Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 30151 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 151(@200wpm)___ 121(@250wpm)___ 101(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30151 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 151(@200wpm)___ 121(@250wpm)___ 101(@300wpm)
He’d been drinking himself stupid for ten damn years? Jesus.
My eyes widened. “That can’t be good for your liver, Niran.”
“Fuck my liver,” he growled, leaning in even closer. So close, our noses almost touched. My breath hitched in my throat at his proximity. I could smell him—gun oil, blood, and teakwood. Saliva pulled on my tongue at the smell of him, and my dick filled out the rest of the way.
Now was not the time to be getting hard and horny. I was injured and laid up in a fucking hospital bed, where a doctor or nurse could walk in at any fucking moment.
“I’m done fighting this,” he warned me. “I’m claiming you, Bento. You’re mine. You can either cooperate and get on board, or you can fight me on it. But I’m warning you that I will get my way. If you wanted me to keep my distance, you shouldn’t have gotten yourself kidnapped.”
It was everything I’d ever wanted, but now that I had it, had him, I couldn’t wrap my mind around what the fuck was happening.
“What about Rico?” I managed when he dug his fingers tighter into my jaw, squishing my cheeks together.
The smirk he leveled me with was anything but playful. It was cold and calculating—the look a man got when he’d locked in on someone he considered his. A shiver rolled down my spine, and my cock leaked precum. I barely bit back my whimper. When Niran looked at me like that, I was ready to let him do whatever the fuck he wanted to me. Consequences be damned.
“Rico knows, kon-dii—” I had no idea what that meant, but the way it rolled off his lips had my eyelids fluttering— “and he’s already organized time off for me, which means there’s no escaping me,” he warned. “You’re stuck with me.”
Because I just couldn’t fucking help myself and my smart-ass mouth, I asked, “What if I don’t want that?”
He loosened his grip just the tiniest bit and brushed his thumb over my bottom lip, pulling at it until it popped back into place, settling my lips into a pout that made his eyes heat. Tension coiled low in my gut. Christ. “Don’t lie to either of us, kon-dii,” he murmured. “You can lie to everyone but me. I know all your tells.” He leaned in and skimmed his nose along my jaw. I sucked in a sharp breath. “I’ll give you some time to wrap your head around the sudden change, but I’m not going anywhere. The games are over, Bento.”
With that, he straightened and released me, settling back into the chair he’d been residing in when I woke up. I released a shaky breath as I stared up at the ceiling, my aching throat bobbing as I swallowed.
I’d always wanted Niran but had never thought it was possible. At worst, I’d assumed he’d thought of me as a thorn in his side, and at best, a mere coworker. But to know he’d been drinking himself stupid just so he wouldn’t… I don’t know, eat me or something, made my aching head spin.
“I have one request,” I uttered, turning my head to look at him. When he simply arched a brow at me, waiting for me to spit it out, I said, “You have to stop drinking so much. I’m not spending the rest of my life with you if you’re just going to drown your liver.”
He shrugged one shoulder, his eyes twinkling like he knew he had me right where he wanted me. But joke was on him because honestly, I finally had him right where I wanted him, too.
“Done,” he said coolly. “I’ll make the phone call.”
11
Bento
Ipushed my blankets back, gritting my teeth against the pain that flared through every single one of my muscles. Niran looked up from his tablet when I did, and he quickly set the device aside, pushing to his feet. I waved him off, but in true Niran fashion, he ignored me, moving to help me sit up and swing my legs to the side of the bed. And fuck, the effort doing just that took, even with help, left me breathing harshly. Felt like I’d run a damn marathon.
“Going to hold my dick too while I piss?” I griped, now in a foul mood. I was hurting, and pain always made me pissy and hard to deal with.
Niran arched a brow at me. “I will if you push me,” he warned.
I huffed a breath through my nose that was a mix of annoyance and amusement. Gritting my teeth again, I allowed Niran to help me stand. I wanted to do it on my own, but that beating I’d taken had done a number on me. My ribs were bruised, as was my stomach, making it hard to use my abdominal muscles. And I never realized how important my abdomen was until I had to do basic things like sitting up, rolling over, or even walking.