Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 125037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
“Rubin has threatened to shoot me on many occasions. He’s thrown knives at me. Once he shaved the skin off my arm.”
She gasped, her large green eyes looking like two jewels pressed into her face. Her fingers dug into his inner wrist. “He really did that?” She sounded indignant after just having threatened him with similar behavior, making him want to laugh.
He shrugged, drinking her in. Her reactions to things fascinated him. “Yep. Apparently, I can be quite annoying.” He knew he didn’t sound in the least remorseful because he wasn’t.
He gently took his wrist back so he could move around behind her, setting up a backrest between her and what would be a very uncomfortable wall. “I’m going to lift you. Let me do the work. You just stay relaxed. You’re going to feel it because you haven’t moved for a while, but everything looks good, and I reinforced the weaker spots I found.”
He slipped his hands under her arms and as gently as possible eased her into a sitting position. Her breath hissed out, but she didn’t make any other sound. Sweat broke out on her forehead, but she tilted her head back and gave him a smile that could have melted the devil.
“Thank you. You’re a pretty amazing man.” There was open admiration in her voice.
He settled her against the backrest and rolled his jacket to shove under one arm to help keep her upright. He sat beside her on the other side, sliding his hand down her arm to catch her hand. Threading her fingers through his, he wove them together.
“Woman, you’re going to make me think you still have drugs in your system if you start that nonsense again.”
She laughed just as he knew she would. He put a bottle of water in her free hand. “Hydrate. It’s important to keep hydrated.”
She made a face. “Then I’ll have to go to the bathroom. I’m not complaining about the accommodations, because you made it as nice and as easy for me as possible, but it’s seriously ugh.”
He raised his eyebrow. “ ‘Ugh’?” he deliberately repeated. “You’re a soldier. You must be used to going into terrain without a clean bathroom.”
“Just because I’m used to it doesn’t mean I have to like it.” She ducked her head, refusing to look at him. “I know I’m a mess and I look more a soldier than a woman, but I can assure you, I’ve got a side that is all girl.”
He caught her chin and brought her head up. Her green eyes collided with his. Her expression was heartbreaking, as if she expected her admission to lessen his opinion of her.
“When we get to the cabin, there’s a shower and a decent bathroom. I like the fact that you have that side to you. It means I might have a shot.”
A look of utter confusion crossed her face. “A shot? At what?”
“If we’re both total alphas, how do we get along? And I want to get along with you. I don’t say that to many people. In fact, giving it some thought, the only woman I’ve ever thought that of is Jonquille, my sister-in-law. It was important for her to accept me as her family. She needed a family. She’s like your sister, no filters. Rubin is like me. We can anchor those without filters and give them some relief from the continual bombardment.”
“Do you like her? On her own, without being your brother’s wife, do you like her for who she is?”
He nodded slowly. “Yeah, she’s special. I’m grateful Rubin has her. He’s very much in love with her, and she deserves him.” He smiled down at her without really feeling like smiling. “I’m not such a bargain.”
She gave him that frown he found both adorable and offensive. He didn’t like her disturbed over anything, and this time the frown was genuine. She didn’t agree with him. He found himself liking the fact that she stuck up for him, even when he was the one putting himself down.
“You have to have women throwing themselves at you, Diego.” She made it a statement.
He wasn’t going to deny it, so he shrugged instead. “It happens. That doesn’t mean I’m not lonely or don’t want a woman of my own.”
“Have there been a lot of women?”
He recognized treacherous waters when he saw them. “Probably too many.” He turned her hand over and brought her fingers to his mouth. It was difficult to resist biting the tips gently. The desire was there. He felt a little like a wolf coaxing a mate to accept him. He realized he was courting her in his strange, wild way.
“How come you aren’t with one of them? What went wrong?”
“Nothing went wrong. We weren’t in a relationship. I don’t date. I didn’t see any of them for more than a few hours.”