Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94686 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94686 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
“That was one of my theories.”
Chef Dubois spent his career introducing the world to exotic foods. Where other food maestros created dishes with typical meats—steak, lamb, chicken, and fish, Dubois put the high-end into game meat. His signature dish was grilled giraffe. The lucky people who could pay a hundred dollars for the dish in his New York restaurant boasted in interviews and on food shows of how it was the most tender meat they’d ever sampled. The foodie in me idolized him. Whenever he appeared on the TV screen, I dropped what I was doing, focused, and drooled.
“Jasmine?”
“Yes.”
“Did having Chef Dubois on board help stop your being mad at me?”
“It failed.” I grabbed the robe slung over the edge of the stand. “Granted, the man is a genius, but you, my friend, are a psycho asshat, so no, I’m not going to be okay with you kidnapping me.”
“That’s fine.” He got up from his bed and headed in my direction. “I have other surprises.”
“Fuck you, Chase.” I slowly put on the robe, making sure to not move my right arm too much. “When we land, I’m taking a plane right back to Oshane City. This is insane. Where are we going by the way?”
“You don’t want to be surprised?” He planted his hands on the wall behind me, trapping me in with his big arms. Like my brothers, he was over six feet and towered over my small frame. It would be difficult to get away from him if he didn’t want me to.
“Move.” I shoved at his chest. My left hand itched to slap him. He smirked at my raised hand. I dropped it. “I don’t think this is funny. Last night I considered getting back together with you, but I guess it took my getting shot and taken as a hostage to get my senses back.”
“So should I cancel the wedding planner?”
“Get away from me before I knee you in the crotch.”
His smirk left. “When I was six years old, I jumped out of bed and walked to my mom’s bedroom—”
“This has nothing to do with your snatching me from the hospital.” I edged to the right.
“Let me finish.” He pulled me back to him. “I remember there was no sound, just this quiet calm. I was actually excited and thought I would wake my mom up, surprise her like usual.” He averted his eyes. “But when I came closer to the bed. The knife sticking out of her chest told me that this wasn’t going to be like usual.”
I leaned back on the wall, ’unsure what to say.
“I ran away and screamed for a maid. I never even checked to see if she was okay.”
“You were just six,” I whispered.
“That’s the first woman I found dead, but of course you know that wasn’t the last.” A grim expression spread across his face. “Many years later, I discovered all three women when they were killed. And I know it seems impossible, but I did care for them in my way.”
I bit my lip.
“I’m still not over my mother’s or the others’ deaths.” He tucked hair behind my ear. “And last night, my selfishness got you shot.”
“Selfishness?”
“I’m selfish because I won’t let you go. I’m selfish because you deserve better, but I can’t stop pursuing you. And I’m selfish because maybe if I did leave you alone, whichever one of them is doing this would stop.”
“Who knows why the person—”
“Whoever is killing is doing it because of me. I have no doubts about that. There’s no other connection.” He sighed as if he was exhausted. “The smart thing to do would be to have guards around you and for me to leave you alone.”
I held in my breath.
“But I can’t fucking walk away from you, Jasmine, and if you think you have another option besides my love, then you’re crazier than I am. There will be no others, not in this lifetime or the next.”
“Chase—”
“Do you believe me?”
“It doesn’t matter if I believe you or not. You can’t—”
“There won’t be any others.”
I shook my head.
“Do you understand that I’m serious about you being in my life?” He tilted his head to the side.
“You kidnapped me. I’ve got the picture.” I frowned. “And I’m sorry about your mom and the other women who passed away, but that doesn’t give you the right to do anything you want when it comes to me. I’m not your woman, sex slave, or property.”
“Says who?” He pressed his lips against mine. Warmth rose in my chest, but I wasn’t letting my body dictate this moment. He’d messed up, gone past the limits of possessiveness, and promoted himself to psychotic asshole.
“Stop,” I whispered. He nibbled my bottom lip. Sparks ignited each time his soft mouth slipped against mine. His kisses should’ve been illegal, his tongue a crime in all fifty states.