Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 167671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 838(@200wpm)___ 671(@250wpm)___ 559(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 167671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 838(@200wpm)___ 671(@250wpm)___ 559(@300wpm)
I smirk. “Like I said in my note, I was right. You really are a thief, through and through.” Blood rivulets down my chest. “I’ve given you everything I have. Everything I am. Even my own flesh and blood. And it still isn’t enough to stop me from wanting you so badly it makes me want to rip out my own heart and hand it to you on a silver platter.” I tilt my head back. “This is the deal you made, little thief. Your heart will never beat for me, so at least let me have the privilege of gifting you mine because you already stole it from me.”
Tears begin to form in her eyes. “You shouldn’t have done this.”
“I gave you that fucking scar,” I say, pointing at her abdomen. “So now I gave myself one too.” I swallow. “That’s what you wanted, right? Justice.”
I drop my knife on the floor.
Her face contorts at the sight of me, but I still step closer.
“Silas, don’t do it,” Heath warns, but I ignore him.
“Use the knife I gave you. C’mon, give it your best shot. I won’t stop you this time.” I open my arms. “Take my fucking heart … you need it more than I do.”
Her eyes flicker with shock from those words.
I’ve said them before, but maybe she never understood what I meant until now.
“You fell in love with her,” Max mutters from the door opening.
“You asshole,” she says through gritted teeth.
Her knife clatters to the floor as she storms at me, grabs my face, and kisses me.
I’m stunned.
Fucking stunned beyond comprehension.
She’s actually fucking kissing me.
And my fucking heart is beating faster than it ever has before.
I pull away and scan her face, her downturned, red lips, that quirky nose, and those deep-set eyes that haunt my fucking soul, along with every inch of her tan skin, taking it all in at once, like time has suddenly come to an abrupt halt, and all that’s left is her and me.
“This little thief called Ivy … and the lying psycho whose cruel heart she stole,” I murmur. “What a story.”
Her lips slowly part. “You’ve never called me by my name.”
A filthy grin forms on my face. “How does it sound?”
She begins to smile too. “Odd. You’ve called me thief and twig so many times now, I’ve grown used to it.”
“Wait a minute … you actually like him?” Heath narrows his eyes.
“Like is a big word,” Max jokes before I can even speak up. “More like hate-to-like.”
“She’s a thief who’s an expert at hiding things,” I say. “Aren’t you?” I nip at her lips, biting, tugging until it bleeds so I can suck up the droplets. “I already knew you were a filthy one the moment I got my hands on you.” I stare into her eyes, wanting to see the reaction unfold. “You were dying for someone to come and eviscerate the people who fucked you over.” I drag my thumb across my scar and wipe the blood on her lip too, mixing us together. “Someone who could show you how to use your rage. Your fear. And all your diabolical needs.” I push my thumb deep into her mouth, deeper than her fucking uvula, and she still doesn’t gag.
And fuck me, that greedy look in her eyes does something to me.
“You’d better pick up that knife and kill me now,” I say. “I’ll never be satisfied, Ivy. I’ll chase you to the ends of this earth if I have to.”
“No,” she says, her tongue wrapping around my thumb.
“Last chance, twig.”
“You’d better believe he means it,” Heath says, sporting an equally excited grin.
Still, she kicks the knife farther away.
My heart twists into violent knots when I look at her, but not in the way it used to.
I don’t want to hunt her for the thrill … I want to hunt her to make her fucking mine.
A smirk forms on my face as I curl my fingers underneath her shirt. “Is that the way you’re going to treat the beautiful knife that gave you this pretty scar?” I pull up the shirt and push down her pants, running my fingers along the ridges of her marked skin until her whole body erupts into goose bumps.
This body has been through so much. “You really need to eat more, twig. Put some meat on those bones.”
“Meat … like this?” Heath grabs his package, making us all laugh.
“You’re ridiculous,” she says, narrowing her eyes. “You want to love me? Then start by begging.” She puts a flat hand on my chest to keep me at bay. “On your knees.”
My eyes twitch, but I still do what she says, dropping to my knees in front of her because she asked so nicely.
“Max, tie him up.”
Max points at himself like he can’t believe she’s trying to rope him into this, but with one stern look, he swiftly runs to my cabinet and takes out some rope.