Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 48087 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 240(@200wpm)___ 192(@250wpm)___ 160(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48087 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 240(@200wpm)___ 192(@250wpm)___ 160(@300wpm)
God, she smells incredible. She smells like all the good in this world I’ll never permanently have.
“And I enjoyed every fucking moment of it, Liliana.” Her neck muffled my words. I pulled back and looked down at her, this woman so tiny compared to me.
That seemed to snap her out of whatever calmness she felt because her breathing picked up once more, her pupils dilated, and she made a sound akin to a wounded animal thinking it was about to be slaughtered.
“You…” she paused, swallowing hard. “They’re dead?” Her mouth was slightly open, her jaw slack.
“Deader than dead, baby.” I slowly grinned. “I relished every second.”
“All over what they owed?” Her voice was soft but monotone, as if she wasn’t quite conscious of this conversation while she tried to comprehend it, work through it.
“Oh, sweetheart,” I brought that strand of hair I still had a hold of to my nose and inhaled again before rubbing it over my lips. “I would have killed them for looking at me wrong, but that’s not why I ended them.” I let go of her hair and touched the side of her face. She surprised the hell out of me by not shrinking back. “I killed them because of this.” I gently touched the bruise. “I saw this mark, knew one of them had done it—probably not the first time, baby—and I had to fucking make them pay.”
She blinked rapidly then shook her head. It was clear my actions and motive confused the fuck out of her. I couldn’t blame her because I felt the same way.
“You killed them… for me?”
She didn’t wait for me to answer as she placed her hands on my chest and pushed me back but not before I felt a zing of electricity slam into me with that small touch.
“Why?” she whispered and closed her eyes. “Why me?” She kept shaking her head as if to clear it. I wanted to tell her this wasn’t a dream. This was her own personal nightmare.
I had no fucking clue how to answer that because I didn’t know why the hell I was doing any of this, either.
“Because I saw you, I wanted you, and I’ll do whatever the fuck I want to have you, Liliana.”
The air thickened, time stilled, and I knew she was about to run. What I didn’t expect was her kneeing me in the fucking balls. It was only because of my surprise that she got the upper hand on me.
I groaned and cupped myself as I stumbled back. She darted by me, and I growled low, pissed that she’d one-upped me, even if it was only this one time.
“Fuck you,” she screamed out and ran right for the front door. I would have chuckled at what would greet her on the other side if not for the fire and ache currently settled right in my groin from her kick.
I watched as she flung the door open and was about to run full speed. But Luca’s massive form was right in her way, and she hadn’t paid attention before making her daring escape. She slammed so hard into his back that her little body flung backward hard enough she fell to the floor right inside the house. I heard the crack of her head hitting the hardwood, followed by her groaning and rolling over.
I straightened, a spike of discomfort lancing up the center of my body as if I’d been the one to hit the ground. I clenched my jaw and tipped my head toward Luca. He stepped inside, shutting the door and was about to bend down to pick Liliana up.
“Don’t fucking touch her,” I snapped, and he lifted an eyebrow at me. It was the only expression on his face as he slowly straightened and stepped back.
She was groaning louder as she tried to sit up, but I smelled the blood before I saw it on her fingers and smeared on the floor.
“Fuck,” I cursed and crouched in front of her. She tried to push me away, but it was clear the hit to her head had disoriented her. “Get Baxter on the phone and have him come to my place,” I said to Luca without looking at him, wanting our personal physician onsite to look her over.
“Get the hell away from me.” She tried to sound strong, this little slip of a girl, but her words slurred together, and this feeling of uncertainty—of worry—settled in me because she was hurt.
Liliana tried to push me away, but her attempts were feeble, and I lifted her easily in my arms, cursing internally. “For such a small thing,” I said against her ear, “you have quite the kick in you, sweetheart. Clearly, you’ve kneed plenty of men in the balls before.”
She mumbled something, and I could tell she was going to pass out, but I worried about a concussion. I hauled ass to the car and barked at Luca to get the fuck going. For the entire trip to my place, I held Liliana like she was mine.