Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83772 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83772 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
I finished, but my dick was still rock hard, still ready to please my woman. “I love you too, sweetheart.” I started to rock again, and she was already moaning like she was ready for another load as soon as she’d gotten the first.
Chapter 19
Astrid
Theo opened the car door for me, and I hopped inside.
I watched him walk around the Range Rover, built with the same strength as the bulletproof vehicle he drove around town. After he started the engine and left his property, he moved his hand to my thigh so casually, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
The moment felt like a dream, the two of us together out in the open, free of the past and optimistic about the future. It was the first time I’d really felt like his, and he felt like mine. My fingers moved between his, and I locked our fingers together.
He continued to drive with one hand on the wheel, calm when we sat in traffic, like he wasn’t in a rush. He didn’t tell me where we were headed. Just ordered me to get in the car. We could be going to lunch or going on a trip…it could be anything.
He left the outskirts of the city and drove a short distance into the countryside. I knew where he was headed when I saw the stone spires through the iron fence, when I felt the solemn quiet through the windows. He pulled through the gates then drove down the dirt road until he parked off to the side.
A cemetery.
The same cemetery where my parents were buried.
He got out of the car first, and it took me a moment before I had the courage to follow. When he came around to my side, he grabbed my hand and walked me up the path to where a fresh gravestone sat.
I could tell it was new because the engraving was so clear.
I read his name in the stone along with his birth date and his death day.
Bolton Mathias.
Sorrow burned as it traveled down my throat. Remorse. Regret. Relief. All of it at the same time.
Theo gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “In case you ever want to visit.”
I continued to stare at the tombstone. Noticed the way the dirt looked newly compacted, like he’d just been buried in the last few days. “You did this…”
“I want you to have the closure I’ve never had.”
My relationship with Bolton had been glorious at the start. Spontaneous and romantic, and despite the way it ended, I knew he’d loved me deeply at one point. And I him. But it was hard to feel the loss after everything he’d done, the way he’d hurt me, the way he’d ripped my life apart. But I supposed there would always be a part of me that cared for him. “Theo…I don’t know what to say.”
“I never know what to say either.” He turned to me and kissed my hairline before he headed back to the Range Rover. “Take all the time you need.”
I felt cold when he was gone, even as I stood in the hot sun. I’d never forget the way Bolton’s blood splattered on me and the walls. The way my finger squeezed the trigger like my life depended on it. The way a chunk of his face flew off and hit the wall with a loud smack. It would haunt me for the rest of my life.
I hated what I’d done, but I hated him more for making me do it. “I’m sorry.”
Theo had been home with me for a couple days. The only time he wasn’t around was when he lifted in the gym, so I took that opportunity to call Axel.
He answered quickly. “Decided to come up for air, huh?”
I smirked at the question because our nights had burned white-hot. No amount of soreness could quench my desire. No amount of Theo could prompt fatigue. It was like an addiction, and the more I had, the more I wanted. “Just for a second.”
“Attagirl. So what can I do for you?”
“I feel so terrible for asking after everything you’ve done, but I wanted to know if you could help me with something.”
His carefree attitude disappeared. “Astrid, I’ve got your back for life. Tell me what you need.”
I’d been married to Bolton for years, and I never had this closeness with his brother. His brother tolerated me, but I never felt a sense of loyalty from him. And Theo and Axel weren’t even related. “You’re sweet.”
“He’s my boy. So, what’s up?”
“He took me to the cemetery where he buried Bolton.”
“Yeah, he mentioned that.”
“I didn’t expect Theo to honor him like that, not after what Bolton did.”
“I don’t think Theo did it for him, Astrid.”
He did it for me. “I want him to have the same.”