Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 54899 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54899 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
My knees shake. Rand’s reassuring hands grasp my shoulders, achingly familiar as he steadies me before I can fall.
He’s not wearing gloves, but they’re the same hands that caressed my body on the night I agreed to meet Bones for the ill-fated, kinky hunt.
I’ve been so stupid. How did I not realize they’re the same man?
My naivete when it comes to men made me vulnerable to his deception. For years, I kept myself apart from any potential relationships, finding satisfaction in my carnal connection with Bones.
But it was clearly so much more than erotic fun to him.
Somehow, he’s followed me to England. He got a job as my professor.
I shake my head before I can ask him how the fuck he managed it.
All that matters now is getting away from him. If I allow him to explain himself, I might be fooled again.
His comforting hands are so tempting, his broad chest only inches from my face. I could so easily throw myself into his arms and cling to him for support…
The arms that are covered in tattoos depicting my face from every angle. My real name is inked over his heart.
My stomach lurches.
I jerk away, and he allows me to break from his hold. His hands clench at his sides, his entire body practically vibrating with the suppressed desire to reach for me.
“Where are my clothes?” I demand.
He tips his head in the direction of the stairs. “In the dryer. It’s just off the kitchen. I can show you—”
I hold up my hand again. “No. I don’t want you anywhere near me. I can take care of myself.”
His face draws into forbidding lines. “It’s not safe for you out there. You need me.”
“I don’t need anything from you. I don’t want anything from you.” I gesture sharply in direction of the dead body, but I keep my eyes carefully averted. “My stalker is dead. I’m not in any danger from him anymore.”
“Don’t go, Karolina. Please. Stay here while I take care of this.”
“Take care of what?”
A shadow flits at his jaw. “I have to get rid of the body. Unless you’re planning to go to the police?”
I purse my lips.
No. I can’t go to the police.
I won’t risk my real identity being discovered. I can’t have my visa revoked.
I won’t allow my new life as Lena Williams to be snatched away from me. I’ve worked too hard to survive. I won’t lose everything now.
I tear my gaze from Rand’s anguished face.
“I’m leaving now. Don’t follow me.”
A low growl slips from him, and I shiver at the primal sound of raw frustration.
“Stay.”
“You don’t get to order me around,” I snap back.
“We will discuss this later,” he says, voice barely human.
He sounds like Bones.
He is Bones.
“We’ll talk when—if—I decide I’m ready to talk.” I still can’t meet his eye.
My mind spins with dozens of questions, but I can’t linger. I can’t allow myself to stay close to Rand’s allure.
And I need to get away from the dead body before memories of the night I committed my own murders drags me back under. I’m so close to a panic attack that I feel my chest drawing tight.
I forcibly draw a deep breath and turn on my heel. I dart down the stairs, making my way to the kitchen to retrieve my clothes. It takes a few minutes stumbling around the huge, unfamiliar house, but eventually I find the dryer.
I get dressed with trembling hands, but even when I’m covered, I feel naked.
I trusted Rand, and he stripped me bare to my soul.
My stalker is dead, but I’ve never felt more vulnerable in my life.
2
RAND
My entire body strains with the need to go after Karolina. I can’t let her leave. She’s not safe without me to watch over her.
I look at my dead enemy and grimace.
The immediate threat has been handled.
Far more terrifying is the prospect that she’ll never talk to me again.
I flinch when I hear my front door slam.
She’s gone.
But not forever.
This won’t be the end of us.
We’ll never be over.
She’s mine.
I’ll figure out a way to win her back. Losing her isn’t an option. I might as well rip my own heart from my chest if she’s not in my life. Living means nothing without her.
She just needs a little space. As much as I craved to hold her after the attack, I would’ve done even more damage if I forced her into my arms.
I’ll deal with the body, and then I’ll go to her to beg forgiveness.
I walk into the bedroom and find my phone, taking a few seconds to pull on a pair of sweatpants. I feel far too naked right now, even though no one’s here to see me.
The horror in Karolina’s eyes when she saw her face tattooed all over my arms, her name emblazoned over my heart…