Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 107608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Then he turns and squires me beyond the bar and into a small storage room holding shelves and shelves of alcohol. The door shuts firmly behind us.
I push free of him and back away until I hit the far wall. “I am so going to kill you,” I hiss, trying not to cry. Has he hurt her? Would he?
He’s wearing a high-end black suit with a crisp white shirt along with shiny black shoes with matching belt. “Do you like being alive, Rosalie?” he asks silkily, his hands going to unbuckle the belt.
My mouth goes dry. “Are you threatening me?”
“Answer the question.” He releases the buckle and pulls his belt free.
“Um, yes. I like breathing,” I gasp, my stomach flipping inside out, my gaze locked on that belt.
He folds it in two and stalks toward me. “Those men in there? The ones you just disrespected me in front of?”
Oh, fuck. I look for an exit, and the only one is right behind him. “Um, I—”
He continues as if I haven’t spoken, looking larger than life. “Every one of them has probably killed at least one person, and some quite a few more than that. And you know what’s keeping me alive? You alive?”
I gulp and shake my head.
“Respect with a healthy dose of fear. Of me and what I can do. What I will do.” He reaches me and gently runs the leather down the side of my face.
I flinch. “I’m sorry.” My legs tremble so much, I’m afraid they’ll let me fall. Then I remember why I’m here. “Ella.” My head snaps up. “You took her.”
“Yes.”
I can’t breathe. “Did you hurt her?”
“No.”
I search his face but can’t read him. Can’t see the truth in his eyes.
“I wouldn’t hurt somebody you love, Rosalie,” he murmurs. “I need her expertise for now, and she’s safer where I put her than she was on the streets yesterday. Trust me.”
The truth rings in his tone. Relief makes me dizzy. “I want to see her.”
“At the moment, your wants are irrelevant to me.” He places the belt on an old beer barrel at the end of the shelves, and more relief than I can interpret runs through me. He grasps my hips and lifts me, his mouth taking mine.
Hard.
Liquid desire pours down my throat and alights every nerve on fire. The events of the day, all the emotions crash through me. The adrenaline from pissing him off, the agony of watching him on a disc with somebody else. The sheer terror of what might be happening with Ella, all bursts through me and then compresses, losing me in his kiss.
His hand tunnels roughly through my hair, and he jerks my head back and kisses me deeper, bruising my lips, and then he bites along my neck and down my throat. I gyrate against him, my brain fuzzing. He’s everything.
He rips open my blouse and my bra before scraping his whiskered jaw down my torso to suck on both breasts. Pain flashes along my skin. He bites a nipple, and I cry out. I’m frantic. I reach for his pants and rip them open, shoving them down.
He yanks up my skirt and tears away my panties. “God, I want you. This had better be okay.”
“It’s okay,” I breathe. “I want you. All of you.” It’s the truth. I’ve never needed anybody this badly. Part of it might be relief. Relief that he hasn’t hurt Ella and he isn’t going to hurt me. He kisses me again and his fingers find me. I’m more than wet and ready.
He growls low and bites the tender area where my shoulder meets my neck. Erotic pain flashes to my aching nipples. Desire zings through me, right to my clit.
I gasp his name and move against him. He shoves down his boxers and presses me against the wall. With one hard thrust, he impales me. I cry out and wrap both arms around his shoulders, both legs around his hips, holding tight. This is incredible. It’s everything. There’s nothing but him. He starts to pound, his fingers digging into my hips and holding me in place. I start to spiral and he slows down. “Wait,” I protest. “Don’t stop.”
He kisses me again, going deep, and tweaks one of my nipples. I moan against his skin and feel even wetter, when he kisses me again, nipping across my jaw to bite my ear lobe. My entire body shudders.
This is a craving that can’t be healthy, but I don’t care. He pulls out in one smooth motion and tosses me onto my stomach over the old beer barrel.
I gasp and grab the sides, surprise freezing me. Then he’s right there again, holding my hips, pulling me back, and shoving deep inside me. I groan his name and turn my head to the side. He pulls out and then pushes back in.