Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 52864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 264(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 264(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
I went through the bag, using all the items, and then grabbed the hair dryer. I had to be ready in five minutes, so I left my long hair a little damp and put it in a ponytail.
When I stepped out of the bathroom in my towel, I found another bag on the bed. Inside were new clothes—everything I needed right down to the socks, panties, and bra. None of it was the sexiest of stuff, but that was fine by me. I loved sports bras and good old cotton undies.
“Thank you!” I called out, knowing Draco was in the next room, probably listening in.
I dressed quickly and rushed out into the main living area, where I found him standing by the door in a black suit. His dark hair had been cut into a stylish look: shorter on the sides and back with a little length on top. Just enough for a few locks to fall onto his forehead. The suit was tailored perfectly for his tall, lean, muscular build, giving him the appearance of a man who had all the confidence in the world. Maybe he did.
“You look…nice,” I said with a tickle in my throat, but what I really meant was that he looked breathtaking. I couldn’t take my eyes away.
Up until now, he’d hidden behind a curtain of black hair and loose jeans. Now, his angular jaw and pronounced cheekbones were out in the open. His lips, too. Their fullness made me wonder how soft they were or how they might feel on my mouth.
Shit. I hope he didn’t hear that. If he had, then I hoped he was gentleman enough to pretend he hadn’t.
He straightened his blood red tie. “Do you like your clothes? I would have gotten you something more formal, but I know you prize comfort over all else.”
“And you would be right. Plus, can’t go wrong with jeans.” My top was some light blue linen thing with short sleeves. Just right for this weather. And of course, I still had my low tops.
“You could wear a flour sack and make it look dangerous.”
I laughed. “Okay, lover boy. Don’t lay it on too thick.”
He walked toward me and looked down, capturing me in his intense gaze. “I mean it, Piper. You are truly a beautiful woman. Promise you will do much better than Leo when you finally settle down. You deserve it.”
My cheeks heated with his words. “I swear to never, ever give myself to a cheating bastard again.”
He grinned, remaining perfectly still, staring at my lips.
He was about to kiss me.
My insides rolled, afraid of what might happen. What if it opened a door I couldn’t shut? I already struggled with my inability to walk away. His lips on my mouth just might seal the deal. Point of no return.
A man like Draco wasn’t the type you stopped wanting or thinking about. Not ever. And if he kissed me, it would only make the wanting more agonizing. More memories to stew over. It was dangerous to fool around with this kind of addictive desire. It could end up life threatening.
“You are right. And it would also be a mistake to start something that will only end quickly,” he said.
What was that? He sounded a little defeated. “You have to promise that whatever we face today, you won’t stop fighting them, Draco. You won’t give in to whatever they want you to do.”
He inhaled slowly, trouble in his eyes.
“What?” I asked.
“If things should go badly, and I appear to be failing, can you do something for me?”
“Failing, like…taking the wrong path?”
He nodded.
“Sure. Anything.”
“I want you to kill me,” he said.
My heart dropped to my knees, and I took a step back. “Draco.”
“I mean it, Piper. If I start sliding into some dark, sick state of mind, you have to kill me.”
Where was this coming from? And why did he believe I could kill him?
He lowered his head, staring with a determined look in his pale gray eyes. “Think of your family. Think of everything you love, and then imagine me tearing them to pieces until there is nothing left. Because if your dreams are true, then there is a strong likelihood those dreams are about to happen despite my efforts.”
I shook my head no. “I don’t remember those dreams. And I won’t do it.”
“Why the fuck not?” he asked.
“I see how hard you’re fighting to stop all this, and a man who’s willing to give his life to do good can’t be bad. It’s illogical.”
“But if you could remember your dream, Piper, if you knew the sort of pain and punishments I’m going to inflict on you—”
“Dreams, Draco! Fucking dreams.”
He groaned out a sigh and pressed his hand to his forehead. “They mean something. I know they do.”
This conversation was going nowhere. “You told me that you lived almost thirty years of your life in some dreamlike state. And those moments were likely a mixture of good and bad. So you, of all people, understand that a nightmare isn’t any more real than a beautiful dream with the fiancée you once loved so much.”