Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 127461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
He had talked her into trying with him, and now he was pushing for more. What was more? An actual relationship where they stripped each other bare. He would have to be real for her. Show her who he was. He didn’t know if he wanted her to see the truth of what he was. Hell. He didn’t know if he wanted to see what he was. He only knew that if they didn’t stand before each other in their true skin, a relationship would never work between them.
He was tired of deceiving his cousins—the only family he had. He doubted they would accept him for who he was. He couldn’t accept himself. Could Maya? If she couldn’t, he would strip himself bare, lay himself wide open, only to be rejected by the one person he had ever wanted for himself. That would shatter him. He knew it would. He’d never allowed himself to be vulnerable with another human being, but in such a short time Maya had crawled into his mind and somehow managed to fill all those empty places he hadn’t even realized he had. Losing her would make life unbearable.
He had no idea how to kiss her. He was a man. Not young anymore. She would expect him to lead. To make the experience good for her. He wanted it to be good. To be amazing. Perfect. He didn’t want to make one mistake with her, but he knew nothing; kissing her had changed everything.
He wasn’t certain if it had made things better or worse. He didn’t know what the hell he was doing, but then, neither did she. That didn’t seem to matter; the world around them tumbled away. He might not be any good at intimacy or kissing, but it didn’t seem to matter when he was with Maya. It was heaven and hell. He never wanted to stop. Fortunately, she wasn’t trying to hide her reaction from him. She didn’t want to stop either.
Gorya felt her tremble. Melt into him. Despite the clothes separating them, it felt as if they shared the same skin. He had learned intimacy wasn’t necessarily sex. It started in one’s mind, and she had firmly entrenched herself in his. She was wrapped in him now, and he was never going to get her out. He found he didn’t want to—and that was what was so damn chilling.
He lifted his head and looked down at her. She was beautiful beyond his imagining. Her lashes fluttered. Lifted. He found himself looking into blue. Her cheeks had flushed a shade of rose. Her lips were swollen, thoroughly kissed. A slow smile brought light to her eyes.
“I think step two is a major success.”
“I think step two scares the hell out of me.” He was honest.
Her smile widened. “It scares me too.”
“I don’t think for the same reason.”
Her eyebrow went up. Delicate. Blond. He couldn’t help himself. He traced the line of it above her eye.
“I was a monster long before I met you, Maya. I had this strange idea that my mate was supposed to tame the beast. Now I’m concerned that if another man gets near you, I’ll tear him apart.”
The sound of her laughter was soft and musical, the notes sliding through him, sending an emotion he was unfamiliar with. Happiness? Could this be happiness? Was she showing him what that was? Fun? Sharing laughter? She didn’t know it, but she was a miracle after all.
He stood up slowly and backed away from her, needing a little respite. He hadn’t been this close to anyone for as long as he could remember.
“You laugh, woman, but it could happen. I’m not all that nice.”
“Neither am I. I think we might be suited after all.” She leaned down and removed her shoes. “I’m going to order clothes. I just have one change of clothes, and out here in this humidity, that’s not going to last very long.”
“That’s a good idea.” He was grateful the subject had turned to the practical for a few minutes. They needed a break. Touching her had been a success. So had kissing. She hadn’t stabbed him with a knife; he counted that a real success.
“Who’s the best man here in the lair with a computer?”
That put him on alert. She had asked casually and she wasn’t looking at him. Instead, she removed her socks and stuffed them into her shoes. He remained silent. Waiting. She looked around for her backpack and then finally met his gaze. He continued to wait.
Maya sighed. “I only had a few minutes to see what Theo was up to. There was no way he had come up with his scheme to steal money from you all by himself. He just isn’t that bright. He told me he found that money was being taken from several sources, and before he could tell you, he’d been approached and asked if he wanted to go in with them. That’s not exactly what he told me, but something close. He was lying. He wanted the money for gambling and drugs.”