Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 110824 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110824 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
I take a breath and as I look at myself in the bathroom mirror, I panic. It’s probably lame, but I feel naked, so I decide to put on my pajama shorts and a thin sports bra.
After I finish, I walk into the bedroom to find that Victor isn’t here. I take a breath, thankful to be honest. I know that’s not good news. I’m terrified that I will never be able to unwind with him. I also know that if I can’t be with Victor, I won’t be with anyone.
I stare at the bed. If I get in, is that being weird? Should I wait in a chair? What the hell would I be waiting for? Jesus, what is wrong with me? I finally grab the remote and get in on my side of the bed. I flip the television on and turn to the channel that plays those true-life crime shows twenty-four hours a day. I’m addicted to them, and I can’t even tell you why. I curl on my side and soon get engrossed in a story about a missing pregnant wife. I could tell right away it was the husband. It seems to always be the husband. My heart broke for the dark-haired woman on the screen with a joyful, kind face. It hurt so much that tears gathered in my eyes.
“Now, this was not the mood that I had hoped for when I came in,” Victor murmurs, and I force my gaze over to look at him. He’s standing in the doorway with gray sweats and no shirt. His smooth chest is highlighted by the hall light behind him. He’s broad and tall so he blocks the entire door frame with his body. Beautiful. He’s magnificent and takes my breath away. Then again, he does that every single time I look at him.
“Her husband killed her and their baby she was carrying so he could have her life insurance. Then the bastard escaped out of the country with his mistress. Who would do such a horrible thing?” I ask. I’m not really asking him. The man was evil. There’s no explanation for it other than that. Victor knows that, but he reaches down and takes the remote from my hands and turns the television off. He puts it on his nightstand and then slides into bed with me.
“Why do you watch this horrible stuff?” he grumbles. I’d like to explain it to him, but I don’t think I can—even I ask myself that sometimes. He gathers me up in his arms and I curl into him, letting the heat of his body warm me. “Tell me they at least caught the guy,” he mutters, kissing the top of my head.
“He’s in jail but he will have a chance at parole. It doesn’t seem fair,” I confess with a sigh.
“Where is he?”
“Texas, I think.”
“What can I do to get him out of your mind?”
“He’s not in my mind specifically,” I defend. “It’s more like the whole of the world being evil and unfair.”
“There’s good in the world, too, Kitten.”
“Like what?” I huff, because I really want him to tell me something that will stop me from feeling so defeated.
“You. You’re my good, Gia. You’re my reason.”
“Reason for what?” I prod, trying to fight the smile on my lips. Who knew Victor could be so sappy. It sounds like a cheesy line. Maybe it is, but I find I don’t care either way. It makes me feel good.
“Every fucking thing,” he groans, and he pulls back while simultaneously lifting my chin, so I look up at him. Then, before I can respond, he’s kissing me. He plunders my mouth like a savage, robbing my breath and stealing my senses. It’s a kiss unlike any of the others that he has given me. This one is urgent, but there’s a stamp of ownership inside of it that should terrify me, but instead I just moan, the sound is swallowed down by him. I can feel his voracious need for me in every cell of my body. It sends an answering electric charge through me that centers between my legs. When we break apart, I can barely catch my breath.
“Have I ever told you how much I love you in that shirt, sweetheart?” he purrs.
“I don’t think so,” I manage to get out jerkily, unable to control my reaction to him.
“Other than you being naked, I can’t imagine anything looking better on you.”
I can feel my blush from the top of my head to the tip of my toes. He leans in and kisses my forehead and when he pulls back, our gazes lock. For a second, it feels like I can’t breathe.
“Victor—”
“You love me, Gia. I feel it with everything in me. We’re going to make this work,” he vows.