Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 110771 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110771 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
I turn the bed down and fluff the pillows. I don’t usually give a fuck, but there’s a contentment that fills me knowing that tonight Helena will be in my bed, in my arms, and I won’t have to leave her. This might be the first night this happens, but I am making a promise to myself that there will be no going back. Helena and I will move forward building our lives together. I will have a home and family. It’s what I’ve always wanted. I won’t let anything stand in my way.
My attention turns to the bath door when she opens it. There’s something extremely satisfying at seeing Helena come out wearing one of my shirts. It’s a worn T-shirt, faded blue and it hits her just above her thigh. Her long legs are on display, and she’s put her hair down, having brushed it until it practically glows. She’s walking perfection and it hits me in my dick, and then moves up into my chest. I rub the area over my heart without thought. There’s that feeling again—feeling alive.
“You okay?” she asks and I realize I’ve just been staring at her without saying a word.
“My woman is gorgeous,” I murmur.
“That’s sweet,” she says a light pink tint to her cheeks.
“It’s the truth.”
“I like that you think that way but beauty fades, Marco. There has to be something more substantial to a person than that.”
“The kind of beauty you have will never fade, Helena. It glows from your eyes and shows in your smile. You feel it in the soft touches you give without thought. It’s part of you.”
“Marco—” she breathes.
“Get in bed, baby. I’ll go get changed and meet you there.”
“Okay.”
“Okay,” I echo as I walk to her. I slide my hand against the side of her neck, her hair brushing against the back of my hand. I stroke the apple of her cheek and kiss her gently in nothing more than a lip touch.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
“I’m getting ready to hold my woman all night and sleep,” I murmur, giving her another kiss and walking into the bathroom.
It took me a bit to fish for pajamas. I don’t wear that shit, but there was a pair in there that Melina had bought me one year for Christmas. I kept them because they were from her. I slip them on and instead of the top, I throw on another T-shirt. Once that’s done, I finish getting ready and head out. Helena is already lying in bed. She’s curled up under the cover, her head on the pillow—her back to me. I slide into bed, wrapping my hand around her waist and pulling her back into me. Her ass hits my cock and I close my eyes at the sweetness of that. She goes stiff at first—although definitely not as stiff as my cock—but eventually relaxes. I keep my arm around her, kissing her shoulder, moving her hair so I can kiss the back of her neck. Breathing her scent into my lungs and letting that calm me.
“Are you planning on ignoring me the rest of the night, Princess?”
“Like you ignored me all day?” she asks.
I move my hand to her hip and with some pressure, pulling it so she understands what I want. She immediately gets it and turns to lay on her back, craning her neck to the right so she’s looking at me.
“Helena—”
“I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that. It’s not like you’re not busy, I get that,” she mutters.
“Baby—”
“And yeah, we’re supposed to be using this time to see if there’s something between us to make this engagement stick—”
“It’s sticking,” I declare.
“That doesn’t mean I should expect you to take time off your work schedule to be with me, I get that, too.”
“Princess—”
“And if we were a normal couple, I wouldn’t be a big baby. The problem is, we’re not a normal couple. We’re not even a couple. We’re engaged and one night two years ago you showed me something beautiful and then it was gone. Now, you’re here and you’re trying to show it to me once more and…”
“And what, Ena?” I ask gently.
“And I’m scared of it,” she admits, her voice whisper soft.
“Baby—”
“For two years I craved that glimpse of what you showed me. I tried to hold on and then, after being kidnapped and tied up, I realized that you were never going to give it back to me. Last night I allowed myself to hope once more—like a stupid fool.”
Fuck.
“It couldn’t have escaped your notice Helena that my father was a seriously twisted motherfucker who got off on causing others pain.”
“It didn’t.”
I sit up in the bed, leaning back against the upholstered headboard and my pillows. I bring Helena with me. She twists so she’s sitting up, looking at me, her hand on my stomach.