Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 134725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 539(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 539(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
His face went shocked.
I turned my back to him, kept myself covered, and reached for the bath sponge.
I expected him to go.
I listened for the sound of the door opening and shutting.
I heard no such thing. Instead, I heard other sounds, sounds that I suspected were of him undressing. And I was right. He was getting in the tub with me.
“Zane,” I growled.
He pulled my soapy body closer and tipped my chin to make me look at him.
“I do mind. That wasn’t not-so-rude, it was bitchy. You’re angry with me.”
“Well, you’re a genius, aren’t you?” I snapped.
He didn’t like that at all. “You’re angry with me because I don’t want you being chewed up by a group of lionesses, so I want you to have some backup? This makes no sense.”
I glared at him.
He had his legs wrapped around me, cocooning me against his naked wet body, one arm around me, the other cocked so he could hold my face. His icy blue eyes were staring into mine with an intensity I hadn’t seen since the night that the guy dragged me out of the cupboard in the playhouse.
“Talk to me, shortcake.”
I shook my head and stubbornly told him, “I don’t want to.”
He put both arms around me and my body slid through the water as he pulled me even closer.
“Not all Phallyxian women are wretched sows, but those girls have spent the past four years being treated like prizes and Treya, for one, believes she is one. I suspect she and her friends will do their best to chew you and Elaina to pieces. I’d rather you have someone with you than you deal with that alone, if you arrive first, and for any reason Elaina is delayed, it’s just you vulnerable, longer. Strength in numbers.”
“Mm hm,” I replied against his chest because that’s where my face was tucked
I loved close contact with him, but right now, I wanted him to go. I was angry. He meant strength in numbers where she backed me up, not where it was both ways, and that made me sound weak and Elaina sound awesome.
My face was again in his hands. “Why are you so upset with me for this?”
“I’m not,” I lied.
He stared directly into my eyes and his eyes went cold. “Don’t lie to your husband, Tanya.”
I shivered, despite being in his embrace in water that was so hot, steam was rising.
“Can you just let me bathe in peace, please?”
“No,” he said, and his eyes went molten. “I want to fuck you in this bath. Fuck the sassy out of you. Get my agreeable, sweet girl back.”
“I don’t want to fuck,” I snapped and pulled back from him.
“Because you’re angry with me.”
I tried glaring at him, but I accidentally burst into tears.
His expression changed and then I was being lifted out of the tub. We were out of the bathroom before the hot air could dry us and he was carrying us to the bed and then we were under the covers.
“Talk to me, Tanya,” he whispered.
“Let me go, please,” I asked, trying to pull away. “We’re making the bed all wet.”
“Not until you talk to me,” he vowed.
This made me angry. “Let. Me. Go,” I actually yelled.
“No!” he yelled back, and it was so loud, it startled me.
“Fuck you!” I snapped and was surprised at my bravery. Had I ever, in my life, told someone to fuck off before? I didn’t think so. But, as much as I’d wanted to many times, figuring it’d feel good to actually do it, this did not feel good. At all.
“Talk!” he shouted even louder, and I was more than startled.
I tried to back away from him, but he wasn’t letting go.
“Zane,” I whispered.
“Talk to me now, wife. Right now.”
“You like her.”
He did a shake of his head and a hard blink. “What?”
“Elaina. You have a thing for her. The hots for her. Your face lights up when you talk about her. You think she’s stronger than I am so she can protect poor, timid, pathetic Tanya.”
“I don’t have a thing for her.” He looked at me like I was nuts. “She’s Quid’s.” He let go of me. “Timid? Pathetic? What makes you think so lowly of yourself?”
I swallowed.
He stared at me like he didn’t know what to make of me.
I pulled the blankets up to hide my nakedness.
His eyes roved over me and he looked thrown. Absolutely thrown.
I suddenly wasn’t so sure if I’d been right or not. I heard his phone making a noise. It was still in the bathroom. He threw the blankets back and stormed, naked, to the bathroom and answered it.
He came out a few minutes later, still talking on it, wearing the dark pants he’d had on before he’d climbed into the tub with me. He shot me an annoyed look as he left the room, shutting the door behind himself.