Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 78464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
“Trying to piss me off so I go back to her. It’s not going to work.”
He gave a slight shrug. “So, are you cool with it or not?”
I’d known Theo for a long time, and he was never one to bluff or bullshit. He seemed genuine as he sat across from me, and that started to make me uncomfortable. “Cut the shit.”
“I’m being serious, Axel. I would never infringe on your territory without your permission, but if you really despise this woman so much, then I don’t see why you would care—”
“I never said I despise her.”
“Whatever. Yes or no?”
“She’s my wife.”
“And about to be your ex-wife because you sent her divorce papers.”
“Why would you even want to see her—”
“Because she’s sexy. I never told you this because you lose your shit every time it comes up, but the chemistry was there. There was fire, and it burned. I kept my distance because she was your woman, but she made it very clear she wanted to fuck my brains out, no strings attached, and use me like a fuckboy. So, if she really means nothing to you—”
“I never said she meant nothing.”
“Yes or no,” he said bluntly. “Just answer the damn question.”
I looked away, feeling the rage burn underneath my flesh, feeling a mix of jealousy and raw pain. The thought of the two of them together, Theo pounding into her flesh and making her come, her nails deep in his back, made me want to vomit into my ashtray. “I still don’t believe you. I tell you I’m about to get divorced, and the first thing you say is you want to fuck my wife?”
“Ex-wife,” he said. “And based on everything you’ve said, you’ve treated her like shit. It doesn’t seem like you would care if I was between her legs or not.” He smashed the cigar into the glass bottom of the ashtray. “Or am I wrong?” He propped his chin on his closed knuckles and stared me down.
“Go for it. I don’t give a fuck.”
His stare remained glued to my face, observing me with eyes that were like a lens to a microscope. Then he reached for his glass and took a drink. “So, what’s the plan with Dante?” He brushed past the awkward topic and moved on. There was no follow-up. No interrogation. He just accepted my blessing without question. “We’ve got to figure out who this new partner is before he makes his move. Any ideas?”
Maybe he wasn’t bluffing.
“This time, we put this motherfucker in the ground.”
I knocked on the door and waited.
A couple minutes went by, and there was no answer.
I raised my fist to knock again, but the door cracked.
Her pale face was masked in defeat. Her eyes were devoid of emotion, like she hadn’t checked the peephole before she’d opened the door. When she saw me, her eyes narrowed, and a quick flash of shock hit her face, like lightning on a dark night.
I stared at her, seeing her messy bun and baggy clothes fitting poorly.
She stared back, one hand still on the door, keeping it barely cracked to bar me entry. Minutes passed, and she continued to look at me like a wild animal that had been caught by a hunter. If she didn’t move, she wouldn’t be noticed.
“May I come in?”
She hesitated before she gave a slight nod. Then she opened the door wide and stepped aside, her arms immediately covering her body.
I shut the door behind me then faced her.
It’d been a few days since our last conversation, and it was obvious she hadn’t left the apartment or showered or probably eaten. The sight of her made my heart squeeze in pain because I knew I’d caused it and then left it to fester. “I’m sorry for being an asshole.”
She tightened her arms as she took a noticeable breath.
“I just…” I had no words to describe my turmoil. It was like an avalanche that hit me all at once. It started as snowballs then turned into boulders, and then there was more than I could handle, and I was buried deep and left to suffocate. “I’m sorry for everything.”
Her eyes started to water. “I’m sorry…”
She wasn’t in a tight skirt and a low-cut blouse with her long hair down in curls, but she was still beautiful to me, even at her lowest. Her eyes shone with her sincerity, and I knew she felt only love for me in her heart. “I just lost it…lost my mind.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “I forgive you.”
My eyes flicked back and forth between hers. “I forgive you.”
She inhaled a deep breath, the kind that made her eyes water to the point of tears. “I love you.”
I finally accepted those words for the first time, let them echo in the silence as I absorbed them. When she’d said them before, I wasn’t ready to hear them, but now I savored them like honey. “I love you too, baby.”