Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 122578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
And I thought that maybe Caleb felt it too when he fisted a hand in my hair and began to lead me, taking what he wanted, what I wanted to give.
“Paisley.” He breathed my name like it was the first time he’d ever said it.
Like he sang it.
Like he meant it.
I unlocked my jaw so I could let the man pound into my mouth, the fat head of him hitting the back of my throat with each desperate thrust.
He was so much.
So big.
So powerful.
All-consuming.
Overwhelming.
I was struck with a flood of everything I had no idea I needed until I’d met this man.
Heat seared me through.
Scarring me in some way, or maybe burning through to the scarred places.
My nails curled into his thigh, praying I might be scarring him, too.
“Shit. Fuck. Yes.” A slew of curses tumbled from him, and his snaps became frantic.
Every packed, beautiful muscle in his body coiled.
Ready to blow.
The hand in my hair tugged, pricking my scalp in pleasured pain. “Harder, Paisley. Need it.”
I grabbed him by the ass and let him fully take control.
He pushed in as deep as he could go, and I felt when the tightly wound pieces of him ripped apart.
When the orgasm blistered through him.
The man a fire when he roared in pleasure.
He jerked and spasmed, and I swallowed the cum he poured into my mouth.
Sparks of pleasure at undoing him lit in the middle of me.
We slowed, his cock jerking and twitching as the tension drained from his body.
A second later, his hand was back to running the length of my jaw as he struggled to find his breath.
“Paisley,” he murmured. For the first time, those icy eyes were completely soft. But beneath the melted snowcap was torment. “You’re fucking perfect, Paisley Dae. Perfect. Wish I could be the same for you.”
“I don’t need perfect, Caleb. I just need the man who is fighting for the safety and joy of that little girl downstairs.”
Something like hope bloomed through the bleakness before he shuttered it, clearing his throat as he tucked himself back into his pants, leaving the waistband open as he reached out a hand to help me stand.
He leaned over and helped me back into my shorts.
Tender.
Gentle.
So freaking sweet.
Apparently, orgasms were his love language.
He pulled my shirt back over my head, let his fingertips play along my belly as he dragged it down, his voice thick when he whispered, “I forgot what it was like to want something other than revenge until I met you.” Blue eyes flashed in the brightness of his room, a shockwave of guilt and regret. “I shouldn’t, but I do.”
“There’s more to you than you think there is, Caleb Greyson. There’s so much brimming beneath the barriers you’ve built. I can feel it.” I brought my palm up to cover the life beat that thundered in his chest.
Severity pulsed through his blood.
Devotion and loyalty.
Goodness he didn’t know he possessed.
“I don’t know what you did in your past, Caleb, but I do know the man who is standing in front of me right now. You get to choose which one he’s going to be.”
He blinked, torn between the wrath that whispered in his soul and this pull that neither of us could resist.
I hesitated for a beat, teeth raking my bottom lip, glancing away before I looked at him and asked, “Do you think she’s in danger?”
Aggression cracked through the room.
A thunderbolt.
Then he was clinging to me again, his arm looped around my waist as if it could stop him from coming apart. “I don’t know, Paisley. I thought coming here was the right choice. Hiding her away. But sometimes I swear I can taste the wickedness in the air.”
“It’s because you worry about her.”
His head shook and he pulled me closer, mumbling the words into my neck. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.”
“I know.”
“You should leave this place.” His arms only tightened.
I cleared the lump from my throat. “I already told you, I’m not going anywhere.”
THIRTY-ONE
PAISLEY
The bed jostled, and I blinked my eyes open to find a little peapod bouncing on the mattress at my side, her beaming grin shooting affection straight into my bloodstream.
“Are you going to wake up today? You’ve been sleeping for a thousand hours, and I’ve got the hungries because I need all the energy so we can go on our ride by the river. Mazzy will be waiting because I already told her that’s what we get to do. Can we pack a special lunch?” Her little voice slurred with the thrill.
Pushing up onto my elbow, I glanced around. The room was still a bit dim, though morning light pressed in at the drapes, claiming a new day.
I reached out and brushed back a wild lock of Evelyn’s hair, giving her a soft smile. “Someone is excited. It’s not even six yet.”