Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81581 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81581 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Once I’m on her floor and my forehead is pressed against her door, I listen. The apartment is quiet. She’s probably sleeping but I need to talk to her.
Me: I’m sorry.
She responds immediately which makes my heart rate quicken.
Violet: Me too.
Me: Can I see you?
Violet: I’m a mess.
Me: What if I told you I was waiting at your front door?
Violet: I’ve been watching you from the window all day. I’ll let you in.
I straighten my body and slide my phone into my pocket. A few minutes later, I hear the bolt locks disengaging. The moment she opens the door, I can’t wait any longer. I tug her into my arms where she belongs and kiss the top of her head.
“I’m sorry.”
She sniffles but her grip on me is tight. “I’m sorry too.”
I pull away to lock the doors before scooping her slight frame into my arms. She rests her head against my shoulder as I carry her through the dark apartment to her bedroom. I kick off my shoes and set her down on the bed.
The lamp beside her bed casts shadows on her face, highlighting the dark circles under her eyes. Her face is puffy and red from crying. I reach forward and swipe a shiny brown strand of hair away from her face. Kneeling in front of her, I hug her waist and rest my cheek against her thigh. Her fingers stroke my hair. Touching her soothes my heart. I hope I fix her the way she fixes me.
“I don’t know what to do,” she murmurs, her voice wobbly. “He’s going to come for me.”
I kiss the inside of her thigh. “I’m going to keep you safe, like I promised.”
When I lift up to look at her, tears race down her pretty swollen cheeks. I don’t like seeing her cry. I want to put smiles on her face. And once that fucker is dead, she’ll never have to fear for her life again.
I sit up on my knees and tug at her T-shirt. She lifts her arms, allowing me to shed her of the garment.
“Lie back, baby,” I instruct as I begin peeling off my clothes.
She scoots back and then shimmies out of her panties. I shed the rest of my clothes before killing the light. Once darkness shrouds us, I claim my woman. The moment our bare skin touches, the usual connection we share seems to flare to life with a jolt. Our mouths meet for a desperate kiss. She wraps her smooth legs around me, and in the next instant, I’m buried deep inside her. Instead of moving, I simply cradle her cheek with one hand and kiss her until she’s breathless.
I trail kisses along her cheek to her ear where I whisper to her all the things I need for her to hear.
I’m obsessed with you.
I can’t live without you.
I’d die without you.
My words turn her on because she wiggles and moans and begs for more. Slowly, I rock against her. Her body is tight and accepting. Warm. Mine. I continue murmuring the words she clearly needs to hear too.
You’re mine.
I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you.
Whatever it takes.
Mine.
She whimpers in pleasure. My thrusting has quickened. I’m so overcome with my need for her that my movements are uncoordinated and ragged.
I can’t spend another day like the past two days away from you.
I need to see you and be with you.
You’re mine, goddammit.
“Yours,” she agrees, her voice catching as her orgasm nears.
You’ve consumed me.
You own me.
I’m nothing without you.
I love you.
She comes with a screech and her body jerks from beneath me. I’m so lost in our lovemaking that I come like a fucking virgin teenager. Quick and explosive. I mark my woman from the inside out.
Her fingers thread into my hair and she sighs. “You’re so intense. I don’t know what to think.”
I rub my lips along the shell of her ear. “You don’t think. You feel. I don’t care about rules or norms. All I know is I’ve been completely spellbound by you since the moment you slapped your notice on my desk.”
“I’m still upset with you,” she admits, her voice shaking. “I feel so out of control around you.”
I lift up and brush my lips across hers. “So take back control.”
“How?”
Cradling her face, I nuzzle my nose against hers. “We’ll set some ground rules. What makes you feel like you have no control?”
She lets out a ragged sigh. “We should use condoms. I can’t think about having a baby right now. My life is too messy.”
It pains me to do so but I agree. “Done. What else?”
“You can’t just blast through my life and make financial or career decisions for me behind my back,” she murmurs. “Buying Slante and stealing that opportunity for me, no matter what your intentions were, was wrong. I don’t trust easily, and doing stuff like that will make me not trust you.”