Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73963 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73963 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
A frustrated groan comes tearing out of me. “Slade, just tell me what’s up.”
“It’s something that Lucien said the other night.”
I lean back as my brows shoot up into my hairline. Shock rocks through me. I was expecting a few things but definitely not that. Cautiously, I study his features and get this over and done with. “Go on…”
“He said you had a wedding to attend, but I got the feeling he meant something more.”
Fuck.
I take hold of his shoulders as I try to work out how to explain this. “You’re not going to like it,” I warn him, trying to imagine how he’s going to react to this bullshit.
“Straight up, babe. Hit me with it.”
I let out a heavy sigh, preparing myself to hit him with yet another secret from my past. “I’m sure you wouldn’t be surprised to find that Lucien doesn’t exactly do things by the law when it comes to his business deals.”
Slade nods, already on board but his brows are drawn, confused as to why Lucien’s business deals would have anything to do with a wedding. I see the thoughts and guesses practically flying through his head but there’s no way in hell he’d be able to guess this one.
I take his hand as he places it on my thigh, unsure how he’s going to take this. “So, Lucien made a business deal with one of his partners, Marcus Mahony…actually, you could call it more of a purchase…”
Slade’s eyes bounce back and forth between mine. I see him physically trying to hold himself back from yelling at me to hurry up and get it out, but it’s not one of those things you can just rip off like a band-aid.
“Babe,” he whispers, threading his fingers through mine, clearly able to see how hard this is. “What was the deal?”
I swallow back fear as I remind myself that no matter what, this man standing before me loves me. I can tell him these horrors from my past and know that he’s going to stand by my side every step of the way.
I let out a shaky breath. “The deal was, that Lucien gets a shitload of money, and on my eighteenth birthday, Marcus gets a bride.”
Slade’s hand tightens in mine and I meet his eyes but I don’t think he actually sees me. He’s far away and hell, I don’t even hear him breathing right now.
He tears his hand from mine and throws himself away, instantly fuming. He begins pacing, hands at his temples and shaking his head. “What the fuck, Skylah?” he demands. “What kind of fucked up bullshit is that?”
“Tell me about it.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” he continues as though I hadn’t said a damn word. “What was he expecting? He was going to roll in his cash, completely forgetting about you while you slept in a strange man’s bed and were most likely raped every fucking night?”
I meet his eyes and I don’t need to say a word. He knows he’s right.
“It’s supposed to be the wedding of the fucking year,” I grumble under my breath, the sarcasm thick in my tone.
“I don’t give a fuck,” he demands, stepping back into me and pulling me in tight against his warm chest. “What did your…Maria say about all of this?”
I nuzzle my face into his shirt. “She couldn’t have been more thrilled. The night I ran…the night her husband was forcing himself on me, she was too busy meeting with the wedding planner to realize that anything was going on. Not that she’d ever do anything to stop it.”
“So, she wouldn’t give a shit if this Marcus hurt you?”
I shake my head. “She didn’t when I was fourteen so I highly doubt she would when I was of age.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
My eyes drop away, too ashamed. “Didn’t you know that women were placed on this earth to please their man and Marcus was considered mine at fourteen. Whatever he wanted, he got from me. I guess I was lucky that Lucien included my virginity as part of the deal.”
Slade’s eyes blaze with fury. “Fuck, Skylah. I thought Lucien hurt you just that once. Are you telling me this shit started when you were just fourteen?”
I nod and he sucks in a sharp breath, turning around and clutching onto the counter as he tries to control himself. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I should have told you about that earlier but it’s not exactly the easiest thing to talk about.”
His head hangs between his shoulders for a brief moment before I’m back in his arms and his face is nuzzled into the base of my neck. “You never have to be sorry about that shit, Virago. I’ve got you, from now on, you make the decisions that affect you. No one else. Not me, not Lucien, not fucking Marcus. Only you get that power.”