Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 91243 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91243 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
But I have enemies too.
A man doesn’t ascend to the Dragon throne without causing problems, and I fear our wedding will only fan some of those flames.
Life isn’t going to be easy for her.
Try as I might to give her everything she’ll need, she’s still my Dragon queen, and that comes with a cost.
Only she doesn’t know that yet.
When Lucy’s done speaking, I gesture for the flight attendant. The young woman hurries over, hanging on my every word. She seems a little too eager, and I make a mental note to have her removed from my plane in the future.
“Yes, Mr. Cardone, sir, what can I do for you?”
“Clean towel. Bowl of water. Bottle of soda. And a blanket. Place it there, on that seat.” I indicate a place two over from my wife. “When you’re finished, return to your area and close the curtain.”
“Right away, sir.” She hurries off, practically bouncing with excitement to serve.
It’s disgusting.
I stand languidly and make my way over to my wife. She pretends like she doesn’t notice as I slowly sink down into the seat beside her. We’re separated by about a foot of empty space, but it feels like she’s right up against me again like we were that night.
I keep thinking about her mouth on mine. About her body writhing and moaning, the sweat speckling her skin, her spine arching as she reached climax, her cries of pleasure, and her begging for more. I think of that night fondly all the time. I haven’t been with a woman since her, and I never imagined I’d have her in my life again.
The flight attendant returns with my items, leaves them where I indicated, and quickly hurries away.
“Why are you doing this?” Allie asks very quietly as I take the towel from the pile and hand it over to her.
“You have blood on you.”
Her face pales slightly. She doesn’t take the towel from me. “Where are you taking me?”
“You might be more comfortable if you clean yourself.”
“I don’t care about that,” she says, some of her anger leaking through. “I want to know where you’re taking me.”
“You’re going to my home. I refer to it simply as the Fortress.”
She shakes her head. “But where is that?”
“It wouldn’t help even if I told you.”
“Give it a try anyway.”
I shove down my annoyance. My wife is mouthy and pushing hard already. Any other woman in her position would likely be very scared right now. And Allie is definitely terrified. But she’s not letting her fear rule her.
That’s a good start.
“The Fortress was built on a private island in the Caribbean. If you’d like the longitude and latitude, I can have Lucy provide them.”
Somehow Allie’s already sick-looking expression gets even worse. “You’re taking me to a private island? As in, you own everything?”
“Yes, more or less. Half of the island is the Fortress. The other half is the Resort.”
That confuses her even more. “What are you talking about, the Resort?”
I decide not to explain. She’ll learn all of this soon enough, and I find the whole conversation tedious enough as it is.
I avoid the Resort at all costs and hate talking about it.
Instead, I give her the soda. “Drink this. It’ll help your blood sugar.”
“No, thanks.”
“Drink it. I don’t need my wife passing out and leaving our daughter in my care. I’m not good with children.”
“Rosie is not your daughter,” Allie says fiercely, hugging the little girl tightly. “Don’t you dare act like she is.”
“We both know you haven’t slept with another man since me,” I say very softly, leaning in close so she can hear. Her eyes drift to my lips, and I wonder if she’s remembering that night too.
“You have no idea who I’ve been with. Maybe I’ve been fucking the whole city. I’ve had men running trains on me—”
I reach out like lightning and clamp my palm down against her mouth. She stares in abject terror and shock, but she doesn’t struggle. Instead, she grips Rosie and stays very still. To do otherwise would risk waking our daughter.
“If you continue to speak like that, I will punish your filthy fucking mouth.” I stare into her eyes so she knows that I would relish the opportunity. Nothing pleases me more than a well-deserved punishment. “You might enjoy it. You might not. I doubt you want to find out. When I remove my palm, you will say nothing but yes, sir. Do you understand?”
She nods, her eyes wide.
I pull my hand away.
“Fuck you, psycho asshole, you have no clue—”
I reach back and grip her hair. She yelps when I grab it tightly, not hurting her yet, but the implication is clear.
“Go ahead. Finish that thought. I’ll hand Rosie over to that mindless flight attendant, then I’ll fuck your dirty mouth right here.”
Allie blinks rapidly. She’s breathing hard, chest heaving up and down. Rosie stirs gently, and I can tell Allie’s trying to decide if she wants to keep fighting or if she should make sure our daughter doesn’t wake.