Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 49907 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 166(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49907 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 166(@300wpm)
“What are you doing here?” I asked in place of answering.
“I needed to see you up close.”
That implied he’d seen me from a distance. I scoffed, crossing my arms like it would protect me from the weight of his presence. “So, you show up in my bedroom?”
“I just need you to listen,” he said, cutting me off, his voice soft but commanding. “Can you do that for me?”
“How the hell did you even get inside the house?”
He smiled, and my stupid heart flipped. “Cherish left the door unlocked. Convenient, isn’t it?”
“More like reckless,” I shot back, my arms tightening. “You need to leave.”
“I’ll go,” he assured, way too smoothly, his tone almost playful. “After we finish talking.”
That word felt like a cruel joke, given the way he looked at me, like I was still his.
“You don’t get to decide when we talk, Wilder,” I snapped, desperate to drown out the war raging inside me. “And you sure as hell don’t get to just show up here like this just because you can.”
“But I did show up, Mint,” he replied, his tone softening, “You’re going to listen to me whether you want to or not. We can always do this the hard way. I know that’s your favorite.”
My face flushed. I tried to hold his gaze, but my mind betrayed me, spiraling. It felt much longer than two long, miserable weeks since I’d felt him inside me. We’d always been insatiable, unable to get enough of each other, stealing moments whenever and wherever we could. Sometimes it wouldn’t even be sex, he’d just hold me close and everything else melted away.
The memories twisted something sharp and ugly in my chest. It disgusted me how much I missed him.
My body ached for someone who clearly wasn’t mine, not wholly. My heart was one thing. It had belonged to him and only him for years. He was my first everything beyond a few meaningless kisses. I thought I was safe in his hands. My eyes began to burn, and I silently cursed.
“I can’t stand that look on your face.”
Why did that sound so sincere? He pushed off the wall, closing the distance between us in a few quick strides. My breath caught as I really took him in—slacks and a button that hugged his fit frame. I shifted, instinctively stepping to the side, keeping my eyes locked on him. I wasn’t afraid of Wilder, I never had been, but I knew he thrived on control. I had always happily given it to him. Now he could go fuck himself.
“You need to leave,” I repeated, my voice firmer this time, though it still wavered under the weight of his stare. I was starting to sound like a broken record, but I didn’t care.
“I’m not going anywhere. Not until we talk. You owe me that much.”
I couldn’t do this. I wasn’t ready. I didn’t want to. I’d blocked him for a reason. God, I wanted him close as much as I wanted to put his beautiful face through a wall. Is this what they meant by there was a thin line between love and hate? Did it apply when you were trying to force yourself to stand on one side of it?
“I owe you?” My voice cracked. “I’ve given more than enough, and it wasn’t—.”
He was suddenly right in front of me, his arms pulling me in before I could stop him. His warmth, his scent, it hit me all at once, like a battering ram on the resolve I was clinging to.
“Get off me.” I pushed against his chest, but it was useless. He didn’t budge like he had before.
“Calm down.” He spun me around, pressing my back against his front.
He carried me to the bed like I weighed nothing and sat down, pulling me with him until I was perched on his lap, my robe rising up. My pulse raced, my breath shallow as his hands gripped my hips, keeping me in place.
“Wilder,” I ground out, my voice shaking with frustration and nerves.
“Mint,” he countered playfully. “We’re going to talk.” He moved some of my hair aside and brushed his lips over my shoulder blade. “I’ve missed you. Missed us.”
“And all the bitches in your phone seem to have been missing you too.”
I felt his lips curve into a smile. “Right. That’s what I wanted to talk about.”
I stiffened instantly, my body going rigid. “I don’t want to talk about them,” I snapped, fighting against his hold. “Let go of me!”
He ignored my struggles and held onto me with ease. “Do you honestly think I would cheat on you? Risk us? Risk you?”
His hand pressed firmly over my mouth, silencing my next tirade of protests. My chest heaved in a way that made my pulse hammer in my ears.
“I never would have touched Hughes if I’d known I would one day have you. The thing with her can’t even come close to what you are to me. She is nothing. You’re everything.”