Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 122550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
He was her anchor in a world gone crazy.
45
Regent couldn’t stand how sad she was.
Last night, he’d held her as she’d cried in his arms, wishing he’d killed that bitch.
He could still do it, he assured himself. He hadn’t quite figured out what to do with the bitch.
But his main priority was Jilly and the sadness she wore around her like a dark cloud.
She walked out of their bathroom, dressed in his shirt.
He found that sexy as hell.
But he had a feeling that she wasn’t trying to be sexy. She appeared startled to see him.
“Regent, I thought you’d be working.”
“No. I’m spending some time with you.” He was sitting on the bed, resting back against the headboard in just a pair of boxers.
He finally saw some life on her face as she took him in.
He crooked a finger at her. “Come here.”
“Actually, I thought I might just go watch a movie . . .” She stepped toward the door.
“You will come here,” he commanded. “Because if I have to come over and get you, you won’t be sitting comfortably tomorrow.”
She turned and glared. Relief filled him. He was willing to be the bad guy if it meant she’d show some emotion.
“Come here, Jilly. Right now.”
“What is it?” she asked as she approached him. Leaning forward, he grabbed her by the waist, lifting her onto his lap so she straddled him. Then he clasped her face between his hands and kissed her. He used his tongue to push his way between her lips, taking control.
When he drew back, her eyes were glazed and there was a flush of heat on her cheeks.
He slowly started undoing the buttons of his shirt that she wore.
“I don’t think I’m in the mood,” she said as he pulled the sides of the shirt, revealing her breasts. Her nipples were tight and beautiful
“Aren’t you? So if I check your pussy, I won’t find you wet and ready for me?”
She closed her eyes. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
“Open your eyes, baby. If you’re not in the mood, that’s fine. But don’t lie to me.”
She shuddered and stared at him. “My body might be in the mood, but my mind . . .” she trailed off as a look of sadness filled her face again. He ran his finger over her quivering lips.
“I fucking hate seeing you like this. I hate that she caused this. That for even a moment you might be upset because of what that bitch did. You have to stop giving her space in your head. You’re letting her win.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I know. I know I shouldn’t feel like this. But I do. I feel betrayed and I feel stupid that I never knew what she was truly like. I thought she was my friend! I thought she cared about me. What kind of judgment do I have if I can’t even see what is right in front of my face?”
“You’re not stupid and I won’t stand for you calling yourself that. Everyone was fooled by her. She used you. Pretending to be your friend and then betraying you. She’s a terrible person. You are not at fault.”
“I bet you’ve never been fooled by someone like that,” she said.
“Then you’d be wrong. There was a woman that worked for me. Alice. I never would’ve thought she would betray me. Until the day she tried to kill me.”
Jilly gasped in shock. “She tried to kill you?”
“Yes. She’s part of the reason I find it so hard to trust. Mostly because of my father, but I will never be betrayed like that again. So I know what it feels like to be played. To think that you were an idiot because you couldn’t see that someone was working against you. But that’s on them. Not you.”
Jilly threw herself into his arms and held on tight. “I’m so glad that she didn’t kill you. The thought of never having you in my life terrifies me.”
“I feel the same way. About you.”
He held her as she cried, running his hand up and down her back until, finally, she pulled away. He grabbed some tissues to help clean her up.
“Sorry,” she muttered. “I ruined the moment didn’t I?”
“You could never ruin anything,” he told her. “And if you just want to lie here and watch a movie, we can.”
She shook her head. And he saw the need in her eyes. The desire. “No. That’s not what I want at all. I want you to take me. To remind me that I’m alive. Please? I want to feel something other than pain and sadness. Can you take me out of my head? So I don’t have to think at all?”
“I can do that, baby.” He rubbed his thumb against the apple of her cheek. “But you’re going to obey me.”