Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 99935 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99935 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
“But you know this,” he breezed. “Mortal men must worship and protect mortal women even more strongly, considering how”—I burst into giggles when his poked my ribs—“breakable you are.”
“Uhh, no, actually,” I admitted, blushing down at our clasped hands. “Mortal men opt for a different approach with women. Negging being one of their preferred methods.”
“What the hell is negging?”
“It’s when you beat a women’s self-esteem down with backhanded compliments, veiled insults, and comparisons to all the other women she supposedly doesn’t measure up to. The goal is to make her feel so insecure, she seeks validation from the person making her feel worthless.”
“What?!” I swear Tristan’s golden eyes straight caught on fire. “That’s fucking disgusting!”
“Yes. Yes, it is.”
“Bastards! Why would they—!” An expression so terrible darkened Tristan’s face, it made me take a step back. “No man has treated you that way, have they? Those fuckers,” he growled, maw elongating, “I’ll rip out their throats!”
“No, no,” I cried, waving my hands. “No fuckers need their throats ripped out. Trust me, I’d never mess with a guy who negged me. You and I are in definite agreement about women deserving to be treated like a person when they’re not being treated like a queen.”
“Still,” he gritted. “That those shitheads would even think it—let alone treat a woman like that. Fucking worthless cunts.”
Ah, and this is how I got Tristan to hate a whole species of men he’d never met.
“Is that why you came to hell?” he asked, brows furrowing. “Because the men above aren’t worth the shit on my boots.”
“No, of course not. And for what it’s worth, there are plenty of decent guys up there. My dad was one of the best.” I smiled thinking of my dad and all the times he told me that all the fairy tales he read me were real, because if any little princess was going to get her Prince Charming, it was me. “You would’ve liked my dad.”
“Would’ve?”
“Yeah, would’ve,” I rasped, looking away. “He died four years ago.”
“I’m sorry.” Calloused fingers brushed my cheek. “My father died too.”
“And now all you have is your mother and sister who you never get to see?” Tears filled my eyes. Tristan’s family was just as broken as mine. “That’s awful.”
Tristan smiled gently, and wiped my tears away even more gently. “Well, I used to have my pack. They were all the family I thought I needed but... I lost them too, so I guess I am the pitiful, tragic figure I appear to be.”
“No, not pitiful or tragic.” I tipped my head, gazing into his eyes. “Because you’re not lying down and taking it. You’re here fighting to get your family back. You’re not letting anyone tell you you’re not strong enough to try. What’s pitiful about that?”
Tristan cupped the back of my head. Drawing me close, my chest stopped rising and falling entirely as it molded to his. “This friend thing that you were talking about... Does it only mean that you like me?”
“We— I— It—” It was my turn to stammer and blush like a moron. “Each individual friendship is unique. Ours can mean”—my heart thumped so hard, I knew Tristan heard it—“whatever we want it to mean.”
“Hmm.” The fingers stroking the back of my neck were highly distracting. “Too vague. Give me some examples of what friends do together in the land of the moon.”
“Um, they...” My mouth was suddenly dry. “Spend time together with other friends but also a-alone too. Sometimes. And they eat—food. Together.” What the hell was wrong with me? What was I rambling about! “And some friends even have...” Oh yeah, my mouth was straight sandpaper. “Arrangements,” I rasped out.
“Arrangements?”
“Yeah, arrangements to do more i-intimate things than just eating and hanging out.”
Tristan’s smirk was too panty-melting for someone who couldn’t look at me without blushing an hour before. “And what kind of arrangements will we have, friend?” His hand traveled down to the small of my back, drawing me closer still.
“Well, you know,” I squeaked out—heart racing a marathon. “There’re lots of things we can do together, but what exactly did you have in mind?”
“Hmm. What things do I want to do with you?” He cocked his head, flashing his grin at the ceiling. “Something I’ve never done with a woman before. Actually, all of the things I’ve never done with a woman before.”
My knees clapped together—leaning on each other to share the strength needed to keep me upright. This man had freely admitted that the only women he’d known to this point were blood relatives, and homicidal maniacs, so the list of things he’d never done with a woman was pretty long... and it had all the sexual things that were on my list of the stuff I wanted to do with Tristan Sweetbottom.
Hey, if his pack won’t let him have a last name, then we should stick with verifiable facts in making up another one, because that bottom is sweet.