Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 91212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
He looks pained as he pulls back before slowly sinking back into me.
"I'd die for you. I'd die without you."
Another pull and push, and it has my body lighting on fire.
"I'll kill any man who even thinks of hurting you again."
His jaw flexes when my body gives into the slow burn of orgasm, my core clenching around him.
"Fuck," he grunts, holding off as long as he can.
He pulls back and I feel the warmth of his orgasm coating my lower belly, his cock pulsing against my skin.
"We need to have a conversation about birth control."
I chuckle, pressing my forehead against his chest before remembering the injury there. I groan in pain as I pull my head back.
"I don't want to face the world today," I mutter instead of agreeing that we need to talk about a lot of things. "Can we live in this perfect bubble for just a little while longer?"
"As long as you want, baby," he says, pressing a gentle kiss to the uninjured part of my forehead.
Despite our agreement, the silence around us feels heavy, and I know we can't avoid life, and that includes the conversations we really need to have.
"You said a lot of stuff when we were making love," I hedge, worried that the use of the "L" word might send him running in the opposite direction.
"I did, and I meant every one of them," he assures me.
"I never thought I'd fall in love," I confess.
"I told myself I couldn't," he responds. "My entire life, especially these last ten years since I saw what it meant for Noah, I never wanted it, but it has a funny way of sneaking up, doesn't it?"
"Do you think it's weird?"
"What's that?" he asks.
"Doing this so late in life."
He shakes his head. "I think it's going to happen when it's supposed to. I just never thought it would happen to me."
"Regrets?"
He looks down at me, a small smile playing on his lips. "Only that I didn't find you sooner. I'd love more time with you."
I shake my head, pulling in a deep breath. "You're not that old."
"I feel ancient."
"You've had a busy life. Maybe it's time for you to slow down."
"I can't stop working," he says. "Please don't ask that of me."
"I'd never," I vow. "What you're doing is important."
"You're sure about that? I don't want it to cause problems down the road."
I shake my head. "It won't."
"If you stay with me, we'll end up living in the Cerberus cabin. There will be lots of people in and out all the time. It'll be a little chaotic."
"I like being around people," I tell him. "I've been so alone for a long time. Other than Faye, I've had to get lost in work and the garden in order to not be so lonely. A little chaos sounds great, honestly."
He shakes his head, his smile getting bigger. "You have no idea what you're asking for. Some of the guys aren't too impressed with me. I have a lot of apologies to make."
"Tell me about them," I urge, and he does.
He tells me what he can about cases the guys have worked on and how he let his own opinions about love and relationships interfere with Hemlock and Zara's relationship. He confesses his regrets for the damage he might've caused them, but it seems they made it through to the other side.
He tells me more about Cerberus New Mexico and how the guys there peeled off one by one, giving me more details than he gave the night he told me about losing Noah. I listen intently as he shares a lifetime of memories, regret, and pain. I laugh when he does, speaking about silly things, and it seems he has had some good in his life, but confesses something was always missing, and he attributed that to his work and the impossible task of ending sex trafficking forever.
"Now I know it was because I was missing you," he whispers as he smiles down at me.
It should be corny, something a woman so close to forty should roll her eyes at, and maybe if he were anyone else, I would, but the sincerity in his voice tells me he fully believes what he's saying, so I believe him too.
"I love you," I whisper, saying the words in a romantic fashion for the very first time in my life, relishing in how natural they feel on my tongue.
His eyes soften as he inches closer, whispering, "I love you, too," before pressing his lips to mine.
Chapter 43
Ace
"Are you trying to sneak out on me?"
The warmth of her hand trails down my back, and I groan in frustration. We've spent a lot of this last week in bed. It started with her needing rest to recover from her injuries, but we can't seem to keep our hands off each other.