Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 155903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 780(@200wpm)___ 624(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 780(@200wpm)___ 624(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
His phone beeped, and he reached over to grab it.
A giggle escaped her at a funny part of the movie. And he kissed the top of her head while he replied to the text.
This was a moment she’d never thought she’d have with Reuben. A quiet, peaceful, normal moment.
He was always so busy. She didn’t think he was the type to lie down and watch a movie. Not when he could be plotting to overtake the world.
“Cat is going to come visit while I go to my meeting.”
“What? Really? She doesn’t have to do that.”
“She wants to come over,” Reuben told her. “She’s bringing your shoes and the coat.”
Oh. She’d forgotten about that.
As they watched the movie, she found herself relaxing. It wasn’t enough to fully erase what had happened last night.
That would take longer. But every bit of time she spent with Reuben helped. It brought back a sense of safety.
But there was something she couldn’t stop thinking about, wondering over.
“What’s happening with Eric?” she finally asked.
“He’s at his home. You don’t need to think about him.”
“Reuben,” she said in a low voice.
He lifted her so she was lying on top of him. She braced her hands on the sofa, lifting herself up.
“Yes?” he asked.
“I know you.”
“Do you just?” His gaze went to her lips. “How well do you know me, baby?”
“Well enough to know that you’re not going to just let this go.”
“Let what go?”
“Reuben.” She lightly slapped his chest. “He touched me. He was going to strangle me.”
Something glinted in his dark eyes. “Yes.”
“You won’t let him get away with that.”
Suddenly, he sat up and her legs went to either side of his lap.
“You’re right. I won’t. He has to pay.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Ruin. His. Life.”
Her breathing grew faster. “It sounds like it’s already ruined.”
“I won’t be talked out of this, baby. He has this coming. Right now, I have someone working on some information to send to his boss that’s going to result in him losing his job. He’s close to losing his house. I have a private investigator looking into anything else I might need. And what I don’t find, I will create. No one touches what belongs to me and lives. Or lives a nice life anyway.”
“This will affect Cammie.”
“In some ways, yes. However, I’ll keep her out of it. Not because I like her or she’s blameless, but because you care about her.”
“I know that she . . . that she hasn’t acted like a very good friend. But once we were and I couldn’t live with myself if we hurt her.”
“It wouldn’t be ‘we’ it would be me. But I won’t do anything to her as long as she doesn’t hurt you anymore.”
“Thank you.” She kissed him lightly. She knew it wasn’t just because of her that he was leaving Cammie alone.
Reuben had a soft spot for women and children who were in distress. Cammie had been abused. Reuben might be angry with her, but he still wouldn’t harm her.
“You know . . . I think I should show you just how grateful I am,” she told him.
“Should you? And how will you do that?”
She didn’t know where this daring side of her came from. She’d never been like this before.
But maybe it had always been there. She just hadn’t known how to access it.
She climbed off him and moved to the door, locking it.
She wasn’t quite that daring yet.
Then she walked back to him as he shifted around, placing his feet sitting on the floor.
“Baby, you don’t need to do anything to thank me,” he told her firmly.
“I know. I want to. Is that all right?” She bit her lip, wondering if he didn’t want that.
Perhaps he was busy.
“The day I ever say no to you touching me is the day I fucking die.”
She rolled her eyes even though she was ridiculously happy. “Dramatic, but okay.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “If you want me to recall that spanking I owe you . . .”
“Daddy! I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“I’m talking about the fact that you were living in substandard conditions with a man who was growing increasingly angry at you.”
“Oh. That.”
Fudge.
“Yes. That. I was going to hold off on spanking you because you went through a lot last night. But I’d be happy to rethink that.”
She shook her head and kneeled in front of him. She winced as pain radiated up her legs.
Ouchie.
Reaching out, he cupped her chin. “Be careful. I won’t be happy if you hurt yourself.”
“But it’s okay if you hurt me?”
“Entirely different thing.” Reuben ran his thumb along her cheek, making her breath catch. Then he slid his thumb into her mouth, and she moaned.
God, she loved when he did things like this. She’d loved sleeping with his fingers tucked up inside her pussy.