Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50689 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50689 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
“Uh, hey,” she says, looking up at me.
I try to calm myself, but it’s impossible. Through gritted teeth, I ask her, “Did you forget you were married, Mrs. Blaze?”
She scrunches up her nose. “What? Of course not.”
“I would appreciate it if you didn’t grind on other men.”
She stops dancing. She’s mad. I’ve never seen her look so mad. “I wasn’t grinding–”
I interrupt her. I’m angry too, and I don’t know how to deal with it. I’ve never been the jealous type, but tonight I’m filled with it. “You’re mine, Bella.” I catch myself because I know I’m saying too much. “I mean, as long as we’re married, you’re mine.”
She puts one hand on her shapely hip. “I know that, Lucas. It’s not me you have to worry about cheating.” She lifts her hand up and pokes me in the chest with her finger. “Maybe instead of pointing fingers, you should look in the mirror.”
I grab her hand and hold it against my chest. “Me! Let me explain something to you. I don’t cheat.”
She laughs, literally laughs in my face. “Right.”
She wants to say more, but she doesn’t, and I lean down to look in her eyes. There’s a mixture of every emotion in there, and I don’t know what the hell to do with it. “No, tell me what you meant by that statement look in the mirror. You think I’ve cheated on you?”
She looks around the room, and we are getting stares from people. I see that Dwayne has made his way to the dance floor, and he and Carlotta are dancing. Carlotta is giving me dirty looks, so I can only image what Bella’s told her.
Bella looks up at me. “Either start dancing or walk me off the dance floor, Lucas. If you don’t, we’ll be the talk of the night, and your grandmother will hear about it by morning.”
Fuck! That’s one negative about being a Blaze and living in a small town. Everyone’s in your business. I start to sway back and forth and tuck her against my chest. I may be dancing, but this isn’t over. I lean down and whisper to her, “Bella, honey, I know I fucked up. I really thought there was a problem with an account today. But when I got to the office, there were all kinds of things that needed done. You know how I am when it comes to work.”
She nods and finally lifts her eyes. “Right. Honestly, it’s none of my business, Lucas. All I’m saying is that if you’re going to... ya know, you may want to be more discreet is all. I mean, going to work on a Sunday with your assistant the day after you get married... I’m just saying it’s not a good look for you. For me. For us. I mean, I know this marriage is a farce, but-”
I bring my hands up to each side of her face and tilt her head. When her eyes are locked on mine, I tell her, “I don’t cheat, and I sure as hell wouldn’t cheat on you.” I can see the hurt in her eyes. “Talk to me... there’s more.”
She juts her chin at me. “Every boyfriend I’ve had has cheated on me, Lucas. I just don’t want you to. I know I have no control over what you do, and it’s stupid of me to even feel this way.”
When I proposed marriage to her, I wasn’t ready for all these emotions that I’m feeling and I don’t know what to do with. But this right here, I can take care of her insecurity. “Well, they’re dumbasses, Bella. I wouldn’t do that to you. I haven’t even looked at another woman since we decided to do this.” I blow out a breath, and my body trembles. “Honestly, I wasn’t prepared to be jealous and feel like I need to claim you right in the middle of a bar.”
She stutters over the words. “Claim me?”
I nod as I run my thumb over her lip. “Yeah, honey, claim you. Let all these men know you’re mine.”
I can’t take it anymore, all this back and forth. I can still feel the pit in my stomach from when that man was flirting with her, and the only way I know how to deal with it is to make sure every motherfucker in here knows she’s mine. I press my lips onto hers and savor the feel of her against me. I think the music has changed, and I can feel people jostling around us, but I don’t let Bella go. I kiss her thoroughly, wanting her to not have any doubt that there’s no way I’ll be cheating on her. She pushes herself flush against my body, and I know she can feel the swell of my cock against her belly. I want to touch her everywhere, but instead, I pull back and look at her swollen lips. She starts to step back, but I put my hand on her lower back to keep her right where she’s at. My voice is gruff. “If you step back right now, the whole damn town is going to know exactly what I want to do to you right now.”