Total pages in book: 178
Estimated words: 170884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 854(@200wpm)___ 684(@250wpm)___ 570(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 170884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 854(@200wpm)___ 684(@250wpm)___ 570(@300wpm)
Twitch looked at me and blinked, completely resigned. Lifting his hand, he cupped my cheek tenderly, running his thumb along my jaw. And the action told me all I needed to know.
He was with me.
What decisions were made from now on, we made for us. For our pack.
“That’s disgusting,” stated Luka, and when we both turned to face him, he looked kind of ill. “You guys are fucking disgusting, you know that? Also—” He leveled a glare on Twitch. “—where the fuck do I find one like her?”
I felt my king’s body shudder under mine in silent laughter. But I kept my eyes on Luka.
Fate had brought us together time and time again, but I wouldn’t take that for granted. Tomorrow wasn’t promised to us. So I fought to keep us safely together.
“He’s mine, Luka. Mine and mine alone.” My voice trembled, and I hated how weak I felt then. The words came out slow. “You can’t have him.”
Luka watched me closely, and the newfound king’s eyes darted over to the fallen royal behind me. A long moment passed before he rolled his eyes and uttered, “You know what?” Luka uttered before slapping his hands down onto his thighs, and then pinned me with a lighthearted stare. “I don’t even want him.”
Oh, shit.
And I could breathe again. “Oh, good.”
Could they see the way my heart was beating out of my chest?
I hoped not.
“Well...” As I stood, I licked my lips and feigned my composure. “As nice as this has been, Luka, we need to get home to our son.”
Twitch took my trembling hand in his and squeezed it in a silent show of support, and when Luka glared down at our entwined hands, he stood with a long sigh. “Whatever.” His lips pulled down. “Take that sappy shit out of my house, a’ight?” He pointed toward the front door. “Bounce.”
But I smiled. Because I had come to know Luka. And when I released Twitch’s hand and made the short walk over to him, he allowed me to take his face in my hands, pull him down, and plant a long, hard kiss to his cheek. When he finally moved back and I opened my mouth to speak, I couldn’t get out what I needed to say.
Thank you.
Luka must have sensed this. I know he did because when I struggled to speak, he blinked down at me hesitantly and muttered a soft, “It’s okay. We’re good.”
I blinked away the tears that seemed to assault me on the daily, the feeling of overwhelming emotion that hadn’t left me, and nodded through the lump in my throat as I took a step back directly into the arms of a man who literally fought death to be with me in life.
Talk about commitment.
I was beginning to see that Twitch never did anything he set his mind to in a half-assed manner. Life, work, love. He was extreme in all ways. Intense. And now that I had lived without him, I came to appreciate what he gave to me.
He was mine and I was his, unconditionally, and we were finally happy.
As we left Luka’s, I lost myself in thought as Twitch drove us home. I was only pulled from my thoughts when he reached out for my hand, entwining our fingers, and rested them on the center console. He looked at me a solid moment, searching my face before settling back onto the road. “You good, baby?”
Was I?
I thought about it.
“Yeah,” I breathed out quietly. “We’re good.”
I know it wasn’t what he asked, but it was the answer he got, and from his slight smile, it was the answer he wanted. When he opened his mouth and out came, “I fucking love you,” it sounded more like a threat than an endearment, and it was so severe, so stark, I couldn’t help it.
I snorted loudly.
And Twitch’s smile widened into a grin.
Goddamn it.
I loved this man, and I let it be known. Leaning over, I pressed my lips to his cheek, kissing the roughness there warmly, fondly, over and over, and as I moved to pull back, he frowned.
“Hey. Get back here.”
When he gripped the front of my shirt and thrust me to him, I let out a little “Eek,” as our lips met harshly. He took my mouth in a way that poems spoke of. Without falter, in complete abandon, and the earth stopped moving for the seconds our lips were joined.
How could I live without this urgent kind of love?
The answer came swiftly.
I couldn’t.
I wouldn’t.
And as my eyes fluttered open again, I felt my cheeks warm while the headiness subsided. I stared at the man opposite me a long while, and when he turned back to wink at me, my stomach coiled tight.
It didn’t take a genius to work out our brand of love was rare.