Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 86226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Finally, we pull away, leaving me breathless and aching for more. He looks into my eyes and strokes my cheek gently. My heart is pounding, and a warmth spreads through my body. The connection between us is undeniable, but I’m not sure we should continue.
What does it mean if we do?
What does it mean if we don’t?
“I should probably settle into my room,” I murmur, trying to regain my composure.
My words hang in the air between us, but he doesn’t move away. He leans in closer, his breath tickling my face. He brushes his lips against mine in a soft kiss, my skin burning at the contact.
He nods slowly, but his eyes never leave mine. He leans in and brushes another gentle kiss against my lips, sending a thrill through me. It’s only fleeting, but it’s enough to make my knees weak.
“Let me know if you need anything,” he whispers, barely an inch away from my mouth.
Reluctantly, I break away and head to the stairway as I try my best to ignore how this man behind me makes me feel.
Chapter
Ten
Ani
I’m back in the room. Alone. And I hate it.
Funny how different I am from Phoenix. He enjoys four walls and being alone. I, on the other hand, am regretting leaving the attic to return to my room. If it weren’t for me, I think Phoenix would have had me stay. But then what? What would happen?
Butterflies swarm in my belly, and I feel like a giddy school girl who has just had her first kiss. It’s as if I’m expecting angels to sing and the skies to part. I just kissed Phoenix Godwin.
If you would have told the starving, cold, poor girl on the Eastside of Heathens Hollow that I would someday be kissing a Godwin, I would have laughed. I don’t get fairytales. I’m not Cinderella.
After taking a deep breath, I try to shake off what happened. It was momentary. Impulsive. He and I had simply confessed some details about each other and were vulnerable and nothing more.
Nothing more.
I need to distract myself and remove the buzzing from my body, so I glance back toward the floorboards and decide a little reading from the journals can’t hurt. Anything to get my mind off the man only one floor above me.
I check the camera and for a second wonder if it’s a good idea. What if Phoenix is watching me? But then he said he would never lie, and I actually believe him. Ignoring the warning voice of caution, I open the hole back up. I’ve been thinking about Freya, and I need to keep reading.
Dear Diary,
It all began with a kiss. I see that now. I see how the darkness began…
I can still remember the taste of his lips on mine the first time we kissed. I can still see the way he looked at me when he first saw me across the room, looking like he was about to die for me.
I close my eyes and tilt my head up as he leans down. I can feel his lips on mine and the sweet sensation of his breath on my face. When I open my eyes, he’s staring at me, eyes searching for signs that I liked it.
The feeling that had just passed between us was foreign yet familiar. I knew that I had found something special in him, something that I never wanted to let go of.
But as the days went by, my feelings for him started to change. Our conversations became more tense, and his kisses felt forced. I tried to push away any thoughts of doubt, but it was becoming harder and harder to ignore.
Suddenly, one night I found myself walking along the edge of the cliff, my heart pounding and my feet heavy. I looked around, trying to remember how I had ended up here. And then I saw him in the shadows, his eyes glowing in the moonlight.
He reached out and grabbed my arm, pulling me closer. His grip was strong and unyielding, as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
I tried to scream, but he clamped his hand over my mouth. He leaned in close and claimed me as his.
I now can look back and see how Troy Godwin made me his. I see now how I never had a choice. He made it for me.
So why did I think I had a choice now to leave the marriage?
I don’t. I know this. I don’t.
He had taken my freedom away, taken my decisions away, and I felt like a puppet on a string. He was always lurking in the shadows, watching and waiting for me to make a mistake.
My days and nights were filled with fear and anxiety, and I knew that if I ever did try to escape his clutches, he would be there waiting. I was trapped in an endless cycle of darkness and despair, never knowing when or if I would ever find freedom.