Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 112567 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 563(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112567 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 563(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
Why is this so. . .good?
Speechless, I lay there with my eyes wide open and my lips parted.
I felt so fucking alive.
So. . .filled with bliss.
Tons of questions spun around in my head.
Is it just that I came? Is it her skills with the blow job? Why is my head spinning and my heart buzzing and adrenaline spiking through my veins?
And then more questions continued to spill in.
Why is my soul on fire? Why are my eyes watering and I want to cry, when I’m happy and not anywhere near sad?
And then the crazier question came.
What is different with Monique, compared to my harem and even Chanel? Oh no. Chanel. . .did she see??
Guilt tore through me.
Still, I held Monique even closer.
Soft snores left her, and I lovingly slipped my hands along the side of her face, enjoying the silky texture of her skin.
I tried to push the guilt away, but it continued to rise, not letting me ignore it.
But. . .wouldn’t. . .Chanel want me to be happy?
When Chanel left, I was devastated. She had been my everything, my sun and stars, my heart’s anchor. Her absence left an echo of void in my life that resonated with every beat of my heart. The sound of silence was deafening.
Then, I met Monique.
She was different, a gust of fresh wind in the stale air of my existence, a radiant beacon cutting through the gloom of my sorrow. Her laughter was infectious, her spirit magnetic.
And before I knew it. . .I was finding myself drawn to her.
However, to enjoy this moment. . .it felt wrong, yet so right.
And isn’t too soon? Chanel’s body isn’t even the ground.
I swallowed, unsure of what to do.
So. . .I simply relished in Monique’s warm, soft body against mine and listened to the melody of her slumber.
That is, until I heard the loud clearing of a throat outside our tent.
Who is that?
I frowned.
The sound came again.
The man cleared his throat with a deep, unnerving rumble.
What the fuck?
Someone was definitely trying to get my attention, but did not want to officially wake me.
Well. . .at least they gave us some time for me to enjoy myself.
Slowly, I slipped away from Monique and got up, grabbing an extra blanket to wrap around my waist before making my way outside. All of my muscles ached, and I wasn’t sure if it was from the sparring earlier or the orgasm that Monique had given me.
I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to return some sense of my Mountain Master stature. Unfortunately, Monique had reduced me to a mere mortal man.
Here we go.
Barefoot, I stepped out into the crisp mountain air.
The sharp scent of pine filled my nostrils.
Cool grass smoothed beneath my feet.
There, Duck stood several feet in front of me.
And to my shock, he was this dark, imposing figure silhouetted against the majestic backdrop of the mountain range. His usually carefree expression had been replaced by a contemplative one, and his eyes held a distant look. Small white bandages dotted his forehead and right cheek, probably to cover new stiches.
To my surprise, Duck didn’t say anything else. Instead, he watched me in this haunting silence.
Did he lose his mind in that fight with Rowe Street Mob?
It was odd for my cousin who usually had a joke or two to deliver, even when he was in trouble.
I studied him.
In his hands, he clutched two small bundles of fabric, and I realized it was my and Monique’s clothes from when we made the spontaneous decision to skinny dip.
How long has he been out here?
Even odder, Duck didn’t approach me as he typically would have. He didn’t make his way towards me with his usual easygoing stride, didn’t break the stillness with his rich, warm laughter.
He just stood there, holding the clothes as if they were pieces of a puzzle he was trying to solve.
I studied his face and saw something that I hadn’t expected. The line of his jaw was tense. His lips pressed into a thin line, and his gaze was intense, filled with an emotion that took me a moment to identify.
Is that annoyance?
Pain?
Jealousy?
He looked down at the clothes, sighed, then his eyes shifted from the clothes in his hands to the blanket wrapped around my waist.
The intensity of his gaze held a silent question.
Only Chen and Duck had the ability to do this. No other person in the Four Aces would get this much patience from me.
Clenching my jaw, I crossed my arms over my chest. “Do you have something to say?”
Duck nodded.
“Then, say it.”
He sneered. “You have a harem.”
“I know I do.”
“If you need sex, then go to them.”
Rage rose within me. I leaned my head to the side. “Is that my only option?”
His stare wasn’t accusatory, but there was a certain pain in his gaze—a pain that made me uncomfortable. “Monique deserves better than to be a temporary placeholder for Chanel.”