Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 108165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
“Sir, your ticket!”
Archer jumps into the seat with me, causing it to rock backward as it moves to let the next people onto the ride.
I angle my body away from him and cross my arms.
“Look, Iris. I’m sorry. I’m an asshole. I won’t even try to deny it. And all I meant was that you’ve lived a sheltered life. I want to show you the world. Private jets. Weekends at spas in Bali. The Amalfi Coast. I’m honored to be the one who gets to be with you when you experience those things for the first time.”
“If you really wanted revenge, you’d show that letter to everyone in this town and Rhodale.”
Jack’s words continue to haunt me.
“And getting shot at. Don’t forget that. Nothing screams romance like gunshots while a guy tries to get into your pants. Do you feel honored to be the first guy to endanger my life?”
“Are we having our first fight?” He slides his hand to my leg.
I dig my nails into his skin.
“Is it wrong that the more you fight me, the harder my dick gets?” His grip creeps higher on my leg and tightens as we reach the top of the Ferris wheel, where it stops to let on more riders.
The humidity vanishes. All I feel is ice creeping up my spine. This is Jack’s fault. He’s in my head. I was focused. I didn’t have to think. I just acted. I felt in control, even if I willingly gave Archer the feeling he was in control.
But now I’m suffocated by self-doubt, which is making me weak. And Jack’s voice keeps getting louder.
“If he wants you, he’ll have you.”
“Not like this.” I grit my teeth to steady my voice. “Not here.”
My leg burns from his brutal grip. My nails sink deeper into his hand. “You’re hurting me.”
“Then just relax.” His other hand grips my throat, and he kisses me.
A silent scream has never been so deafening. This is for revenge.
For John.
For Lynn.
For Steven.
Archer’s hand forces its way to my panties, and he rips at the crotch, stabbing his finger into my flesh, trying to gain entrance. He wants me to fight him. He gets off on it.
So I don’t. My mind slides into a dark place outside my body because it’s just that … a body. A shell. The empty part that will remain on this earth long after my soul moves on.
I kiss Archer back. I release his hand. I relax my legs.
It’s just a body.
Jack’s wrong. Archer can’t reach me. He can physically invade me. He can use me for his sick pleasure. But he will never invade my mind like Molly invaded Steven’s. He will never have my love or my respect.
I do the opposite of fighting him. My leg swings over his lap, so I’m wedged between him and the bar. He pulls back with a glimmer of panic as the car rocks.
“Fuck me right now,” I whisper before grabbing the back of the seat and kissing him as brutally as he kissed me. “Right here,” I say next to his ear before biting it. Hard.
“Fuck,” he growls, wincing at my attempt to pierce his ear.
“Yes,” I hiss, grinding against his erection. I’m angry and determined to beat him at his own game.
Archer’s willing to parade his affairs around town for the world to see, like he’s daring anyone to say one word to the king. But is he willing to do more than have dinner with women who are not his wife? Is he willing to have sex with me on a Ferris wheel at a carnival filled with kids who go to school with Molly? Parents who attend the same school events? Clients of his?
The ride moves another few spots and halts again.
Archer’s hand grips the side of the car.
“Make me scream …” I lift onto my knees, which makes the car swing more.
“Iris!” His body stiffens, and panic spreads across his face.
I unbutton his jeans and ease down the zipper. When I slide my hand into his briefs, he’s limp. My gaze waits for his, but his wide eyes are too busy darting in all directions as his hands claw at anything to secure himself while we rock beneath my movements. “I thought you would be my favorite ride at the carnival.”
Archer’s eyes flit to meet mine. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he asks breathlessly.
“If I had a dick, I’d say adrenaline gets me hard.”
His jaw clenches. “Sit down.”
I remove my hand from his flaccid cock and plop down beside him, making the car swing just as it starts to move again.
“Stop the ride!” Archer barks as we descend closer to the bottom. He fumbles with his jeans to get them zipped and buttoned. “Stop the goddamn ride!”
It stops at our car.
Archer grabs my wrist and drags me off the ride like an errant child getting pulled out of a store after throwing a fit.