Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 68576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
She licked her lips, then told me the story.
By the time she was done, my forehead was resting against hers, and I had this rage—this uncontrollable rage—that felt like it was choking me.
“Do you have any more scars from her?” I asked.
How had Sage hidden this side of herself for so long?
How had I missed the signs?
Even worse, that night that she’d run out of the woods, I’d all but given her the perfect story to use to get the kind of attention she sought.
What kind of person did that make me?
An accomplice?
All this time, I’d been falling into her illusions.
Meanwhile, there was Pepper, who’d been abused by Sage so many times, trying to make me see.
“Not ones you can see,” she admitted. “But inside? There are a whole lot.”
I gritted my teeth, my jaw working at the words.
She pressed both fingers into my jaw and massaged.
The softness of her fingers forced me to relax whether I wanted to or not.
“She’s in jail,” she told me. “And just sayin,’ but she has this sick condition. She will never say that she’s insane. She won’t admit it to herself. So there’s no doubt in my mind that the woman is going to be spending quite a bit of time in jail, thanks to you.”
I nuzzled her neck with my nose, and she widened her legs allowing my hips to fall between hers.
I growled, loving the feel of her body against mine.
It’d been a long few weeks.
At times, it felt like we’d never get to this moment.
Where I knew that we would make it.
But I felt the certainty in my soul.
“How do you feel about waiting for marriage?” I asked, feeling… nervous.
Nervous.
Me, a grown ass man, nervous?
She twisted, ending up on top of me before I could react.
“I think not,” she said. “I’ve been a very patient girl, and it’s time. I can tell.”
I grinned then. “Yeah?”
She bent down and kissed me. Only when we were both breathless did she say, “Yeah.”
“That’s what we were waiting for,” I teased.
Her shirt came off, followed by her bra. Moments later she was standing over me, and her pants came off, followed by her panties.
Then she was gesturing at me to get naked myself.
Unable to deny her anything, I was naked just as fast, and she was in my arms.
I rolled her, pinning her under me, and kissed her until we were once again breathless.
When I pulled away, her eyes were shimmering with unshed tears.
“What is it?” I asked, running a thumb underneath her eye.
She licked her lips before saying, “I just feel like this can’t possibly be my life.”
I shifted until my cock was at her entrance, then pushed inside.
She gasped, her back arching into me.
I moved slowly, keeping the pace so slow that I could stay in control, and said, “It’s real. This is real. I’m real. You and me are real. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Pepper Solomon.”
Her eyes widened.
“I know it’s not super romantic proposing like this, but I just can’t hide the way I feel from you anymore. And the only way you can know this is real is to realize how I feel about you when I ask,” I rasped. “Will you be my wife, Pepper? Will you marry me? Will you stay with me forever?”
Her fingers went to my cheeks, and she pulled my mouth down to hers. And right before our lips met, she whispered, “Yes.”
I was loathe to admit it, but I lost control at her words.
The moment the word left her lips, and her mouth met mine, my slow and steady love making went rough and intense.
I fucked her until I couldn’t breathe.
I left bruises on her ass when I held onto her.
I held her wrists above her head as I reared up and watched as I took her so hard that her tits jiggled and the bed jolted with my movements.
“Fuck,” I growled. “You feel so good.”
She squeezed me tight with her inner muscles, and I came.
Without her.
When I could think again, I pulled away and said, “I swear to Christ that’s not how the rest of our life will go.”
She winked. “Don’t worry, I fully expect you to make up for it in a few minutes.”
“You’re on.”
You know what? I’m just gonna say it. Sharks just aren’t eating enough people.
—Pepper’s secret thoughts
PEPPER
“Are you sure?”
I looked at the billionaire who’d offered me the world and nodded.
He was the only one I’d told of my plans, mostly because he was the one who was affected the most.
“I truly appreciate your thoughtful offer,” I promised. “But here’s the thing, I can’t do what I love while also working as hard as I think I’m going to be expected to work for you.”
“I don’t expect…” he started, but I was already shaking my head.