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)
“I see what you mean,” she conceded. “But that won’t save you from the senator. He has too much power. He would conspire with Blom to get you killed.” She was blunt about it because he wasn’t getting the danger he was in.
He flashed a smile at her. This time, the smile was that of a wolf. “Babe, you’re listening, but you’re not hearing me. I’m the man who makes men like the senator, powerful and untouchable, disappear. Or they have accidents that can only be described as such. Men like the senator fear men like me for good reason. Sadly, they don’t actually believe anything will ever happen to them because they hire security and think they’re safe.”
Harlow found herself just staring up at him. It honestly had never occurred to her that her father would be convicted of his crimes—or that someone could make him disappear. He was far too powerful. In her mind, the senator always won. Always.
She should have been shocked and outraged at the idea that someone might make the senator disappear, but she wasn’t. She’d seen the harm he’d done too many times. She’d experienced a childhood of pure trauma. The abuse had been emotional and physical, and it had been never-ending. She didn’t feel there would ever be justice, that he was somehow above the law.
“I don’t ever want you to have to have something like that on your conscience, not for me. You have enough to live with, Wilder.” She bit at her lower lip, trying to find the right words. “It’s important to me that you’re happy. Hopefully, you can live your life free of Blom and anything else that is…” She searched for the right word. “Difficult and dangerous. I hope for you to be at peace.”
“Mon rêve, you are my peace. You are the calm in the middle of a storm for me. You think of yourself as chaotic because you’re in the midst of chaos right now, but it isn’t of your making.” He nuzzled the top of her head with his chin. “I was born into an even bigger mess than you were. If anyone is capable of understanding you and your needs, it’s me. I want to be that man. I was born to be that man. When I’m with you, everything in me settles. Stills. Finds a place of serenity I’ve never known.”
“Even when I’m ugly crying?” She couldn’t help the note of humor creeping in because everything he’d said to her was beautiful, and she was in his lap, totally a wretched mess. She knew her face was splotchy, her lashes tangled, her hair wild.
“You’re the most beautiful woman in the world, Harlow, and it has little to do with your looks. Not that I mind how gorgeous you are. But that’s the outside of you. It’s the inside of you, your heart and mind, that I’m so attracted to.”
What woman wouldn’t want to hear those words uttered with complete sincerity? It was very difficult not to fall hard for him. Even if she wanted to hold back a small piece of herself to be safe, Wilder made it impossible. She was too far down the rabbit hole, despite her every intention to keep her distance.
“I hope you know what you’re doing, Wilder,” she murmured. “I can’t bear the idea of disappointing you.”
“Your father made you feel as if you were always disappointing him, didn’t he?” Wilder guessed. He brushed another kiss onto the top of her head. Trailed more to her left temple and down to the corner of her mouth. His lips were whisper soft, yet somehow managed to leave behind the effect of tiny dancing flames on her skin.
“Yes,” she admitted. “He likes to make people feel small. He always delivers his lines with a smile and in the guise of helpful advice, unless he is angry. When he gets angry, he’s cutting and snide, filled with contempt and making certain you know you are far beneath him in every way.”
He’d asked and she’d answered, but it felt strange and a little scary to share so much of herself with someone else. She was revealing things about her family, but more importantly, about her. Things she had been taught practically from birth to keep secret. It made her uncomfortable and left her feeling more vulnerable than ever.
“My father wanted to make a man out of my brother and me. He liked to torture random people for whatever fake grievances he could conjure up when he needed to hurt someone. That need was there almost daily. If he didn’t have anyone else to hurt, he came after my brother and me. Half the scars on my body were his doing.” Wilder spoke so matter-of-factly that she almost didn’t understand what he said. His voice was low, that same velvet softness he used most of the time.