Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 104127 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104127 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
“What? You’re joking, right? I just finally got dry, and it’s getting late.”
“I never joke. Naked. In the pool. Now.” His husky voice, full of want and need, has me springing into action. I slide my bikini bottoms down and untie my top before stepping back into the water.
It’s like swimming in a different world at night. The water is cool and dark, and it takes a moment for my eyes to adjust, but then when I begin to swim, the world falls away.
All that exists is the sound of my breathing and the feel of the water rushing past me.
The moon casts a mysterious glow over everything. It’s peaceful as I tread while I wait for him to get in.
A splash rings through the night, and I feel the ripple from Gideon’s body cutting through the water to get to me.
When his arms reach around me and tug me to his body, I can’t help but giggle.
In his grasp, he swims us toward the shallow end, where my feet can touch the ground.
“I like you like this.”
“Looking like a drowned rat?” I joke. “I’m sure it’s everything you wished for.”
“Naked and wet,” he clarifies. He continues to maneuver me around until he finally stops when my back hits the wall. “And like this.”
“Like what?” I question, but before I can, Gideon is lifting my body to sit on the edge of the ledge, tilting me back until I’m resting on my elbows. He spreads my legs, opening me to him.
His hands are on me first, fingers tweaking and twisting my nipples.
Goose bumps break out across my body as he touches me, bringing every part of me to life.
It’s not long before I’m panting, desperate for more of him, and he answers my silent pleas by parting my spread legs, stepping between them, and thrusting his cock into me.
The force of his movements takes my breath away.
“You’re mine.” He leans forward and growls in my ear as he begins to fuck me. The pool water sloshes over the edge from his movements.
I tremble at his words.
Not from fear but from how desperate I am for them to be true.
What would it be like to be Gideon’s?
To be consumed by him.
Our gazes lock, and his eyes darken with lust, daring me to object to his words, but that’s the thing he doesn’t realize—I don’t want to.
“Yes. Yours,” I answer, and my words urge him on.
Plunging deeper. Harder. Faster.
His hands are on my hips, holding me in place. He leans in closer, his mouth almost touching mine, and then he crosses the small space between us and fuses our lips together. I part for him, allowing his tongue to caress mine, fucking me the same way his cock does.
It’s too much.
Yet it’s not enough.
With Gideon…it never will be.
I know that now.
Getting out of the pool, I walk inside the large manor. It’s so big that it feels like my footsteps echo for minutes on end. Eventually, I find my way to my old bedroom, and just as Gideon said before I left him there in the water, there’s a box on the bed.
Seeing as I’m still wet, I head straight into the bathroom, strip off the towel I have wrapped around me, and step into the shower, letting the hot water wash away all the chlorine and salt. I scrub at my skin, trying to wash away the layer of film that’s collected on my body from the impromptu swim.
The scalding water washes over me. It’s so hot that it feels like needles prickling my skin, but strangely enough, I welcome the heat. Because as I stand here, I can’t help but feel like a princess in a fairy tale.
My heart is racing a hundred miles an hour.
What is this feeling weaving its way inside me?
I can feel the way my lips part, and I realize, for the first time in a long time, I’m truly happy. It reminds me of when I was a little girl. I must have been around six. My mom had told me that happiness was like a butterfly. It flits around, sometimes landing on your shoulder for a moment before soaring away again. It’s delicate and beautiful, and you can’t help but smile when you feel it.
In my case, happiness is Gideon. I shake my head at the thought.
How did this happen?
Better question, how did I get to this place where my enemy is now more?
Was he ever your enemy?
No. Not really.
I don’t even realize how long I’ve been in the shower until the water cools. I reluctantly step out of the shower, knowing I need to hurry. The steam hangs in the air like a cloud, cloaking me in its dense moisture.
A shiver works its way through my body. Thankfully, a fluffy towel hangs right next to the shower door, waiting for me.