Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33104 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 132(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33104 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 132(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
“What’s it gonna take to get this out of your system, Brooks?” Devlynn finally breathed, tucked into my shoulder, exactly where I fucking loved her.
Where I’d always loved her—anywhere with me.
“You.”
She smiled softly, shaking her head. “You’re either an impossible romantic or an epic asshole, depending on the day.”
I laughed. “Depending on the minute.”
The silence lingered throughout our drive as we warmed up together. The city nightlife flowed by us in technicolor rivers, and her concern for me dulled the chaos of it all.
I was still thinking about it when we got out of the cab at her building fifteen minutes later. The doorman nodded at us once and didn’t say a word when we tramped through the lobby in soaked clothes, leaving a wet path as we went.
We dripped our way into the elevator.
And by the time we passed the threshold of her apartment, my need for her was already obsessing me.
“Why did you come for me tonight?” I asked, nearly accusatory.
“I’ll always come for you, Elis. I told you that.”
“But why? Your last name means something in this city. You risked tarnishing it when you hit Lower Manhattan to bail me out.”
“I’m pretty sure I showed you I didn’t care about my reputation when I let you defile me on campus.” She advanced on me, hands cradling my jaw.
“Not sure I would’ve taken no for an answer,” I finally replied.
“You would have had I said it.”
Without thinking, I closed the distance between our lips, kissing her softly with gentle touches and strokes before pushing my tongue past the barrier of her lips.
Her arms went around my neck, and her body swayed against mine. Cupping my hands under her ass cheeks, I pulled her into my arms and carried her across the room with heavy strides. I tugged her shoes off clumsily and kicked mine to the side, leaving streaks of city dirt on her pristine white fur rug. Guilt momentarily stalled me until soft little moans curled past her lips, and I lost my fucking mind.
I sucked at her bottom lip, dragging across the pink flesh with my teeth to tease her.
She gazed at me with a puzzled expression, and her fingers trembled as they stroked my bottom lip. “What’s that?”
Fuck. The truth etched on my skin. I played dumb. “What’s what?”
She tugged at my lip, turning her head slightly to get a better view. “Elis.” Her hand flew to her heart, and a single tear cascaded down her cheek. “That’s…That’s my name. It says Devlynn.”
“I wanted to carry a piece of you with me, but it hurt too much to see it.”
“Elis.”
“I love you, Princess. I’m fucking tired of denying it. You’re it for me, Devlynn. No other person on this planet could hold a candle to you. I’m not an easy man to love. I’m demanding, a prick, and I’ll get you dirty, but I promise no one will worship you more than I will.” I stroked my fingers down the line of her neck. “I can feel every shudder, every wave of pleasure. Your body betrays you when my hands are on you, begging me to fuck you.”
“Only with you, Elis. Only ever with you. I couldn’t think straight without you. I hated you so much when you left, but missing you set in after the pain wore off. I couldn't stand being without you some days.”
I kissed along the edge of her lips, tracing my fingers on the skin of her waist and teasing under her thin sweater. “Then say it.”
“Say what?” Her hips writhed and rocked against mine.
“Say you’ll be mine. Forever.”
Chapter 16
Devlynn– Five Years Ago
I hadn’t slept in two days.
When I shut my eyes, I saw Elis’s staring back at me, sparkling and full of love. And then the smile would twist and turn sinister, laced with venom, causing me to wake up with my pillow drenched in tears.
Every. Single. Night.
I never in a million years thought Elis and I wouldn’t be together for the long haul. From the moment we met, there was a surge, a spark, an inexplicable pull drawing us to each other.
He understood me on levels I didn’t know were possible. He got the real me, not the Barbie my mother had cultivated for show. With Elis, I wasn’t an upper-class princess or a socialite. I was Devlynn.
The pain of not being with him was so overwhelming that it hurt to breathe. I glanced at his name on my phone, almost willing him to text me. To tell me he didn’t mean it and it was all a mistake. To let me know the love he had for me could overcome anything. But I knew that was too big. Our parents had ruined their lives and our chance of happiness. I knew there would be no one else but Elis for me. Ever.