Total pages in book: 181
Estimated words: 181613 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 908(@200wpm)___ 726(@250wpm)___ 605(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 181613 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 908(@200wpm)___ 726(@250wpm)___ 605(@300wpm)
He knows better than anyone what’s possessed me for all these years as I caress her cheek.
For a short moment, she leans into the palm of my hand, and the feeling overwhelms me, making me smile.
Grey’s body visibly relaxes.
“Can’t you tell? He loves her,” Apollo says.
He’s right.
I love her so much that it wounded me to betray her like I did.
The pain cut so deep I was barely able to take it, but I had no other choice.
I had to see it through.
Until she came to find me and flipped my world on its axis.
The truth has a funny way of finding its way back to the surface.
She grabs some of the medical glue and starts patching me up, and I hiss.
“I cut too deep,” Grey says.
I glare at him from underneath my lashes. “It’s just a flesh wound. It’ll heal.”
“I could’ve killed you,” he adds.
“You wish,” I growl.
“I …” He sucks in a breath and sighs out loud. “I’m sorry.”
My eyes twitch.
What the fuck.
He’s apologizing?
After all the times I told him I wanted him dead?
Even Aspen puts the glue down and looks at him. “What did you just say?”
Grey swallows. “I don’t want to keep hurting you.”
She puts everything back into the medical box and stands up to face him.
“That’s the last thing I ever wanted,” he adds. “And I realize now that our fighting hurt you.”
She smiles, the freckles on her face lighting up. “Thank you. That’s the first time I’ve heard any of you being honest with me.”
He swallows again. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
She steps closer to him, too close to my liking, and says, “If you work hard enough to earn back my trust, I might forgive you.”
Suddenly, he grabs her face and kisses her out of the blue, surprising all of us, and I nearly jump to rip him away from her, when she practically melts away in his arms just like that.
One kiss and she’s done for.
“I love you. God, I love you. Please forgive me,” he murmurs.
He drops to his knees in front of her, completely enamored by her presence as he wraps his arms around her legs like only a beggar would. And a part of me wants to slice off his fingers when they’re touching her, but when her fingers start coiling through his white hair, I finally understand.
Even if I hate the mere idea with every fiber of my being, she needs him.
He gave her what I couldn’t—complete and utter devotion.
“Hey, whatever I did, I’m sorry too,” Apollo says, folding his arms. “If that gets me into a good make-up sesh.”
She throws him a raised brow, and it makes me snort … loud enough for them all to look at me next.
I get up from the bed and walk over to them all, and Grey immediately gets up to his feet like he’s ready for a second round. But Aspen blocks him with her body as if she thinks I’m going to attack him again. And I don’t blame her. For a long time, all I wanted to do was erase him from her life. It didn’t matter that she’d hate me. That was the plan.
Until she kissed me.
I glance at them both, and their hands are slowly entwining beneath me.
After everything we did on that beach, I could never go back to hate.
Even if that means surrendering her to him.
Even if it kills me.
“Seeing you with him makes me madly jealous,” I mutter, as my hand rises to touch her face.
Grey flinches behind her, his hand reaching for his pocket where he undoubtedly keeps his knives, but I have no intention of starting another fight. This is her decision to make. Not ours.
“Do you want me or him?”
Her face contorts. “Don’t make me choose. Please. I’m done having to choose.”
We all ruined her … tainted her beyond recognition.
It’s about time we fixed what we broke.
“I’m done denying myself what I want,” I say, caressing her cheek as my fingers slide through her hair. “And if that means I’ll have to share you, then so be it.”
“Now you’re fine with it?” Apollo chuckles. “Could’ve saved me the trouble of sneaking behind your back.”
But I ignore him as I grab her face with both hands. My eyes search hers for the truth beneath all of our lies. “Do you want all of us?”
She shudders in place, sucking in the air through her teeth.
I grab a fistful of her hair and tilt her head back, making her look at me. “Use your words.”
CHAPTER 55
Aspen
I’m done. Done fighting the inevitable. Done fighting what should’ve been all along.
I whimper, “Yes.”
I know the consequences.
I know my parents will kill me.
But these men tried to kill me with their love, and the only way to survive is by giving in.
And when Levi slams his lips onto mine right in front of Grey, I’m completely taken over by the immeasurable yearning resting deep inside the dark crypts of my soul.