Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 138522 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138522 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
I catch her arm and turn her around to me. “You’re comparing me to him now? Because I want to protect you?”
“Protecting me doesn’t mean making my decisions. And if I get owned, I want it to be in bed, not like this.”
I pull her to me. “I’m not trying to own you. That’s not what I want. Except in bed. I do want to own you in bed.”
“You already do,” she whispers, “but isn’t that the problem? You think because I submit there that I will submit anywhere?”
“No. No, Abbie.” I scrub my jaw and cut my stare before I look at her and offer a reluctant explanation. “I’m not good at relationships for reasons that we don’t have time for right now. I’m fucked up and ten shades of trouble, but damn it, I’m all in with you. Be all in with me.”
“I told you I am, but then you—you did that. You should have talked to me.”
“I really believe that what I just did was good for you.”
“He’s brutal, Gabe. He will come after you and me ten times harder now.”
“He won’t.”
“He will,” she insists. “He will. That was a cock fight and in case you didn’t know, he’s five-foot-nine with a short man’s complex, and he flexes with his money and his power.”
“I have more money than you think I have. More than he knows I have, which is in our favor.”
“Gabe,” She grabs my lapels. “What part of this do you not get? He scares me. He should scare you.”
“He doesn’t scare me and he won’t scare you when I’m done with him.”
“Do you remember when I told you that he told me Jean Claude had people killed for crossing him? Money and power aren’t going to help you or us if we’re dead.”
“I’m my father’s son. No one is going to kill me or you.”
“That’s it. We’re broken up. The end. You and I are no more.” She tries to pull away again.
I mold her close. “We’re not over.”
“You don’t get to make that decision. I’m part of the us. I’m part of the we.”
I drop Dexter’s leash and step on it and then cup her head. “I’m going to have to kiss you now.”
“Fine. Kiss me goodbye.”
“Does this taste like goodbye?” I demand, my lips closing down on hers, my tongue stroking deeply into her mouth, my desire for this woman, my need for her, burning through me, and lacing that kiss. “Does it?” I demand when my lips part hers.
“I will not let you get yourself killed,” she says, “so yes, it’s goodbye.”
I kiss her again and this time I mold her close, my hand on her back, fingers splaying between her shoulder blades, my mouth devouring her until once again I demand, “Is that goodbye?”
She breathes out and whispers. “Next time ask me before you do anything like that.”
“Next time I’ll ask.”
“And you only get to own me—”
“If an orgasm is involved,” I supply. “I can live with that.” I stroke her cheek. “I don’t want to own you, Abbie. I want so much more.” I stroke her cheek. “Let’s go get that burger.”
“Yes. Let’s.”
We turn toward the steps and Dexter whines and lifts his paw. We both laugh and give him attention before we head out to our ride where it waits. Once Dexter is back in the front seat with our driver and we’re in the back, I pull Abbie close. Her fear of her ex worries me. Her fear of murder downright sends a chill down my spine, and with good reason. With what I know that Abbie doesn’t is that my father and Jean Claude, her ex’s partner at least in some portions of business, have something in common. And that something is murder.
Chapter thirty-two
Abbie
We’re about to leave Gabe’s house when I laugh and turn to Gabe. “Wait. We were supposed to leave Dexter behind.”
He laughs. “So we were.” He scrubs his jaw. “I do believe we have a lot on our minds. I’ll take him back inside.”
Dexter is not pleased with this news, and whines when Gabe tries to get him out of the vehicle, but he gives in and heads inside like a good boy.
Gabe follows him inside the house, and I stare down at the message from my asshole of an ex. He was threatening Gabe and Gabe didn’t blink, in fact, he baited him. He asked for trouble. I know Gabe knows Kenneth is a bad man. I know he knows Jean Claude is a bad man. So why push the limits? Because he knows Jean Claude and certainly he knows his father. No matter what odds he might be at with his father, he’s still his son. They are still parent and child. Gabe isn’t operating blindly or without resources. That’s why I came to his firm. I knew that. I know that now.