Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 128812 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 644(@200wpm)___ 515(@250wpm)___ 429(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128812 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 644(@200wpm)___ 515(@250wpm)___ 429(@300wpm)
This is our journey.
Our story.
And it was always meant to lead us right to this moment.
This kiss.
But I don't have to focus or dwell on the past to know that every single thing that happened was always going to bring us right here.
I press my tongue to his lips, demanding entrance, and with a moan and a hand at the back of my head, he grants it readily.
Our tongues tangle, the warmth of his lips against mine, the place I always want to come back to, no matter the kind of day I've had. I want this with him with every breath I breathe for the rest of my life.
And true to form, he fucking pulls back the second I let my hand roam over the front of his fucking jeans, seconds away from pulling his zipper down and gaining access to his hard cock.
"Nope," he says as he stands.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" I growl. "Change your fucking mind already?"
He steps in closer, positioning himself between my legs, both of his huge hands cupping the sides of my face, urging me to look up at him.
"I want nothing more than to take this further than we've gone before," he whispers, making my heart race with the possibilities. "But dead or alive, hatred or seeking revenge, I'm not fucking you on my parents' bed."
He presses a chaste kiss to my forehead before once again stepping out of my reach.
"Your old room?" I offer.
He shakes his head.
"I don't want any of our new memories tainted by this fucking house, but I do have a hotel room. It's not a luxury suite or anything."
"But it has a bed? A couch at least? Hell, just a simple bench for you to bend me over would be acceptable."
His laughter booms around the room, making me wonder if he has ever laughed so hard in this fucking place.
He holds his hand out to mine, concern in his eyes when I grimace as I stand.
"No," I tell him, already reading his mind. "I'm fine."
"We can wait," he says. "You're hurting."
"This hurts more," I say, reaching down to grab my erection over my jeans.
"Let's go find a solution to that," he says, tugging me gently from the room.
Chapter 42
Zeus
"You can just leave your car here," I say as we walk hand in hand toward the front door. "I can call and have it picked up."
"My car?" he asks. "I didn't drive."
I turn to look at him.
He waves his free hand in front of his face as if he thinks I could've forgotten about his injuries.
"I can hardly see," he says with a smile that highlights the cut on his upper lip. "I did Uber."
"Even better," I say.
He's walking better, but there's still a hitch in his steps that I can tell he's trying to hide.
"Maybe this was a bad idea," I say.
I stop when he plants his feet and stares at me.
"I'm good," he says.
"And I don't want to be the one to cause you any more pain. I've done enough of that over the years."
He frowns, and it triples the guilt inside of me.
"We're moving forward. There's no sense in living in the past," he says with a small shake of his head that makes me wonder if the man truly means it or if he's also struggling to let go of the way I treated him. "The only thing I need from you is a promise that you won't do it again."
"I swear," I tell him, turning to fully face him so he can read the sincerity in my eyes. "Hurting you is the last thing I'll ever do. That's why I think we should wait."
He shakes his head again, but there's a softness of understanding in his eyes.
"I'm not going to coerce you into making love to me, Frankie. I'm not on board because I think it's just what you want. I've wanted to share that experience with you for as long as I can remember."
I run my hand over my head before scraping it down my red beard. I still don't know what my choice is going to be. It's a stall tactic at best.
"We started with pain," I mutter, my throat threatening to seize. "I don't want to continue that trend."
"It won't be painful for either of us. I assure you."
He tugs my hand, urging me out of the house.
"If you keep looking at me like you love me, then things are going to get really awkward right here in the foyer, considering you said you didn't want to get laid in your parents' house."
I laugh, loving that he has a way of lightening the mood.
"We'll need... umm... supplies, right?"
"We will," he says as we pause on the front porch so I can lock the door.
I don't take an extra moment to take the place in, despite knowing I'll never step foot on this property again.