Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 64683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 323(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 323(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
The world as he knew it was gone now. Life would be different from now on, and until he had the essential things figured out, the less other people knew, the better.
He had imagined he'd be thinking constantly of Guilia on the drive back home, but instead it was Anah's image that his mind conjured, and his little Anah that he was unable to stop thinking of.
Throughout his flight, all he had done was try figuring out what he should or needed to tell Anah. The part that was afraid to lose her wanted him to say nothing at all. His honor, however...it demanded Ethan speak the truth, no matter the consequences. He owed her the truth at the very least, after all the times he had been unable to keep himself from hurting her.
Even now, he still hadn't any fucking idea why his little Anah had fallen in love with a bastard like him. All he knew, even after all these years, was that her love for him was real. Constant. And he had yet to do something to deserve it.
It was already a few minutes past eleven when Ethan made it back home and parked his pick-up in the garage. Like most of Hartland's founding members, Ethan had opted to convert the second story of his shop into his own apartment. It had an open layout and its own balcony, with a shower and powder room that had connecting doors to both the living room and his bedroom.
Ethan's thoughts were still a mess as he undressed and stepped into the shower. Hot water jetted down on his naked body, and Ethan pressed his hands against the wet tiles. He closed his eyes in a futile attempt to clear his mind, but all he could still see was Anah.
And it terrified him.
ANAH HAD BEEN WALKING aimlessly for half an hour when she realized where her feet had taken her.
Oh.
She slowly raised her eyes, and her heart banged against her chest when she saw the lights were still on in Ethan's second-floor apartment. An idea seized her, and she found herself moving hurriedly, as if not wanting to give herself time to change her mind.
2 6 2 4
Ethan had insisted on giving her the passcode to his security system in case of emergency, but she had never imagined using it, much less for what she now had in mind.
Anah didn't bother switching the lights on as she made her way through his shop. She knew the way by heart and reached the stairs without trouble. With her footsteps falling silently on the steps, she couldn't shake off the feeling she was acting like some unwanted intruder.
Which she wasn't...right?
The living room was empty when she made it to the top, and Anah's steps jerked to a halt. What now? Too late, she realized how little she had thought things through, and Anah was paralyzed with uncertainty. Did she knock on Ethan's door to see if he was still awake or did she just go back -
Yes, definitely, go back!
But before she could turn around, Anah heard a door open, and she became frozen with shock.
A second later, she saw Ethan stepping out of the shower.
Naked.
"What the fuck?"
For one moment, Ethan was seriously convinced he had only conjured up an image of Anah and was having delusions because of stress. But when he saw Anah's gaze trail down—-
Fuck.
She was real.
And right now, his Anah was staring at his cock was like—-
It was the most fascinating sight on earth, Ethan realized dazedly, and the thought had blood rushing to his head so damn fast it had him feverish and feeling out of control in a snap.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
This was a fucking disaster waiting to happen. But instead of walking away or grabbing anything to cover his fucking dick, all Ethan was able to do was stand there like some goddamn peacock raring to strut for his mate. He couldn't even think of moving, the sight of Anah still staring at his cock causing his mind to completely disconnect from his body.
If she wanted to stare, Ethan thought hazily, then he would just keep standing here for her pleasure.
Chapter Twelve
ANAH COULDN'T STOP staring. Ethan was naked. Naked. And he looked even a thousand times more gorgeous like this, with every muscular tanned inch of his powerful body exposed. Slowly, she ran her gaze over him, her lips becoming dry as she took in the massive breadth of his shoulders and the smooth expanse of his chest. She unconsciously started squirming when her gaze reached his washboard abs, and when she finally saw that thing which was long and hard and twitching between his legs...
Oh...wow.
She didn't even try looking away even as a mixture of fear and excitement skittered down her spine. Before this, Anah had only seen photos and videos of other men's cocks, and they had all left her cold and nauseous even.