Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 73663 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73663 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
I got a peek below and I need more.
Her eyes meet mine as I drop to one knee next to her chair. I take her hand in mine, rubbing my fingertips along her knuckles. The touch of her skin sends a jolt down my arms. It’s incredible, my physical reactions to this girl, my sudden need for her. I’d walk out of this office right now and fuck her all day long if she asked me to. I’d lock the door and take her here for hours if she wanted.
But I have to be careful.
It’s one thing to want her body. A physical connection is a good thing, especially if we’re going to be making a baby together. And it will be nice having a woman I’m attracted to around the house.
That’s as far as I can let myself go. Sex and no more. I have too many responsibilities and too much relies on me to let my emotions get tangled up in a girl I barely know.
Maddie is a means to an end. I can enjoy that means—take my pleasure in her—but I can’t let myself get distracted.
“I’ll give you a reason,” I say quietly, forcing her to lean closer. Our lips are inches apart. She’s breathing fast, her lips parted, showing a hint of her white teeth. There’s a slight gap between the front two. “But you don’t need it. You already made up your mind.”
“You’re right. I just turned you down.”
“No, bella topo, that’s not it. You didn’t take the pill yesterday when you should have. You made your decision whether you realize it or not.”
“That’s not—” She starts, but stops herself, chewing her lip. “I didn’t know if I needed it. I was nervous and wasn’t feeling good. I thought maybe today would be better after work.”
“We both know those are excuses.”
“I don’t want to be pregnant.”
“I know you don’t, but what if you were? Then it would be so easy to be mine. You could tell yourself you don’t want this, you hate me, you’re not interested in being my wife, but since you’re already carrying my child, why not?”
“You’re wrong.”
“I’m not.” I reach out and touch her cheek. She sucks in a breath and nuzzles against my palm. Fuck, I love that small gesture. It’s so vulnerable and sexy all at once. “You want this. You’re just afraid.”
“You’re right, I’m afraid. Any rational woman would be terrified.”
“Tell me you won’t take the pill.”
“Renzo—”
“Promise me, Maddie. Promise you won’t.” My heart’s racing faster than it should. I’ve sat across from hardened criminals and negotiated drug and weapon deals. I’ve beaten men to death. I’ve shot, maimed, tortured, and worse. None of that ever made my heart race like this. “Say you promise.”
She closes her eyes. Beautiful, scared Maddie. I want to see every part of her—from her toes to her lips—until I’ve had my fill. Though I’m afraid I’ll never get enough.
“I promise,” she whispers, still not looking at me. “But that’s no guarantee. I might not be—”
I don’t let her finish.
I kiss her lips. She whimpers, startled, but soon she yields to my mouth. My tongue invades her lips, her teeth, presses against hers as her taste floods me. I bite down, suck her lip, making her gasp as my fist grips her hair. I kiss her slow, the mother of my future child. I kiss her hard, the woman I want to own, the girl I want to fuck. I have to keep things here, right here at this level and no deeper, but there’s an itch inside of me that I’ve never experienced before. An itch Maddie only makes worse.
We break apart. Her lips are pink and swollen. I’m breathing hard and it takes all my willpower not to spread her legs and make her come right here.
“Maddie Sorrento, will you be my wife?”
She looks at me as if the world’s about to end. “No,” she says, pushes me back, gets up, and runs from my office.
Leaving me still on my knees, not sure what the hell just happened.
Chapter 12
Maddie
Igather my things and get the heck out of the office.
I can’t stay. My thoughts and emotions are a mess, and if I let myself get anywhere near Renzo right now, I’m going to make a massive mistake.
That kiss was everything. The way he touched my hand, then my hair, the way he looked into my eyes, everything about it. That kiss was too much, too perfect, and if he had wanted to fuck me then and there in his office, I would’ve done it.
Which scares me.
I can’t get out of control. That’s not me. I’ve spent way too much time, effort, and energy keeping myself safe, and that man is definitely all danger. He’s the kind of person I need to avoid.
There are too many voices in my head, too many memories. The sound of rocks dropping down into a perfectly blue, utterly still lake. My screams echoing off steep walls. Firefighters, EMTs, the blaze of sirens, the gut-wrenching sobs of parents. Too many sounds, and all of them the ghosts that continue to define me, even when I’ve tried so hard to outrun them.