Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 54520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 273(@200wpm)___ 218(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 273(@200wpm)___ 218(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
“Fuck…” The curse rips from my throat, guttural against the surge of need.
“God, I missed you,” she moans, bracing herself.
The truth in her voice hits like a blade, cutting straight through me.
“I know, baby.” My hands brand her hips, dragging her down deeper. “It was a long goddamn week. But I’m here now. Take what you need. Take all of me.”
Her hips find a rhythm, slow and deep, every roll responding to mine.
“That’s it,” I rasp, guiding her, needing her. “So fucking good.”
She pushes upright, body curving, head tipped back in abandon—and for a moment, I’m wrecked by the sight of her. The wild spill of her hair, rise and fall of her chest, the necklace glinting between her breasts like it was made for this moment.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful.”
Her gaze drops to mine, smile soft and sweet.
I live for that fucking smile.
My hand slips between us now, fingers finding her wet heat, circling her clit.
A gasp pushes past her lips, hips stuttering. “Oh god…”
“Good, baby?”
“So good,” she whimpers, chasing the friction. “I love it. I love y—” Her words falter, a flicker of truth before she hides it. “I love being yours.”
That slip of her tongue damn near breaks me. She has no idea how bad I want those words. How easy I would give them back. For now, I’ll take this. The way she clings to me, giving me everything without saying it.
I thrust up into her, a groan tearing from my chest as pleasure rips through every nerve.
“Yes!” She rides me harder, wilder, her body trembling with every surge.
She’s right there, teetering on the edge. I feel it in the way she grips me, in the shiver that rolls through her…
“That’s it, baby,” I growl, driving up into her. “Break for me.”
She shatters on the next breath, her hand flying to the orb at her throat, clutching the glass sphere like a wish too dangerous to speak aloud.
Whatever she’s wishing in that moment, I know I’ll spend the rest of my life making it come true.
A knock breaks through the silence, threading along the dark edges of my dream.
It’s faint at first, almost distant, but then it grows, harder and louder, yanking me awake.
I blink into darkness, sluggish and disoriented, the silence pressing close.
Then it comes again. No mistaking it this time. Someone’s at the door.
Shifting, I squint at the clock glowing on the nightstand. 3:07 a.m.
“What the hell…” I roll toward the other side of the bed—only to find it empty.
Through the shadows, I can just make out Linc’s broad frame, muscles flexing as he shoves his legs into a pair of jeans.
“You expecting someone?” he asks, the rasp of his zipper cutting through the room.
“Yeah, my other boyfriend down the street.” My tone is flat, all sarcasm.
He grunts, unimpressed. “Funny, Goldilocks.”
My smile is slow, still tangled with sleep when another round of pounding rattles the stillness like a warning shot.
I shove upright, irritation sparking through my chest. “Who the hell would be here at this hour?”
Linc drags a shirt over his head, movement clipped. “I don’t know, but I’m about to find out.”
He’s already heading for the door, all purpose and grit.
“Wait for me.” I swing my legs over the edge of the bed, reaching for my robe.
“No.” His tone cuts through the air. “You stay here.”
I stiffen at the order. “I don’t think so, Masters. This is my house. Now, let me grab my robe, and then you can go all He-Man on whoever’s at the door, okay?”
His mouth snaps shut, jaw ticking with that familiar stubbornness. “You’re a pain in the ass, you know that?”
A slow smile curves my lips as I pull the silk robe around me, knotting it at my waist. “But I’m your pain in the ass. And that’s what matters.”
In the dim light, I catch the faint twitch of his lips, a flicker of something lighter…until I step out of the room.
His hand halts me mid-step. “Stay behind me.”
He doesn’t wait for an answer, just turns and stalks down the hallway like a man braced for a fight.
I roll my eyes but keep enough distance to soothe his pride.
The knocking grows more frantic with every step, each pound reverberating through the house like a hammer.
“We’re coming!” Linc snaps, his voice a growl.
The moment he wrenches the door open, the world stills.
My breath catches, shock pinning me in place at the sight of Hattie on my front steps.
She’s soaked to the bone, rain-slick hair clinging to her pale cheeks, mascara smudged beneath red and swollen eyes. She looks sad, lost, and utterly broken.
“Hattie?” My voice is thin with disbelief, as I step around Linc. “What on earth are you doing here?”
“I’m sorry,” she chokes out, her bottom lip quivering with the rest of her body. “I needed to see you. It can’t wait.”