Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36564 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36564 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
I sucked in a breath. Then let it out. When I did, I relaxed into his embrace. It was instinctual and felt more right than anything I’d ever felt in my life. It was like, after a lifetime of lies, I’d finally found the truth. And the truth was, no matter how stupid it might seem or how unrealistic the chances were, I never wanted to leave Dominic’s arms.
Chapter Six
Dominic
Shit.
Fuck.
Fuck!
What the fuck was I doing? But, God-fucking-damnit, the second my arms were around Annie, they locked and there was no way I could let go, even if I wanted to. I didn’t want to. This woman belonged right where she was. In my arms. And, by God, that was where she was gonna stay.
She relaxed in my hold, inhaling a breath, then letting it out with a contented sigh. I thought she might push away or try to get free, but she actually curled her little hands into my shirt and clung to me. Also, I thought she might be sniffing my chest.
“Mmmm…” Annie moaned, her hot breath heating the skin beneath my T-shirt. She turned her head and inhaled again, this time not even trying to hide what she was doing. She buried her nose against my chest and moaned again. This time with feeling.
“Christ,” I bit out, my arms tightening around her without my consent even more. “You can’t make noises like that, girl.”
My words had the effect of throwing a glass of water in her face. Annie jerked, then looked up at me in shock. Her face blossomed with two spots of color on her cheeks, then a red flush crept from her neck to the roots of her hair. Sweat sparkled on her upper lip.
She stumbled backward and would have fallen on her ass, but I lunged for her without thinking. Again, she was plastered against me, but instead of that glorious desire on her face, now there was wariness and a hit of fear. We stared at each other. I knew I needed to make sure she had her balance, then let her go, but I couldn’t. I thought I might be able to let her go if she pushed away again, but the jury was still out on that.
“I-I…” She cleared her throat. Her hands were on my shoulders, and she alternated between curling her fingers into my muscles and relaxing her grip so it ended up feeling like she was kneading like a kitten.
The urge to grin was strong, but I didn’t feel much like smiling. I felt the need to wrap her up again and make it clear to her she was never to push away from me again. I needed her close. Insane. I was going insane. It was the only explanation for these feelings swirling inside me. I let her go once I was certain she had her balance, but it was fucking hard. “It’s all right, honey. Come on. Let’s sit on the love seat and talk. Want something to drink?”
She nodded her head a couple times. “Water.” Her voice was rough. She was obviously overloaded and I wasn’t sure how off balance I could push her. The last thing I wanted was for her to feel like she didn’t have choices.
I nodded to the love seat. “Go. Sit. I’ll be right there.” She didn’t answer out loud, but nodded and did as I told her.
I came back with a bottle of water for her and a beer for me. She took the bottle with a small smile. Not surprisingly, she sat in one corner as far away from me as she could get. She’d snagged one of the pillows Calista had brought to make the room seem more welcoming. Now that I thought about it, there had been pillows and shit in the living room too. What the fuck did my place need to be welcoming for? I hated people in my space. Except I was afraid I would hate it if Annie wasn’t in my space.
“I’m sorry. I know I’m a freak. I don’t act right in front of people.”
That was odd. “Not sure I understand, honey.” I sat on the opposite end of the love seat, but I reached out to her, holding my hand palm up to see if she’d take it. Surprisingly, she did. She looked at it indecisively for several seconds, but with a look of longing so profound it gave me a visceral response. My chest tightened and there was a lump in my throat for this girl. She’d obviously been through something. It sounded like she’d been part of a gang or something. Maybe even a cult. Somehow, I needed to convince her I was worthy of her trust. That I would protect her and never betray her in any way.
“You know, I’m sorry about earlier.” When I gave her a confused look she added, “Asking about the woman in the picture. Tina.”