Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 106(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 106(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
She tilts her head back and focuses on some imaginary spot on the ceiling. “I have a hard time with men. Sex is simple. I can give up my body, but other parts of me? Well, that’s a different story.”
“Get up.” I lift her, and the food I ordered sloshes off the bed.
She grabs the open water bottle before it spills all over the thousand thread count sheets. “What? Why? Where are we going?”
“I am going to take a shower with the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, so if the reaper comes for me tonight, I’ll die a fortunate man.”
She rolls her eyes, but a giggle escapes her sexy, full lips. “You planning on offing yourself tonight?”
I shrug. “You never know.”
“Wait, I don’t have a cap, and I need my wrap. I can’t get my hair wet. I need things.”
I smile and point to the second bag that came with the food. “I got what you need. I’ll always get you what you need.”
She tilts her head, and her eyes narrow. Walking to the reusable bag sitting by the St. Andrew’s Cross, she peers inside. Her soft eyes glisten with moisture as she looks back at me, and her lips curve into a smile. “When did you get all this?” She pulls out a white silk pillowcase, a crimson silk bonnet, and a plastic shower cap.
I walk toward her, cupping her head in my hands, and place a gentle kiss on her forehead. “When I ordered the food.”
I wrap my fingers around hers, a simple act that means more to me than I could ever put into words. In all my thirty years, I’ve never held another woman’s hand except my mother's. She died when I was a child, but that’s a story for another time.
We move into the bathroom, and all I can focus on is Mia. How fuckin’ breathtaking she is, how strong, how beautiful, and how even if she doesn’t realize it yet, she’s mine.
My hand moves to her tight spaghetti strap top, and my fingers shake as I open the buttons.
“Wait,” she whispers, placing her hand on top of mine. “I’ll shower alone.”
“The fuck you will. I want to see every inch of this sexy body. I want to see that sexy stomach, explore it with my hands and tongue. You will not keep that from me.”
“It’s not that. It’s…” Her voice trails off.
I bend so she’s forced to look at me. “It’s what, Mia?”
She doesn’t answer me. I should be patient, but I grip the fabric at both ends and tear it open viciously. Time, space, and everything in between stops. Violent slashes crisscross her skin.
“Who did this to you?” I ask slowly, enunciating each word, making each syllable as clear as crystal.
She uses her hands to cover herself, and I let her. I grip her shoulders and turn her to see a carving in big, bold letters.
Robert’s bitch.
14
MIA
“Who’s Robert,” Alexie asks, his voice cold, void of any emotion but anger. The softness in his eyes is gone, replaced by venom.
I move away from him, one small step at a time, and he matches my stride until my back is against the cool wall.
“I asked you a question, Mia. Who the fuck is Robert?”
“My ex.”
“The same piece of shit who told you that you weren’t attractive?”
I nod as Alexie barrels out of the bathroom, muttering profanities under his breath. I chase after him and watch in horror as he tosses on his clothes. Grabbing the sheet off the bed, I wrap it around myself, desperately wanting to hide my shame and bring back the way he looked at me a moment ago.
He glares at me. “What are you doing?”
“I assume you’re disgusted by me. That you want nothing more to do with me?”
“After I kill the fucker, I’ll be back to spank your ass raw for that statement.”
“What do you mean?”
“I told you I was going to kill the motherfucker, but now? Now, I’m going to gut him like a fish.”
The sheet pools at my feet as I move frantically through the room, finding my discarded clothing and tossing them on haphazardly.
“What are you doing?” Alexie asks.
“I’m not standing for this. If you want to go around killing people, I’m not gonna be here when you come back.”
Before I can move, my back’s slammed against the wall and his fingers are wrapped around my throat. His voice is low and barely human, an animalistic growl. “You seem to be under the illusion I’m a good guy, Solnce. Far from it. I’m a living nightmare. You're sorely mistaken if you believe I’d let some man mark up my woman. If you expect to get a say in how I deal with a problem like that, you’re dead wrong. I’m going to kill the fucker, and afterward, I’m coming back to fuck you while I’m still covered in his blood.”