Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 88263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Stubborn fucking girl.
I want to say more. I want to push her, press her about last night, get her thinking about this morning. But Roger pulls up to my house and the conversation gets cut off.
She’s sullen as we go inside. I carry half her bags and Roger brings the rest. “I’ll get them upstairs, thanks,” I say to him. “Park the car. Wait for instructions.”
“You got it.” He grins at me, and I can’t tell if there’s some humor in his eyes or if he lost some respect for me. I’ll have to make sure he doesn’t think Keely’s disrespect applies to anyone beyond my wife.
I find her in the kitchen, chugging water. She glares at me when I enter. “Question. Am I allowed to leave, or will you be chaining me to the bed?” she asks.
I approach her fast, barely concealing my anger. She backs away, and the flash of fear in her eyes both thrills me and sends a dagger of pain into my chest. I don’t want to make her afraid—but I do want her to respect me.
I reach into my pocket. She bumps up against the counter. I pull out a black American Express, thick and heavy, and shove it into her hands. “There’s no limit on this.”
She stares at it. “Sorry, uh, what?”
“That card is now yours. Use it for whatever you want.”
“You’re really into the whiplash thing, you know that, right? Here I was, thinking we were arguing.”
“I don’t want to fight with you, Keely. If you keep pushing my buttons, I’m going to drag you up into my room and fuck you until all my anger’s worked out of my system. I’ll spank you raw, fuck your mouth, make you come, make you scream. Do you want that?”
Her mouth drops open. The look on her face screams, yes, please. “No,” she whispers.
“Good.”
“Is that how you talk to your wife now?”
“Yes, especially when she likes it.” God, this fucking girl. I want to wrap my fist into her hair and kiss her deep. “Now, I have some business to deal with. You’re free to do whatever you want, but I’d like to see you tonight.”
I turn and walk back toward the hall.
“Wait, hold on. Where am I staying?”
“With me.” I pause, looking over my shoulder. “You don’t have an apartment anymore.”
“What about when five months is up?” Her cheeks turn pink. “I’ll need somewhere to go.”
“You’ll be rich, Keely. It won’t matter.” But she doesn’t look happy, so I have a hand. “We’ll pay for the lease if that’s what you want, but in five months, you’ll be able to afford something much nicer. Now, I suggest you start unpacking your things. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. This is your home now too.”
I leave before she can fight me more. I’m pissed but softening as I text Roger and tell him there’s a change of plans, he has to come pick me up.
It’s nice to know that when I get home tonight, my wife will be there, waiting for me.
Even if my wife is stubborn and thinks she hates me.
Chapter 20
Nolan
Time to rip the band-aid off.
Roger parks outside of the Crowley mansion. I pause, looking out the window at the austere columns, at the perfectly manicured hedges. “Everything okay?” he asks.
I nod once, giving him a hard look. “Wait for me here.” Roger’s a good soldier, one of my top lieutenants, but I don’t like that he’s asking personal questions like that.
Makes me feel weak, and weakness can’t be tolerated in my line of work. Even if my relationship with Keely practically screams to everyone in earshot how soft I’m getting.
“You got it.”
“And starting tomorrow, you’re back to work on Keely’s shop. Tell the guys. I’ll pay double rate.”
“Nobody’s going to complain about that.”
I shove the door open and head inside. It’s quiet, like the second I transition into the mansion, all life is sucked out from the world. This place is a museum, a monument to our family’s power, but there’s nothing warm about it. There’s nothing alive in these four walls. Though I think Carson wants to change that.
Growing up here was difficult. My brothers made it bearable despite the fact our father was always trying to make us compete with each other. Carson and I were close back then; we were close all the way until the last few years, but our friendship has been strained ever since he got together with Ash. I hate that about him. But back then, when we were kids, it was like he and I were trying to survive this place together. Liam and Finn, they were a part of the tribe too, but not like me and Carson.
Father was hardest on the two of us. Carson because Father wanted him to lead one day. Me because I was always the first one to mouth off.