Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 86702 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86702 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
She lifts her hips, subtly fucking my fingers. “What’s that have to do with me?”
“After you’re done fucking out the worst of your rage, you’re going to be my new Bride wrangler.” It’s a damn shame to be this close to her perfect mouth and not taste her, so I dip down and give her a thorough kiss.
She follows me as I break it, chasing down the distance between us. When she speaks, her lips move against mine. “And if I say no?”
“You’re not going to say no, Harlow.” I withdraw my fingers, enjoying the way she whimpers in protest, and slide between her thighs. A few minutes is a hell of a recovery time, but Harlow so sexy, it’s no wonder my body’s rising to the occasion. I slide into her and leverage my arm beneath her hips to guide her into an angle that will have the head of my cock rubbing against that same spot. Her harsh inhale tells me I’ve found it.
“Why would I say yes?” It takes her all of three seconds to have her hands on my ass, her nails digging into my skin as she lifts her hips to meet each thrust. That’s my girl.
I nip her earlobe as I fuck her. As she fucks me right back.
“Because you want to be queen, Harlow. And I’m your ticket to the throne.”
12
Eli
I stand in the hallway outside Harlow’s room and listen to her fuck Abel for ten minutes before it’s clear that they won’t be finished anytime soon. It’s just as well. After how things fell out with us, she’s not going to be ready to see my face again today.
I’m not even pissed that she left my room and immediately jumped on Abel’s cock, another indication of what she’s been trying to tell me for a very long time. She’s not the woman I thought she was. The image I built up in my head. It’s my fucking fault that she’s in this mess, and she’s making the best of it. Hard to blame her for that, even if jealousy curls through my stomach at the sound of her moans, of his low curses.
I can’t even say for certain that it’s jealousy that Abel’s fucking her. It might be that she’s fucking Abel. That is an attraction I can’t afford, but I’ll use it just like I’ll use any other tool at my disposal.
Right now, Abel is distracted. I turn and head down the hallway. My people have already been pushed out, but that doesn’t mean they’re gone for good. I might have been caught flat-footed yesterday at Lammas, but I had a contingency plan in case any of the other factions tried to stage a coup. My security people will have gathered at a secondary location to await orders.
Now I simply need to get access to a phone and call them.
I turn the corner and stop short at the sight of a blond white woman striding toward me. She’s wearing tiny jean shorts, a white crop top that shows off a toned stomach, and a pair of red-tinted heart-shaped glasses that match her bright red lips. I’ve read that, in certain parts of the world, frogs and some insects are brightly colored to warn predators that they’re poisonous. I don’t know if Monroe intentionally mimics the effect, but some part of my brain shouts danger every time I have to deal with her.
Her lips curve when she sees me, but her green eyes behind the glasses don’t warm. “Eli. Just the man I’m looking for.”
I slide my hands into my pockets and give her an absent smile. It’s hard to pull my chosen shield around me, much harder than normal. “Monroe.”
She laughs and gives a little wiggle. Her white shirt is just thin enough that I can see the outline of her nipples through it. The wiggle just confirms that she’s not wearing a bra. She takes my arm and pivots to walk next to me. “We really need to talk about our mutual Paine problem.”
The hallway is empty except for us, but that doesn’t mean we’re not being observed. I shoot her a look. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure you don’t. That’s not Abel Paine back there, giving it to your woman so good that she’s screaming for him.” When I miss my step, she snorts. “Come on, Eli. Drop the act. This goes beyond factions. We’re all in the same boat.”
Maybe, but that doesn’t mean I can trust her. I start to untangle my arm from her grasp when footsteps signal someone approaching. A pretty, white woman with brunette hair and the kind of sweet expression that has no place here comes around the corner and stops short. She’s wearing jeans and a T-shirt, and the way she looks at Monroe is exasperated. “There you are.”