Total pages in book: 173
Estimated words: 163802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 819(@200wpm)___ 655(@250wpm)___ 546(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 163802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 819(@200wpm)___ 655(@250wpm)___ 546(@300wpm)
“Why?” I shook him loose. “Why is it so beyond the realm of possibility that you went upstairs and did exactly what you said you wanted to do?”
“Because I love you,” he exploded. “I love you and I could never do anything to hurt you. Especially not in those last few weeks when everything changed between you and Omma... Especially not when everything changed between you and me.”
A band latched around my chest, squeezing the air from my lungs. And if I couldn’t breathe... I couldn’t fight him taking me in his arms.
“For the first time in ten fucking years, we were happy. You were happy,” he whispered. “But the look on your face when you walked out of that room that night...
“I could never put that look on your face. Not even for seven billion dollars.”
I put my hands between us, shoving against his chest.
“I love you.”
No, stop. These are just more pretty words. Words I don’t deserve.
“I love you.”
My fists pummeled those hard, inked pecs—thrashing this way and that as he held me tighter.
“I love you.”
“Stop it! There’s nothing happy about this family. There’s nothing real!” Pressure built behind my eyes, fueling the strength in my arms. My blows fell hard, ripping grunts from his lips. “It’s all a lie. I’m a lie!”
“So what if you are?” Micah’s gaze burned into me—into my soul. “You’re my lie, and this is our fucked-up family, and I wouldn’t change a thing because I love you. I love you.” The words sank deep into my heart. “And I’ll say it as many times as you need to hear it.
“You and me—we’re forever.”
I almost hit him in the face wildly shaking my head. Behind us, the door silently clicked shut on Courtney’s exit. “No! If you knew the truth about me—”
“I’d choose you anyway.”
“You can’t say that.”
Capturing my gaze, he grinned that sweet, perfect grin. “I just did.”
I broke down. Collapsing against him, I did something I hadn’t been able to do since this all began—
Cry.
“SO, LAY IT ON ME.” Micah popped the bubbles covering my boobs, unashamedly revealing my nakedness.
I would’ve rolled my eyes if they weren’t sore and puffy from crying. As wretched as it was to bawl my eyes out on his tie like a little girl, I felt lighter than I had in weeks. Finally, the pit was shrinking.
“What else don’t I know about you?”
I relaxed against his chest—warm and safe in our bubble bath in a way I hadn’t felt for years. Our legs entwined in the soapy water, the two of us blissed and unhurried as I lazily stroked the erection poking my back. “One for one?” I suggested. “I give you a secret. You give me one.”
“Deal.”
“I’m afraid of mascots.”
“What?” he cried, bursting out laughing. “Mascots? You mean like the big suits, or the dancing performer in them?”
“The dancing performer in the oversized, animal suits. They just freak me out,” I mused. “Big reason why I avoid sporting events.”
Micah chuckled without shame. “Well, then if we’re going with irrational fears, I’m afraid of dentists. I take crazy good care of my teeth so I never have to see one... and I haven’t in the last fourteen years.”
“Years? Years!” Giggles floated out of me like bubbles. “You haven’t been to the dentist in over a decade, grown man? How have you gotten away with that?”
“All that matters is that I have.” He flashed me the cheesiest, big-tooth grin. “No one’s complaining about this smile.”
“No one, including me.” I laid a big smooch on him. “My turn. When I was little, I wanted to wrestle crocodiles like Steve Irwin.”
“Really? Why?”
“He just seemed so fearless,” I admitted, picking up the pace a bit and making Micah tense against me. “And so free. The world and all the dangers in it just didn’t scare him. I wanted to be like that.”
Gentle fingers stroked my hair and brought me in for a sweet kiss on the temple. This was one of the things I loved about Micah. For as many infuriating things he’d say on a daily basis, he still knew when it was time to say nothing at all.
“Rhodes stole for the first time when we took that necklace,” Micah dropped, surprising me. “But by that time, I’d been stealing from his rich friends for months.”
I met his eyes, reading the shame in them even then. “It was hard feeling like you had to keep up with them, wasn’t it.”
“Yeah.” Micah flashed a mirthless smile somewhere over my shoulder. “Alex and Rhodes are my boys—no question. They never pulled that competitive shit with me, and they never acted like money mattered. But money attracts money,” he said. “That’s just how it is. When you’re wealthy, you hang out with people who can do all the same stuff you can, and pay for the same toys and events. And who can watch you do all of that without writhing in jealousy.