Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 106948 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 535(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106948 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 535(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
“Aside from talking about the progress you were making with your experiment, she mentioned that at least you had the brains to pick a good woman. She’s also worried that this life might prove to be too much for Hannah, that the experiment will fail and we’ll have to…deal with the consequences.”
“There will never, ever be any consequences to deal with. I’ll take care of her every need, give her everything she could want, and I’ll slit the throat of anyone stupid enough to even look at her wrong.”
“Crazy fucker,” the other man muttered before he was silent for a long moment. “Think it’s gonna work?”
“Yes.”
“Maybe I’ll find myself someone young and sweet to train.”
“Just be aware, the sword cuts both ways.”
The other man laughed, and it wasn’t a nice sound. “Fuck that shit. I’ll never give any woman that kind of control over me. I wish you luck, my friend. She’s going to wake up ravenous.”
Dark satisfaction filled the slightly familiar voice as he said, “I know.”
My dream shifted, twisted, and I drifted away from the voices.
Awareness hit me in stages, the first being the fact that dryness coated my mouth and tongue. The second was that I felt a little floaty, and the third was the gentle caress of a large male hand stroking my neck and collarbone. My injured arm still throbbed, but it was nowhere near my earlier pain. I lay back on something immensely comfortable, and the room was very, very quiet, other than my breathing and his.
“Hannah, wake up for me, baby girl,” Leo said in a low, sinful voice. The hand moved from my arm to my face and his fingertips traced along my jaw.
“Ugh—my mouth tastes terrible.”
My eyes were still closed as Leo helped me sit up against what I was assuming were pillows. A straw was brought to my lips and I eagerly sucked down some crisp ginger ale before he pulled the drink away. The cool liquid soothed my throat and my stomach gurgled as it hit.
“Enough, or you’ll get sick.”
Slowly opening my eyes, I was relieved to see the lights were dimmed so I wasn’t blinded.
Then I looked at Leo and lost my breath.
He sat in a dark cinnamon leather chair next to the hospital bed I was lying in, his jacket off and his forearms showing, with their dusting of golden-brown hair and thick muscles. The scruff on his face had grown in even more, and his eyes were so dark beneath his heavy brow I could barely make out the difference between his pupil and iris. A slight flush stood out on his cheekbones as he gave me an intense stare that should have unnerved me, but aroused me instead. I liked how it seemed as if all his attention was focused on me, like I was something important, someone worth noticing.
“How are you feeling?”
“A little dizzy, but otherwise okay.”
“Have you ever taken painkillers before?”
“Um…once when I broke my leg while playing soccer. And when I sprained my wrist.”
The side of his mouth quirked up. “That’s what I thought. The medicine was only supposed to relax you, but it put you to sleep instead.”
“How long have I been out?”
“Five hours. I tried to wake you a few times, but you told me to go fuck myself gently with a chainsaw.”
“Oh…oh jeez. I’m sorry. It’s from the eighties movie Heathers.”
The darkness of his eyes lightened to melted chocolate. “I know.”
“You’ve seen Heathers?”
He shrugged. “I like to watch movies, especially the older ones.”
“Me too.”
“Well, that’s one thing we have in common.”
My sleepy mind wanted to be closer to him, so I rolled over onto my side…then frowned. “Why does my hip hurt?”
“You must have bumped it. At one point you tried to get up out of bed, and that’s probably when you hit it.”
On my back once again, I rubbed my hip with a frown, not liking that I couldn’t remember. “That’s it, nothing stronger than Tylenol for me.”
He gave me a smile I could only describe as indulgent. “How’s your arm?”
“Much better. How’s your hand?”
The gold watch on his wrist gleamed as he held up his hand wrapped in an Ace bandage. “Fine.”
I snorted and went to lean up, forgetting almost instantly that my arm was injured.
When I yelped, Leo stood and scooped his arm behind my back, supporting me without any effort. “What are you doing?”
Flushing, I cleared my throat and looked away.
“I have to use the ladies’ room.” I was hyperaware of how easily he lifted me out of the bed then carried me across the room. “I can walk, you know.”
Setting me on my feet, he gave me that tender, lingering forehead kiss again, the one that made my toes curl and my chest fill with warmth. Then he smacked my butt with a little tap that had me laughing as I moved away. “Go.”