.
“That’s what you think?” He spoke quietly, almost a whisper.
My eyes stayed on the dresser.
“I don’t want her because of you. I would never betray what we have.”
“Out of obligation.”
His eyes narrowed in anger, but he managed to keep his voice restrained. “A man’s loyalty is only so strong. If Camille was really what I wanted, I would have fucked her and dealt with you later—without remorse. The second I laid eyes on you, I forgot about her. I loved the way you strutted into that room like you owned the place. I loved that fiery mouth and no-nonsense attitude. I loved that you laid down the rules like you were the boss. To see you like this…insecure over a woman who doesn’t hold a candle to your flames…is ludicrous. She’s a whore, but you’re a goddamn queen.”
My eyes couldn’t stay focused. They shifted back to his face, seeing the sincerity in his eyes.
“Forget about her. I know I have.”
I wanted to pull that hard body on top of me and forget these last, lonely days. I’d missed him so much. Stared at my phone and hoped he would call. “I just…” I swallowed, unable to get the words out.
“Sweetheart.” His eyes turned warm once he felt my pain.
“You were obsessed with her…”
“And now I’m obsessed with you.”
“It’s not the same.”
“Damn right, it’s not the same,” he said. “You’re far better.”
I couldn’t believe I was about to say this, not when there was no going back. “I’m not the woman of your house. You haven’t told me to marry you. You haven’t…taken me to a villa in Tuscany to enjoy me.”
His face was devoid of emotion, just reading my expression, reading the anguish.
“You don’t feel that way about me…” And that hurt so much. It hurt more than I realized. It hurt a million times more when I actually admitted it to myself.
“Who says I don’t?” he whispered.
My eyes locked on his, seeing the first man I’d ever really loved.
“You made your rules very clear, sweetheart. Nothing can happen until your children are grown—and I respect that. So how could I ask you to move in? How could I whisk you away to my other residence so we can drink all day and fuck all night? How could I make you my wife when I have to share you with two other people?”
Reality hit me in the face like a bucket of cold water.
“To be clear, I’m fine with the way things are. We both have lives that require our full focus, so the limited time we have is all we can afford anyway. It’s enough for me. You are enough for me.”