Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 47716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
“What, kissed someone?” Anton asked.
That couldn’t be possible. She was sixteen for Christ’s sake.
Viviana shrugged, not meeting his stare. “Yeah, never, so.”
Anton cocked his head to the side, taking in what her words meant. “Why not?”
The girl was beautiful, like crazily so. And sure, she was arranged to be married with him eventually, but that shouldn’t stop her from living her life. She had time to be normal, right? He’d taken that time.
“Because,” Viviana said simply.
“Because why?”
“Because you were supposed to be mine, so I didn’t want somebody else.”
Oh.
Anton’s heart kick-started again.
“And I don’t know how,” Viviana added quieter.
“Hey, none of that,” Anton said, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look at him. For once, she truly did look as innocent as everyone seemed to treat her like. “We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to, Viviana. Tell me to back the fuck off or slow down if that’s what you need, baby.”
“But I do want to, I just don’t know—”
“How. Yeah, I got that.”
Viviana’s brow eyes darkened again, a smile curving her lips sinfully sweet. “I’d like to learn, though.”
Anton laughed low. “We’ve got a couple of more days.”
“Kiss me again?”
“Never ask, just take.”
Anton pulled her in close and didn’t kiss her slow the second time. Her lips parted for his tongue, letting him in to the heat of her mouth without question. She kept her brown eyes wide open and on him, the corners of her lips twisting upwards into a wicked grin.
Kissing was natural—instinctive.
Viviana Carducci had damn good instincts.
*
Anton didn’t have the chance to hide the joint he was smoking when the bedroom door opened. She came in so quickly he barely saw her at all in the darkness, but the quiet click of the door closing was the proof she had come in.
“Wow, that’s heavy,” Viviana said in the dark.
“On virgin senses, sure,” Anton agreed, exhaling a thick cloud to the ceiling. He reached over and turned on the lamp, sitting straighter in the bed.
Viviana stood with her arms crossed, making the tiny tank top she wore ride up. A small patch of the skin between her navel and her cotton shorts peeked out, giving Anton just enough of a glimpse to dry his mouth.
Anton still didn’t get how this girl had such a crazy effect on him. He’d seen more, hell, he had seen it all from girls, but this one ... this one was different. Viviana wasn’t like every other girl and he didn’t want to treat her like them, either.
Because she was better. So much better.
“So, because I’m a virgin, weed stinks more to me?” she asked, sarcasm oozing off every word.
Anton laughed loud, coughing on the smoke he inhaled. “Christ, no, that’s not that I meant.”
Viviana glared, making him laugh harder. “You’re not funny.”
“You sure as fuck are.”
“If you keep laughing at me, I’ll leave. I snuck down three floors just to come in here and say goodbye without everybody watching, you know.”
Anton sobered instantly. “No one knows you’re in here?”
“No.”
“You shouldn’t be in here. Your father will kill me.”
Especially after he threatened to cut off Anton’s dick for their little show in the water a couple of days ago. Apparently they weren’t as hidden as they thought being way out in the fucking open.
Viviana shrugged, hugging her middle tighter. “I wanted to, so ...”
God, he was such a shitty influence on this girl.
Anton didn’t even care.
“Listen, what I meant was that someone who doesn’t smoke is more sensitive to the smell. Virgin senses, you know.”
Viviana bit the inside of her cheek, eyeing him warily. “Yeah?”
“Yeah, baby.”
“Can I try?”
Instinctively, Anton held the burning joint away from Viviana, as if she were going to reach out and snatch it away. Impossible, consider she was across the damn room. “No.”
“You’re doing it.”
“I’ve done it since I was fourteen.”
“What difference does that make?” she asked.
“You’ve never done it,” Anton said, like that explained it all. For him, it kind of did. “And if you don’t do it now, you probably shouldn’t start.”
“Why do you do it?”
Anton didn’t have an answer for that. Well, not a good one, so he settled for the truth. After all, he didn’t want to lie to Viviana. “Because I want to and I like it.”
“I want to. Again, what’s the difference?”
“For the record,” Anton drawled, cocking a brow, “... the only reason you’re winning this argument is because I don’t have a good defense and I’m too high to think of one.”
“And because you love me, so you can’t say no to me,” she said, grinning.
Anton stiffened in the bed.
Viviana didn’t miss his change in posture. “Wow, that word really freaks you out, doesn’t it?”
“No.”
“You’re acting like ice again.”
“I haven’t even said that to myself yet, let alone you.”
“Say it now,” she said.
Anton stared, unsure and dazed. Love was a lot of things, he knew. He certainly never thought it would be instant, never mind the perpetual ball of jealousy churning his gut every time he thought about leaving the island. Because once he did, she wouldn’t be going with him. He thought love was like his parents’. Strong, quiet, relentless.