Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 118309 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 592(@200wpm)___ 473(@250wpm)___ 394(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118309 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 592(@200wpm)___ 473(@250wpm)___ 394(@300wpm)
“Yes,” I reply, nodding. “It matters to me.”
“Why?” He truly looks confused, like he can’t possibly understand why I am upset.
“Because this is the exact opposite of my beliefs. I’m a doctor. I save people’s lives for a living and you… you take them.”
After a disappointed flare darts through his eyes, he spins back to face the elevator panel and jabs the button several times to hurry it along. He wants our conversation over, whereas I know it is only just beginning, although my next set of words are harder to speak than they should be. “Marital privileges are the spouse’s choice.” Cracks form in my heart when I say, “That means if I want to testify against you, there is nothing you can do to stop me,” proving I’m not scared of the repercussions for threatening him. I’m petrified of losing him like I did my father, and in all honesty, I hate myself for that.
“I know,” Maksim replies, his voice low and softly spoken. “But you won’t.”
I laugh like I am as loony as he is. “Don’t be so sure.”
“You won’t.” His confidence agitates me to no end. “But even if you did, you were not technically present, so your testimony will be pointless.”
“You just admitted guilt. I could have you put away for life.”
“You could,” he agrees. “But you won’t.” He hits the emergency stop button before he turns back around to face me, his speed dangerously slow. “I know you—”
“You don’t know shit.”
“I know you,” he repeats, moving closer. Prowling closer. “I know that even though your heart is telling you that testifying is the right thing to do, it is also cautioning you against it because it knows I wouldn’t have done as accused unless I believed it was necessary.” He hits me where it hurts. “Just like you know your daddy wouldn’t have done what he did unless it was necessary.”
He continues approaching, stealing the air from my lungs with both words and a soul-stealing stare that’s full of silent apologies and begs for forgiveness.
“I know that you’re upset now, but you won’t be when you step back and assess things properly.” He pins me between the elevator wall and him before angling his head so we’re eyes to eyes, lips to lips. “And I know you’re too smart to ever believe the connection we have could be staged. Fireworks, Doc. Tension so dangerous it broke through all the lies they told to try to keep us apart. Lightning on a pitch-black night. That’s you and me.” He licks his lips like his insides are burning up as furiously as mine. “Shit that potent can’t be made up. Dynamite that powerful can’t be manufactured.” He tucks a strand of hair fallen from my bun behind my ear while murmuring, “You’re just too scared to admit that right now, but you’ll get there. Eventually.”
“No, I won’t,” I try to deny. I say “try” because I need to work on the strength of my headshake and the confidence in my tone to make it more believable.
“Still a shit liar, Doc,” Maksim murmurs a second before he seals his mouth over mine.
My insides naturally contract, my body choosing its own response to his kiss, but I keep my mouth sealed shut, refusing to give in. I’m hurt he lied and that his excuse mimics the ones my father issued when he was arrested for the murders of the men who brutally assaulted my mother. But more than anything, I hate myself that I still want him after everything he did.
“Don’t.” I moan the word instead of yelling it as planned when Maksim slides his hands behind my back and gropes my ass. “I don’t want this. I don’t want you.”
My body calls me a liar long before my heart. It melts into his embrace when he curls my legs around him before he rocks his hips forward, grinding against me. My panties are so damp, not even my scrubs can hide their wetness. My body is attracted to this man, and so is my heart. It is just my brain struggling to keep up.
I guess that’s nothing new.
Maksim licks my lower lip, and my resolve buckles. When his tongue slips inside my mouth, tingles race across my skin, making all logical thoughts nonexistent. Electricity races through my face as my skin burns with heat. I’m dragged into a lust storm I’ll have no chance of surviving if I don’t keep the playing field even.
“Promise me.” His lips dust my ear as I fight to replace my moans with words. “Promise me you won’t hurt anyone else to protect me. Promise me you will always pick me first.”
“Always first,” he murmurs into my neck, his pledge given without a second thought.
Even with me pushing him back so I can check the honesty in his eyes, the throb between my legs grows, becoming unbearable.