Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 122440 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 612(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 408(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122440 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 612(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 408(@300wpm)
She had fought him, slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, as if she didn’t weigh anything at all, when she was no petite woman. He stopped abruptly in the dark hallway, dropped her feet to the floor as he pushed her back against a wall, trapping her there with his body. If she was being honest with herself, she couldn’t remember if she had been the one to make the first move or if he had. She only knew their chemistry was explosive, something she had never experienced and found impossible to resist.
His mouth came down on hers, and the world around her ceased to exist. The strict boundaries she’d always placed on herself shattered. The earth moved, and colors burst bright and hot through her mind. He wasn’t gentle. There was nothing gentle about him—or her. She wasn’t exactly experienced, but it didn’t seem to matter. Wherever he led, she followed. There was such an exchange of air, as if she were breathing it right from his lungs. When he finally lifted his head—and she had no idea of time passing—he swung her back over his shoulder and took her out to the waiting truck.
“Yes, well.” Harlow really didn’t want to talk about her reactions to him. And it wasn’t the only time. There had been one other. She’d reacted to him exactly the same way. It was so humiliating, and he probably thought she threw herself at every man she came across.
She’d been at the Grill with her friends, dancing, and two males, both tourists, were drunk and got very handsy with her. She stepped outside to get away from them, and of course, they followed her. She was about to deal with them when Wilder came out of nowhere and did it for her. In under a second, both men were on the ground. He’d dispatched them with such ferocity and quickness, she felt as if she’d blinked and both men were writhing, bloody and broken. The nurse in her had kicked in, and she started to aid them.
Wilder yanked her up and away from them, hauling her around to the side of the building, and just like that, she was once again trapped between his body and the wall. He’d growled when his hand had settled around her wrist to pull her away from the two men. Actually growled. She should have been afraid of him. He looked untamed. Scary. His eyes, that light, crystalline green, seemed to glow in the darkness. Was she afraid? No, because she didn’t have an ounce of self-preservation when it came to him.
Their mouths fused together, and just like the first time, he transported her to a different place—a different world where she was truly free. There was no thinking. No worry. No blame. Only pure feeling. His hand was rough in her hair, pulling her head back to give him better access. His body was hard against hers, making her feel as if she were surrounded by a fortress, steel walls impossible to penetrate. Nothing could ever get to her. No one could ever abuse her physically, emotionally or mentally again. She was safe.
But she wasn’t. She could fall in love with this man. He was born of violence. Of danger. There was something dark and twisted in him, and it called to something that was deeply ingrained in her, something she’d never been able to overcome. Compassion? Empathy? The need to nurture? She only knew that this was the one man who put her in more danger than any other. She had a deep need to nurture others, to save them, and unfortunately for her, Wilder was the ultimate male who needed salvation.
“Physical attraction doesn’t make a relationship.” She went for superior. Haughty.
“Do you really think my need of you is just about physical attraction? I’m addicted to the way you laugh. The way you are with your dog. The way you treat your patients. How thoughtful you are with your friends. It’s beautiful to watch you when you’re interacting with children. I know we belong, Harlow, whether you want to admit it to yourself or not. You and me, and I intend to get us there. You may not know it, but you need someone in your life who is willing to protect you, someone who will put you above everything and everyone else. Someone to see to your happiness. That someone is me.”
That left her with nowhere to go. As he declared his intentions, his strange light green eyes glowed like the moon. The truth was Wilder was a dangerous man, and one couldn’t be in his presence without feeling it. That should be what scared her about him. Knowing he was ruthless and hunted human beings should have sent her running. That he was the man sent to foreign countries or maybe a remote area on his own to track criminals or traitors and quietly dispose of them should terrify her, but none of those things did. The way he looked at her did. The possession. The need. A hunger. Even stark desire. It wasn’t the same as when other men looked at her and wanted her. Wilder took it to an entirely different level, and everything in her responded.