Total pages in book: 767
Estimated words: 732023 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 3660(@200wpm)___ 2928(@250wpm)___ 2440(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 732023 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 3660(@200wpm)___ 2928(@250wpm)___ 2440(@300wpm)
I went to the bathroom door and turned back the lock, knowing he’d hear the metallic click in the bedroom. I didn’t open the door. I needed him to come to me, and then I’d catch him by surprise. He’d seen a broken, frightened woman dart into the bathroom to hide from him. He wouldn’t expect me to attack again now.
I’m not broken. And I’m not frightened. Okay, maybe that last part was a lie. My hands trembled, and I focused on steadying the fingers that gripped my blade.
“Samantha?” he asked, his rumbling voice emanating through the closed door. “Come out of there.”
I made a little sniffling noise to encourage the illusion that I was crying, weakened. Not a difficult feat, considering my tears still mingled with the water droplets that wet my face.
“Come out here. Now, cosita.” There was warning in the last, a clear threat that he’d come in to retrieve me if I didn’t comply.
Come on, then, I mentally urged him, my body vibrating with anticipation.
A heavy sigh sounded through the door. “You will regret this,” he said. “You must learn to obey me, even if you’re scared or upset. I’m giving you one last chance. Come,” he commanded firmly, like he was speaking to a particularly difficult puppy he was trying to train.
I straightened my spine. I wasn’t going to be trained. I wasn’t going to obey. And I certainly wasn’t going to walk out into his scary, strong arms and allow him to violate me.
The door swung open, and I launched myself at him. I had the barest moment to register his dark eyes widening with surprise as I slashed, aiming for his throat. I’d never killed a man before, but I had to escape before something terrible happened to me. I tried to find a cold, calm place in my mind, but instead, I attacked with a furious, desperate shriek.
Maybe my roiling emotions made me sloppy. Maybe I just didn’t have it in me to tear open a man’s throat.
Or maybe Andrés was simply accustomed to people trying to kill him, and his instincts kicked in.
He managed to dodge back, and my blade cut a long, shallow furrow into his chest. I paused, shocked at the sight of his blood welling up.
I’d done that. I’d hurt him.
I didn’t feel any sense of heroic triumph. Instead, horror washed over me. Violence might be ingrained in him, but it turned out, killing wasn’t in my nature.
In my moment of hesitation, he grabbed my wrist. He barely had to squeeze before the razor slipped from my fingers. I’d lost my only weapon, and now I was faced by a hulking, bleeding madman.
Only, he didn’t look mad. He looked… disappointed? What kind of man faces an attempt on his life with such mild emotion? He could have attacked me. He could have killed me and eliminated the threat.
But the laughable truth was, I wasn’t a threat.
Keeping his hold on my wrist, he took a slow step toward me. I dodged back as far as I could, watching him warily. I didn’t understand his calm response.
“I cut you,” I blurted, trying to comprehend why he wasn’t responding to my violence in kind.
“You did,” he said coolly, completely unconcerned by the little rivulet of blood dripping down over his defined abs. “Are you really so eager for another spanking already? Did you enjoy it so much? I’ll have to devise more clever punishments for you.” The ghost of a smile flickered over the corners of his lips. “We are going to get along very well.”
“Stop saying that,” I forced out, my voice trembling. His calm was beyond unnerving. “I don’t want you to spank me. I don’t want you to touch me.”
He moved with lightning speed, and his body suddenly pressed against mine. My back bumped against the wall, and he captured both my wrists in his big hand again, pinning them above my head. He caged me in, his powerful body too close for me to defend myself.
My breath caught in my throat, fear fluttering at the center of my chest.
“Liar,” he said smoothly. “I won’t tolerate that, either. You enjoyed your spanking.” His thigh wedged between mine, forcing my legs apart. He reached between us with his free hand and lightly slapped my sex.
A strange, strangled sound left my chest. It felt… weird, being spanked there. It stung, but the rebuke went deeper than physical discomfort. The punitive touch to my most secret, sensitive area was a causal demonstration of ownership. Something inside me clenched. A shadow of the toxic fear that had overtaken me the last time he’d touched my sex made me shudder.
He stared down into my eyes, his black gaze penetrating my soul. He spanked my sex again. This time, a wet sound accompanied the slap.