Total pages in book: 168
Estimated words: 153571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 768(@200wpm)___ 614(@250wpm)___ 512(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 153571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 768(@200wpm)___ 614(@250wpm)___ 512(@300wpm)
"Say that again," he breathes when I pull my hand from his mouth. His forehead tips down to rest against mine, his eyes blazing with heat. For a second, I'm not sure what he's talking about, and then he repeats his request, growling the words at me, and understanding dawns.
"I'm in love with you," I whisper, unable to hide the way my voice shakes.
He looks so confused, so hopeful…God, he wrecks me. Sometimes, he looks at me, and I have no idea what's going on in his mind. He's locked up so tight that trying to read him is like trying to read the moon. Other times, like right now, he's like a little boy when he looks at me, and everything he's feeling is right there on his face.
I love those times because they're just for me. I'm the only woman who gets to see him like this. I'm the only one who gets to see the real him. He lets me in because he wants me in there…and he wants only me to have this part of him.
"Christ," he says, exhaling a shaking breath. His eyes darken until he looks like a predator staring at me, ready to pounce. "I want to be inside you when you say those words to me."
I moan before I can stop myself. I want him inside me, fucking me while he demands to hear me say it over and over. I already know he will demand it because that's part of who he is too. He fucks me like he can't stop and kisses me like I'm the most important thing in the world to him. He says the filthiest shit and does things to my body that I've only ever read about. And the entire time, he demands more because he's greedy for it. Because he needs it. Because he knows I'll give it to him. I'll always give it to him.
God, I love him.
"I'm not fucking you," he says, cupping my cheeks in his big hands, a tender smile on his lips. "I want to, but you're in pain. I don't want to hurt you. I won't hurt you."
"I know." He won't even fuck me when he thinks I'm too sore from him being inside me. There's no way he'll fuck me when I spent half the afternoon in the emergency room. And honestly, as much as I want him, there's no way I can have sex when I feel precisely like I fell down a flight of stairs.
He chuckles at the petulance in my voice, brushing a kiss across my forehead and then across my lips. "I'm sorry I made you cry this morning," he says once he's tucked me back into his chest.
"Me too. I hate crying."
"I fucking hate seeing you cry," he grumbles. "Being the one who made you cry makes me feel like the biggest asshole. You're too beautiful to cry over me, baby."
"It's okay," I mumble.
"It's not okay."
He's right, so I don't argue with him.
"Do you really want me to come with you?" I can't help but ask again. He was so pissed off this morning; it's going to take a minute for me to wrap my head around his change of heart.
"Yes." His soft sigh sends pieces of my hair wafting around at the back of my head. His arms tighten around me before loosening again. "The thought of you anywhere near the people I deal with scares the fuck out of me, Mila. I don't like the guy I have to be when I deal with that shit. I feel fucking selfish for wanting you with me when I know what you're walking into and you don't. I've never been in love before. This is all new to me. It's going to take time to wrap my mind around it. That's what this morning was about. It had nothing to do with me not wanting you, got it?"
"Got it," I mumble, yawning.
"You should sleep." He lets me go long enough to pull the blankets up over me, making sure I'm tucked in before he gently pulls me back into his chest. "We can talk about this shit later."
"Will you stay with me?" I ask. My eyes feel too heavy to hold them open any longer, but I don't want to let him go.
"I'm not going anywhere, baby," he promises, heat in his voice.
"Thank you," I mumble, and then I'm out.
Chapter Sixteen
Mila
"Are you sure you're okay?" Tahani asks me, worry evident in her voice.
Even though she's hours away, I can just imagine her standing there with her hand on her hip, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as she stares at me, scrutinizing me to make sure I'm telling her the truth. She's tiny compared to her father, but they're so much alike. They both like to hover and fuss.