Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
But that wasn’t reality.
He was my enemy, the man holding my brother’s life hostage as well as my own. Despite my attraction, I would never forget what my objective was. Sometimes his kiss softened my resolve. Sometimes I felt safe when he protected me. Sometimes I was grateful he was sleeping beside me at night.
But that didn’t change anything.
I stepped into the shower behind him and closed the door. The walls were made of glass, and the space was big enough to fit four people. He must have heard the door but didn’t give any indication that he knew I was behind him.
My hands reached his lower back, and I slowly slid up the grooves of muscle until I reached his shoulder blades. My fingertips pressed lightly into the skin, giving him affection without digging my claws into him.
He stayed under the shower and didn’t move, as if I weren’t there at all.
I pressed a kiss between his shoulder blades, tasting the drops of water that fell from his hair.
He turned his head slightly, at last giving me a reaction.
My arms circled his waist, and I rested my head against his back, standing under the water with him. I felt his strong heartbeat against my palm, noticing it was still beating hard even though he’d been in the shower for several minutes.
He finally turned around, giving me the attention I silently commanded. His powerful arms circled my body and rested in the steep curve of my back. With wet hair and drops of water all over his body, he looked even sexier than he did when he was sweaty just moments ago. “You doing okay?”
Maybe my presence snapped him out of his bad mood. He seemed to be somewhere else as soon as we were finished, something weighing heavily on his mind. “Yeah…it hurt at first, but it got better as we went along.”
He gripped my cheeks and massaged them. “It always hurts the first time. But it gets better with practice.”
“I hope so.”
“That was your first time, I take it?”
Was that not obvious enough? “Yes.”
His eyes smoldered in delight. “Good.”
“Good?” I asked, my attitude coming out.
“I wanted to be your first something.”
“Well, you’re the first man to kidnap me,” I teased. “That’s gotta count for something.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I suppose it does.” He dropped his hands from my waist then grabbed a bar of soap. He wiped himself down and washed his dick. He was semihard, probably because he just squeezed my ass with his palms.
I squirted the shampoo into my hands and massaged it into my scalp. “Did you have a bad phone call?”
He stilled at the question, the bar of soap pressed to his chest. It took him a second to recover before he continued scrubbing himself. “Why do you ask?”
“As soon as you walked into the room, you were in a different mood.”
“I wanted to fuck you in the ass before lunchtime.”
“That’s not what I meant. As soon as we were finished, you were different. Like something is on your mind…” I knew better than to outright ask him what I wanted to know. He didn’t share his secrets with me, and if I pushed him, he would only push back harder. If I ever wanted something from him, I had to manipulate him.
He looked down at me with a stern expression, clearly having no intention of answering me.
I shouldn’t be surprised. I tilted my head under the water and rinsed the shampoo out of my hair. I’d already showered that day and I didn’t need to wash my hair again, but I needed an excuse to stay under the water. I wanted this conversation to keep going, to continue bringing us closer together. “It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it. But just remember, I’m your closest confidant in the world. There’s no one I can share your secrets with. I’m always here for you if you need someone.”
“Why would you be there for me when I haven’t been there for you?” He stepped closer to me until his head was under the water again.
If I were too nice to him, he would know I was full of shit. Crewe wasn’t stupid. In fact, he was calculating, cruel, and a genius. Everything he touched turned to gold. He had wealth, power, and supernatural intelligence. A man like that wouldn’t have his position unless he was doing something right.
“You have been there for me.”
“In what way?” he asked. “You just pointed out that I kidnapped you, drugged you and stole you from your warm bed.” His mocha colored eyes had a darker appearance now that his mood had been tested.
“You didn’t sell me to Bones.” It was the most compassionate decision he ever made, to go back on his word to spare me the unbearable pain of slavery. He called me his slave now, but I didn’t honestly feel like one. I always had the power to say no, something I truly valued. I always had a voice, an opinion. I got to eat when I was hungry. I got to sleep when I was tired. I knew Vanessa had it much differently than I did.