Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 124140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 621(@200wpm)___ 497(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 621(@200wpm)___ 497(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
“Catarina Pérez, I adore you, I cherish you, I love you. I want to spend my life with you. And I want everyone to know you’re mine. Because no fucker is allowed to touch you but me.”
She gasped as he slid the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly.
“There. I feel so much better now.”
“Wh-what?”
“Now that the world can see my claim on you.”
“Alejandro!”
“What?”
“Aren’t you forgetting some important words?”
“I told you I love you, didn’t I?”
“Not that! I mean . . . you’re supposed to ask me to marry me.”
“Asking implies there’s a choice. You already belong to me. Now, everyone will know that you are mine.”
She couldn’t argue with that.
EPILOGUE
Two months later . . .
“You’re going to break your fool neck,” Bernard told her.
“You could try to sound a little less gleeful about that possibility, Doomy,” she replied sarcastically.
“I’m only worried because Mr. De Leon might blame me,” he told her as they secured the silks to a railing.
“He’s not going to blame you. And he won’t be home for a while. Plus, I’m being very safety conscious. Look, I set up some mattresses underneath.” She’d dragged out two mattresses, just in case. Although she wouldn’t go too high.
Running down the stairs, she grabbed onto the silks and tugged, using her whole weight to make sure they were secure.
Good.
“Go.” She shooed Bernard, and he walked down the stairs, getting into the elevator.
Right. Time to test these out a bit.
On top of being overly protective as usual, Alejandro had been really busy lately and kind of secretive.
Cat hated being kept in the dark. She understood she couldn’t always know what was going on with his work. But he was bringing it home more often than he usually did, taking calls when they were having Papi and Pequeña time.
And she didn’t like it.
Not that she was doing this to get his attention or anything. Well, that wasn’t the only reason. She’d always wanted to try the silks. She bet she was going to be amazing at them.
Cat was going to be sick.
News flash. She was not amazingly good on the silks.
She was total crap.
How had she never realized that she was scared of heights? She’d been fine in the tree house that they’d had at the Camp. But that had never felt as precarious as swinging fifty feet in the air.
Okay, maybe not fifty feet.
But it sure as hell felt like it. She whimpered as she found herself rocking around in the air. She couldn’t hold on much longer. She was sweating, her hands getting slippery.
She glanced down, then whimpered again as nausea bubbled in her tummy. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t move, but she also couldn’t stay here.
She closed her eyes, concentrating on her breathing.
“What the fuck do you think you are doing?”
The roar was pure fury. Her dragon was here. She let out a sob. She wasn’t scared anymore . . . all right, she was still a bit scared.
But Alejandro was here now. He’d keep her safe.
“Get down from there!” he yelled.
She wanted to open her eyes and look at him, but she just couldn’t.
“Oh my God, Cat!” a familiar voice cried.
She forced herself to look down, gasping as she saw all the people looking up at her.
“Immy! Guys! What are you all doing here?”
“Looks like we’re here just in time to watch you crack your head open on the floor,” Sampson barked. “Fucking hell. What are you doing?”
“Oh, just hanging out, having a cup of tea with the King of England. What does it look like I’m doing,” she snapped.
“Someone help her,” Immy cried.
“I’m okay, Immy,” she said reassuringly. “Close to puking up my breakfast but A-Okay.”
“Get down. Immediately,” Alejandro snapped.
“I don’t think she can, Boss,” The Scot said. “Can you, Little Queen?”
“I might be a bit stuck.”
Alejandro started swearing in Spanish while Sampson ordered Abe and Jenner to climb the stairs and hold on to the silks from the top.
“Preciosa, I need you to listen to me, okay?”
“I don’t think I can.”
“You can,” he reassured her. “I’m right here. So are your friends. And we’re going to help you. All right?”
“All right,” she said in a voice that trembled.
“Now, I need you to lower yourself down. Slowly.”
“I can’t! I’m too scared!”
“How do we get her down if she won’t move?” Isaiah asked.
“I’m going to have to go up,” Alejandro said. “You three stay down here. I’ll climb up until I’m close to her, guide her down.”
“Can you climb silks?” The Scot asked.
“It’s either that or we pull her up to the top of the stairs.”
She whimpered. No. She didn’t want that.
And she also wasn’t certain she could hold on much longer. The silks slid between her hands, and she screamed as she slipped down.
“Grab hold!” Alejandro yelled at her.
She tightened her hold, stilling the movement.
“Wrap your foot up in the slack,” he told her. “It will steady you.”