Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 46838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 187(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 187(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
The word long-term clashes in my mind, the declaration he made of wanting this to be for real, wanting us to be for real.
He frowns, loosening his grip on me.
Darkness enters the lust-filled glimmering of his intense eyes.
Letting me go, he walks to the other side of the room, idly reaching up to handle one of his boxing belts, mounted to the wall. There are several of them, some golden like the hope in my heart and some the same silver as his hair.
“I thought you’d run like hell if I told you that you make me feel like I’m in The Great Gatsby… like you’re a shining beacon, calling to me. It sounds insane when I say it out loud. We met today, Mia. Today.”
His body tenses, and, with his back to me, it looks like he’s going to erupt from his hoodie.
“But you didn’t. So maybe you won’t run if I tell you this too.”
“Look at me, Killian.”
He turns, a smirk attempting to lift his lips, but there’s still that darkness in him. “I like it when you get sassy, butterfly.”
My cheeks burn as if old instincts are telling me to turn away, telling me not to face whatever this is… what it could become.
“What is it?” I ask. “We had a deal.”
He returns to me, taking my hands. He holds them both firmly, with a sense of possession.
That can’t just be hope.
There has to be something real here.
“I told you that you called to me when I first saw you. I felt it instantly. Something magical was happening, something vital. Something real. But there was – is – something else.”
When he pauses, I have to say, “Yeah?”
I have to urge him to keep going.
With each word, he infuses me with more and more warmth.
He nods, serious and intense. “It wasn’t just a general desire to be with you. It was an instant feeling to….”
“To what?” I whisper.
He laughs, but there’s no humor in it. It’s more like he’s a valve releasing the pressure, like he has to laugh because it’s the only response he can think of.
“I shouldn’t say this. There’s a good chance it sends you running.”
I place my hand on his chest, feeling his powerful thundering heartbeat. “Think about the tattoo design. On one side of the door, there’s darkness and pain… and on the other, there’s light. I bet there will be light after you tell me.”
My voice cracks as emotions swirl inside me, and I struggle to hold back tears.
I’m not even sure where all these emotions come from, except somewhere deep inside of me, maybe a part of me that suspects what he’s going to say.
But I can’t dare to let myself hope.
“You’re so beautiful, butterfly,” he says. “Inside and out.”
Brushing the hair from my face, and tickling me behind the ear, he leans down and kisses me on the cheek gently.
“When I first saw the photo of you, I instantly knew you belonged to me. That all of you belonged to me, Mia. And most of all… your future, your children. Our children.”
His voice shakes like a volcano on the verge of erupting, like he can’t contain the fire in him. In the end, I sense indecision, as though part of him wants to take this back, as though part of him isn’t sure he ever should’ve said it to begin with.
My throat closes as sobs choke me.
“You want us to have children together?”
“I told you it was crazy,” he says, his voice deep, gruff, and possessive. “But yeah, it’s the truth. I wanted it the first moment I saw you and with every text we exchanged, I wanted it more, wanted you more, wanted our future more.”
He grabs my shoulders, lengthening his arms so he can stare down at me.
His features are unchained, his eyes staring in ownership, his touch fierce.
“I own all of you,” he growls. “No man has ever touched you, and no man ever will. Your lips, your perfect tits, your horny young body… your sex, and your core, Mia. All of you belongs to me.”
He holds me tighter, leaning down, his breath beastly hot as it shimmers over my skin.
“There’s nothing I want more than to support you, move you out of that apartment, get your mom the help she needs… and start building a family together right away. See? Crazy.”
“Crazy,” I repeat, wiping tears from my eyes. “And exactly what I wanted to hear.”
He tilts his head as though in shock. “Don’t play games with me, butterfly.”
“I mean it,” I say. “When I saw your photo on the website, I wanted all of that too. I thought it was just a silly dream. I thought you’d laugh if I ever told you. But I want it, Killian. A life. Kids. A marriage. Everything.”
He leans down, kissing me again.