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)
Annie slept on peacefully and I held her in my embrace. This is the way it needed to be all the time. And, by God, I was going to make it happen. I was also going to find every man or woman who hurt my girl and make them pay. Then, if they were lucky, they were going to die.
Chapter Eleven
Annie
I was going to kill Dom.
The man hadn’t left my side in two solid weeks. I was barely able to go to the bathroom by myself. When I did, he was always nearby, waiting for the door to open. He took me to parties at the main clubhouse, though it was way more sedate than I’d expected. When I’d asked Dom about it, he said the wild parties happened in town at the new clubhouse they’d acquired so they weren’t constantly coming and going from their “hidden” compound.
None of that was important. What had me ready to kill the man was how gentle and careful he was being with me. He insisted on going slow and by slow I meant it was starting to feel like we’d be into the middle of the next century before he did more than kiss me. I thought he wanted to have sex with me, but he was holding himself back. And I was tired of waiting.
I was buzzing with a mix of frustration and anticipation. I knew what I wanted, and every inch of my body screamed for it, but Dom was playing by some rule book I hadn’t read. After the life I’d just left, being in the Grim Road compound had changed how I dealt with things. I’d always had to be patient and careful. Lemon and Calista especially had shown me that I didn’t have to weigh each decision I made. That it was OK to sometimes make the wrong decision. Most importantly, I’d learned I didn’t have to be patient all the time. So I was done. It was time to take what I wanted. If I had another panic attack, Dom would help me through it. There wasn’t even a question.
Dom was always up early. I hated mornings. Had come to loathe getting up before at least noon. Why? Because there had never in my life been a time when I could stay in bed if I wanted to. I had no idea it was even an option to not be up when the sun first climbed over the horizon. So, he never woke me when he left, but he did leave me a note on his pillow telling me where he’d be when I got up and was ready to go outside and today was no exception. But today, I wasn’t coming to him.
At twelve-thirty, I heard him enter the house. I took a breath to calm myself. This was the moment of truth. If he rejected me, there’d be no going back. I’d have to find somewhere else to live because I needed Dominic like I needed to breathe. I’m sure a psychiatrist would have a field day with everything rattling around in my head, but Dom was my choice. If I couldn’t have him, I knew I couldn’t be around him.
I’d prepared as carefully as I could, showering and shaving everywhere. That had been Lemon’s suggestion. No, I do not want to relive the conversation. I’d lotioned my body until my skin was soft and silky. Then I’d draped a thin sheet over my body and settled on my side in the bed facing the door and waited for Dom to come check on me.
“Annie?” he called out to me as he shut the door. “Honey? Where you at?”
This was it. “In the bedroom, Dom.”
I heard his heavy footsteps move down the hall toward me. I broke out in a sweat and it felt like my heart was going to pound through my chest. This was a bad idea. So fucking bad…
“Baby, you good?” he spoke as he rounded the corner, his gaze automatically focusing on me the second he could see inside the room. His eyes widened and he came to a sudden stop just inside the doorway. “Annie?” The question was a husky growl. “What the fuck are you doin’?” He sounded like he was musing to himself rather than asking me a question.
His gaze ate me up. Dom clenched and unclenched his fists as if fighting himself to keep from doing something he knew he probably shouldn’t.
I raised myself up onto one elbow, letting the sheet slip down just enough to reveal more skin. My breath hitched as I watched his reaction, his eyes darkening with desire yet filled with confusion.
“Dom,” I started, my voice a mix of determination and vulnerability, “I’m tired of waiting. I know what I want.”
Dom closed the door gently behind him and took a cautious step forward. His jaw clenched as if he was battling internally. “Sweet God, Annie. Are you fuckin’ sure?”