Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
I could see it. Him and I in that field of sunflowers. He had me on the hood of his car, and then in the back seat. The others were all a few yards away, behind a small house where a bonfire was lit. I tilted my head and peered up at him. “But you didn’t go any further.”
His eyes met mine, the amber depths burning with intensity. “You weren’t ready for that yet.”
That’s what he’d meant in the bathroom when he said he’d fucked me in every way but one. I had already assumed as much. I knew without a doubt that having sex with Ky would be an unforgettable experience. I was aware that once we crossed that line, things would never be the same between us, but only because after that one time, he'd have complete control over me, taking me whenever and however he pleased, and I would want it just as badly.
“We made a vow to one another that night. And then they took you away from me,” he continued.
I swallowed, a pang ricocheting through my chest. A storm of conflicting emotions swirled within me - fear, pleasure, sorrow. Most of all, rage. Deep in my heart, Kyrous held the key to it all. It was my mind and soul desperately trying to piece itself back together and remember the woman who had given everything to him.
There was so much to say but the words got caught in my throat like dust during a sandstorm. I felt the familiar pressure of his hand on the back of my neck, urging me to look back up at him, to feel his intensity.
"All that was done, and has yet to come, is for a purpose. It's for the life we almost had together and the years and everything else that was stolen from all of us," he said, his voice low and intense. I stared into his eyes, seeing a heavy darkness reflected in them. "I’ve got part of you back, Sunshine," he whispered, his breath warm against my cheek. "And I'll make them pay for taking the other half."
“What do you need me to do?”
“I need you to be exactly as you are. Find your true self. I'll take care of everything else.”
“I can do that,” I replied softly.
I nestled against him, lulled by his fingers tracing a path up and down my spine. I closed my eyes, taking in the warmth of his body and the familiarity of his embrace. I felt myself grow drowsy and fought to stay awake. "Sleep, Sunshine," he coaxed, his gritty voice soothing. His fingers continued to trace over my skin, like a map of our history and a promise of our future.
CHAPTER EIGHT
I traced my fingers delicately up and down her spine, feeling her heartbeat against my chest as she slept, trusting and vulnerable. Her skin was so smooth, perfect to be stroked for hours on end. Careful not to wake her, I moved some of her hair aside and checked her pulse, counting it out.
She’d need another injection soon.
Helios wasn’t anything to toy with. You either got dosed consistently or you wound up like a fucking zombie—and that was if your body didn’t reject the drug entirely. Sunshine would accept it, but then she’d be the equivalent of an addict, and everything that made her who she was would be gone.
I would never let that happen.
I flattened my hand against the side of her neck. It was a shade darker than her sun-kissed, warm golden tan. She stirred slightly but didn’t wake. Her naked and in my arms was my favorite view. Second to how she looked every time I had my face buried between her thighs or her full, pink lips wrapped around my dick, staring up at me with submission and adoration.
I had never been one to care much for appearances; a pretty face and beating heart were all it took for a bit of temporary amusement. Most women were just fleeting diversions, a means to an end. I had dabbled in what some might call a relationship once, a brief entanglement of convenience rather than connection.
That was before I saw Sunshine.
She’d been it for me ever since she wandered onto the balcony that I’d retreated to at a country club gala we’d both attended.
She didn’t immediately turn and go back inside like the four people before her had. Or light a stick of poison with the delusional belief I would allow it to be smoked in my presence. She had looked right at me and pulled the door shut before coming a little closer and asking if I was okay.
No one asked me that.
Even with the Playground still a tightly guarded secret to many, my reputation always spoke so I never had to. Sunshine wasn’t oblivious to what I was, but she asked about my well-being regardless. Then she sat outside with me, neither of us saying a single thing until she stood to go back inside and thanked me for sitting with her. There wasn’t a day since she didn’t cross my mind.