Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
“Baby.” His commanding voice echoed over the line. “You can call me whenever you want. No one in the world has that luxury but you. Use it.”
I sat at the edge of the bed, comforted by the sound of his deep voice. “How was your day?”
He sighed. “Bullshit.”
“Why was it bullshit?”
“It just was,” he said vaguely. “What are you doing?”
“Damien and I were eating popcorn and watching a movie.”
“The two of you are getting close, huh?”
“He’s pretty much my brother-in-law. I should probably get to know him, right?”
“Yeah, but you don’t need to torture yourself,” he teased.
“No, we’re fine. He tells me things about you…”
“Must be a mixture of bad and good.”
“Only good, actually. Other than the fact that you were an egotistical jackass that was addicted to pussy in your early twenties…”
There was a long pause before his playfulness returned. “I’m still addicted to pussy—yours.”
That shouldn’t sound romantic to me, but it did. “I can’t wait for you to be home. I don’t like it when you aren’t here.”
“Nothing could ever happen to you.”
“That’s not the only reason I want you home…” I just missed him, even when we were angry with each other. It was comfortable…it was safe.
“Baby, I’ll be there in the morning.” Now, he called me baby all the time, and it just fit, like a new pair of shoes that were already broken in. He only seemed to call me by my first name when he was angry with me.
“Alright…then I’ll let you go.”
“Send me some pictures.” He abruptly changed the subject, his voice deeper and full of command.
“What kinds of pictures?”
“Baby, you know.”
“Right now?” I asked incredulously.
“What else am I going to jerk off to?”
“Didn’t you bring your tablet?”
“I don’t want to look at that. I want to look at you. The sound of your voice…that’s all it takes.”
“I’ve never done that before…”
“Well, learn. Because I want a million pictures of you.”
It was late afternoon when his car pulled onto the property.
“I think he’s home.” I went into Damien’s room. “The gate just opened.”
He stepped out of the bathroom, just a towel wrapped around his waist. “I’ll see him in a little bit. I’m sure he wants to see you first.”
I headed downstairs to the main entryway, and by the time I got there, Hades was already speaking to Helena with his bag on the floor beside him. One of the servants took it away, probably to wash his dirty clothes and return the possessions he brought with him.
I was grateful to see him in one piece, without a scratch or a single bruise. I walked up to him and waited for him to finish giving his orders to Helena.
He finally turned and looked at me, and for whatever reason, he took nearly thirty seconds to really examine me. It was like he’d never seen me before, never took the time to study all the features of my face. His black wedding ring was on his left hand, and he walked toward me slowly with his gaze glued to mine.
Sometimes I hated this man, but most of the time, I didn’t know what to do without him. He’d become the most important person in my life, my closest friend. He was the man I confided in, the man who protected me, the man who always knew all the answers. The only family I had left was my mother, but now he was family too. “I’m glad you’re home.” I released the breath I’d been holding, feeling my entire body relax now that I knew he was home safe. After what happened to Damien, I never assumed he was untouchable.
“I can tell.” His hands gripped my hips, and he pulled us close together, his forehead resting against mine as he enveloped me with warm affection. His arm wrapped around my waist, and he pulled me in for a hug, making me feel delicate in his strong embrace. His lips moved to my forehead, and he kissed me gently.
I closed my eyes because the touch felt sincere. “Are you staying home the rest of the day?”
“No. I have stuff to do. Just wanted to see you before I left again.”
I couldn’t hide my disappointment. My fingers slackened on his body. “Do you have time to come upstairs for a second?” I hadn’t slept well with him gone. The bed felt like a hard ice cube, and I could never get comfortable. All the endorphins from sex lured me right to sleep, and without that usual hit, I couldn’t drift off.
A slight smile moved onto his lips. “I always have time for that.”
We passed Damien’s room and went to our bedroom. The door shut and the clothes came off quickly, dropping onto the floor like raindrops on the windowsill. He scooped me into his arms then laid me on the bed, his body rolling with mine until we were tangled around each other, two bodies made to slide together.