Total pages in book: 206
Estimated words: 192184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 961(@200wpm)___ 769(@250wpm)___ 641(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 192184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 961(@200wpm)___ 769(@250wpm)___ 641(@300wpm)
I felt guilt underneath desire, but there was something so hot about that little game. He liked games, as I could tell from the start, and I was figuring out that maybe if I played along, they weren’t so scary; they were just games.
“You little vixen,” he murmured against my ear and then bit my earlobe, “You don’t tell me when to come.”
“Really? Then how come I just did?” I whispered against his pectoral, and he slapped my ass hard.
For a split-second I thought I was in big trouble, but then caught the smile on his face and the twinkle in his eyes. I had a face-splitting grin on my face that I couldn’t hide. I looked up at him and he rubbed my bottom where he’d just spanked me. He was looking at me so tenderly I thought my heart might burst.
After what felt like forever, locked in one another’s gaze, he rolled onto his back a few inches away from me, still looking at me, though now his expression was unreadable. I flushed under his scrutiny.
He looked up at the ceiling, finally, and I studied the black tribal tattoo pattern that worked its way from his wrist up to his shoulder. Points, curls, swirls. I looked back at his face. His eyes were still fixed on the ceiling.
“What’s on your mind?” I asked.
“They tried to take you from me and I had to make them pay. They paid. Anyone who tries to take you from me will pay.” He was silent for a moment. I snuggled into him, chewing my cheek, and started to trace the patterns on his shoulder with my finger.
Then he continued. “You need to know that life with me won’t be all ice cream with a cherry on top and walks on the beach at sunset. It can’t be. You need to know that sometimes you’re gonna hate my guts because of my need to control everything and because I might take my frustrations out on you in here.”
I let out a long slow breath.
He went on, “I’m depraved, Tia, and I have a bad temper. I want to own you and control you and I wanted that the minute I was told it was mine, but now that you are, you surprised me; I surprised me. I want to make you feel good, too, make you feel safe with me, safe enough to give yourself to me, to wanna be mine. I’ve never wanted that. I want it so much.”
“I feel safe right now and you just made me feel very good,” I whispered, my admission sending chills across my whole body.
He gave me a squeeze.
“I know you didn’t choose this, but I can’t give you up. I won’t. Don’t ever, ever ask me to. After things settle down, I’ll give you everything, give you a life you’ll want, but with me. But baby, you have to take all of me and there are parts of me you won’t want. Know that other than that, I’ll give you everything you want, everything. Everything except freedom from me.”
Wow. It was beautiful and awful and fucked up all at the same time. Kind of like him. I was speechless.
He leaned over me, looking at my face, seeing that I was absorbing what he was saying to me. He looked like he wanted me to say something, or like he wanted to say more, I wasn’t sure.
Finally, he said, “I have to go. I have to deal with the fall out of Mexico and everything else. Please be a good girl; don’t give me any extra stress today. I need to deal with this and then tomorrow I’ll take the day for us and we’ll go do something together, okay? I have a special place I wanna take you.” He tucked hair behind my ear.
I poked the tip of his nose. “You don’t have to worry about me getting into any trouble. I don’t think I can even walk after that, super-fast…” I thrust my fist into the air the way that he’d done before we had sex “thing that took at least an hour there.”
He laughed a hearty big-smiled laugh that made him so beautiful to behold I felt it in my stomach like a little pang of something between butterflies and pain. I gently tapped his cheek with my palm and closed my eyes and yawned.
“Hmm, now I know what I’ve gotta do daily to keep my girl in line. Good to know. I’ll bring you some coffee and food since I’ve rendered you crippled and then I‘ve gotta go. Take a long bath and soak those muscles, sweet baby girl. I’ll be back for more later and I can guarantee I won’t be as quick as this time.” He winked again, squeezed my rear end lightly, and got out of bed.