Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 23332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 117(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 117(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
Bags rested under his eyes, and the skin beneath his dark eyes was stained blue with the lack of sleep. He smelled different, like someone else’s shower gel, and something sour curdled in my gut, twisting me up inside. I hated it. Why did he smell like another man? And where the fuck were his clothes that he’d left in?
Still, I kept my mouth shut and just looked away from him, crossing my arms over my chest like a petulant child as he carried me from Nolan’s room and down the hall to ours.
When he stepped inside and nudged the door shut behind us with his boot, some of the anger bled out of me at the sight of a bowl of pho sitting on the desk against the wall. He had a bag of skittles on the bed, as well as a small fluffy bear on my pillow.
It was suddenly hard to fucking breathe.
“You did this for me?” I asked quietly as he gently set me on my feet.
“Mhm,” William hummed. “I don’t like it when you’re upset with me, baby. And I fucked up when I yelled at you—something I vowed to never do.” He wrapped his arms around me from behind and tucked his face into the curve of my neck. His curls tickled my skin, and a shiver raced down my spine. “Forgive me, please.”
I sighed. “Let me eat and see how I feel.” But I was already softening toward him. Ordering my favorite food, giving me junk food, and buying me a teddy bear? William knew the way to my heart, and he knew exactly what to do to make me forgive him. Was giving me gifts a bit manipulative? Of course, it was. But honestly, William had been manipulating me since the moment he met me, and I was kind of obsessed with the way he did it.
Hell, I was obsessed with him.
William let me go, albeit reluctantly, as proven by how slowly he unwound his arms from around my midsection. I made my way to the desk and sat down, doing my best to hide my smile when I saw William had already put all the garnishes and sauces into the pho exactly how I liked.
He really did know everything about me.
“Did you and Rurik eliminate the president?” I asked, my back to him as I dug into my food.
“Yes,” William answered. The bed creaked behind me, a sign he’d decided to take a seat. I knew if he had his way, I’d be in that bed with him while he railed me from behind and reminded me who I belonged to. But William always took care of me above all things, and even he knew that sometimes, taking care of me meant giving me some space.
“Where are your clothes? And why do you smell different?” I finally blurted, needing to fucking know.
“Got the nose of a blood hound,” William mused. When I didn’t respond with anything snarky like I normally would, he sighed. “I had to shower. I was covered in his blood, baby. I couldn’t exactly go around town, picking up food and chocolate and teddy bears while covered in another man’s blood, could I?”
I huffed. “No,” I grumbled. “But I want you to go shower and get rid of those clothes, too. I don’t like it.”
William didn’t respond, but a moment later, he was gently gripping my shoulders and pressing a kiss to the top of my head. “Okay, baby. Finish eating.”
He released me and headed to the bathroom. I focused back on eating. I knew William wouldn’t take long in the shower. He never did. He was efficient in everything he did… except taking me apart piece by piece until I was a sobbing mess in his arms. He preferred taking his time with that.
I glanced at the bed, my stomach clenching with need for him. Maybe sex wouldn’t be such a bad idea. And I knew without a shred of doubt that it would make me feel better, too. I needed the closeness. To know we were okay. That we weren’t falling apart.
Pushing back from the desk, I quickly stripped out of my clothes, then crawled onto the bed. When I heard the shower turn off, I quickly moved into position, my legs spread, my back arched, my chest flat to the mattress. I circled my hands around the bars of the bed and turned my head to the side, closing my eyes.
Then, I waited.
A low rumble met my ears, and goosebumps flooded my skin. I was so in tune with William that I felt every step he took in my direction deep in my bones. I sucked in a sharp breath when he trailed the tips of his fingers down my spine.
“Does my pretty baby need me?” he asked, his voice low and soft. But there was no mistaking the power in his voice. The dominance.