Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 90075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
“If you truly believe that, then you’re an even bigger fool than I feared.”
“Do you need yet more proof?” He shrugged. “More than I’ve already given you? Fine!” His eyes narrowed as ice replaced all fire. “As your lover, I wouldn’t be able to walk away from you after you gave me such a bone-snapping blowjob. As your boyfriend, I would do whatever it took to return the favour. As your husband, I would worship you until you had two orgasms for every one of mine. But as your Master...I’m giving you none.”
“W-What?” I hunched into myself. My skin puckered as if he’d just thrown snowy slush all over me. “I didn’t come in here expecting you to give me a release—”
“I believe you.” He exhaled heavily as if this conversation drained him beyond all limits. “But I can see how much you need me. I can smell your lust from here. You’ve opened your heart and spilled all your secrets, and I refuse to accept them. You deserve more. You are worth more. And...if I was in love with you, I’d drop to my knees, hook your leg over my shoulder, then stick my tongue as far as I could into your pussy until you screamed. But...as the Dominant you just seduced. A man who explicitly told you last night that we were through, you don’t get a single thing.”
My ribcage tightened as if his words were a vicious corset.
My heart floundered.
My hope died a horrible death.
If I was in love with you...
“You don’t mean that,” I whispered. “Not after everything we just confessed.”
“But I do.” He gave me the saddest smile. “I don’t want a woman. I don’t want a wife. And I definitely don’t want a submissive. I don’t want anything more than to find a cure to a disease that takes far too many, so when it’s my turn to die, I can say I did my best and didn’t let distractions or deviants destroy me.”
I had nothing to say.
No words to utter.
With a heavy breath, Nick whispered, “I’m sorry, Ella. Truly I am. I never meant to hurt you, and I’m so sorry I couldn’t stop myself from having you last night...and this morning. You’re right that I care. More than you’ll ever know, but...that’s where this ends. At least now you know where we stand. I’ll move out next week. It’ll be the best for both of us.”
He left as my knees gave out, and I slithered down the bathroom wall.
He didn’t come back.
Chapter Eleven
I GLOWERED DOWN MY MICROSCOPE EYEPIECE where slithering, happy cells mocked me. Today, we’d merged two strains of mould together to see if the byproduct would result in something that would rival the finding of penicillin in 1928. So far, the only thing I could see were two different entities mingling and splicing, procreating or possibly just fighting with wild abandon.
Lucky things.
I sighed and glanced up at Kate, my fellow scientist and friend. “Anything on your end?”
She shrugged and tucked flaming red hair behind her ear. “Nope. You?”
“Lots of bumping and grinding but nothing spectacular to report.”
“Bumping and grinding, huh?” She giggled. “Sounds like my lacklustre night last night.”
“Another one?” I smirked, leaning back in my chair. “Seems like Tinder isn’t the place to find a man who knows what he’s doing.”
“Ugh, tell me about it.” She rolled her eyes and made a few notes on her tablet before scooting away from the bench and putting her petri dish into the incubator. “I held out until date three to make sure he wasn’t a murderer, as you do. And...he was nice. Good conversation. Great smile. He even booked a hotel, so I felt more comfortable than going to his place or mine. And...” She sighed dramatically. “It was so bad, Ella.”
I winced on her behalf. “What happened?”
“He never really got super hard, you know? I’ve heard that some men can’t get fully erect ’cause of blood flow issues and what-not. And I feel for them, I do. It’s not their fault. But...I’ve never been the recipient of one. I went down on him; he seemed super into it. He even almost came in my mouth, but...when it came time to do the deed, I...” Her cheeks went a vibrant red.
Clipping toward her in my heels, I took her by the shoulders and looked her square in the eyes. “You...?”
She flinched. “I barely felt him.” She ducked her face into my shoulder. “That makes me sound like I have a giant twat, but...I don’t. I swear!”
“A giant twat?” I burst out laughing just as the door to our lab swung open, and Nicholas appeared.
Oh, good lord.
The sight of him after a week of nothing stunned me silent.
Kate shot Nick a look, noticing the way my face drained of all colour.
A full week since Nick had come down my throat and we’d yelled our truths at one another.