Total pages in book: 20
Estimated words: 17761 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 71(@250wpm)___ 59(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17761 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 71(@250wpm)___ 59(@300wpm)
Escaping my violent ex had left me drained—emotionally, physically, and financially. But I refused to be defeated. I ran, determined to reclaim my life.
One stormy night, I stumbled into a small-town bar, soaked to the bone, with desperation clinging to me like a second skin. The last thing I expected was for Ash, the rugged, brooding owner, to give me a safe haven and a free, warm meal.
Ash didn't know me, but he recognized the shadows in my eyes. His possessiveness toward me was startling, but it felt right.
For reasons I couldn’t fathom, he wanted to keep me safe.
Trust didn’t come easy these days. But Ash was determined to keep me safe, no matter what.
And as my past caught up with me—as it always did—Ash made one thing clear…
I was his, and he’d make sure no one touched me
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
PROLOGUE
EVIE
Istared into his eyes. This moment meant… everything.
“Sweet girl.” He pulled back and cupped my face, staring deep into my eyes. “I’m going to show you how you should have been treated.” He leaned in and kissed me. “I’m going to worship every part of you.” He rested his forehead against mine again, and we breathed the same air. “I’m never letting you go.”
His words were profound, maybe too sudden, too consuming, but it had my heart racing all the same. I didn’t think too hard about what he meant by those words, but they sounded… final.
He made me feel like I was his with only a handful of words.
Our mouths pressed together, not forcefully, but so erotically, so thoroughly, that I was left clutching him for support. His hands still cupped my cheeks, his palms big, his skin warm and calloused.
“I’ll be gentle for you,” he said against my lips.
“Ash,” I whispered. I wanted whatever he had to give me, no matter how fast, how overwhelming. I knew that either way would be life changing. I wanted him to know what he did to me.
“I could come just from hearing you say my name,” he replied and pulled back, and I forced my eyes open, forced myself to meet his stare head on. A dark look of possession and arousal covered his face as he watched me.
“I’ve never felt this way. Never even thought it was possible after… everything,” I confessed.
Ash hummed and nipped at my bottom lip before he retreated once again. While still holding my gaze with his, he slid his hand over my side, curled his fingers around me there, and add pressure to tug me closer. But I realized it was me who moved onto his lap, my legs now straddling him on either side.
A moan spilled from my parted lips at how good it felt to be pressed against him. God, how many times had I fantasized about feeling this way? Because I've never felt this before.
“Touch me,” I begged.
Ash shuddered, his erection digging into the soft, intimate area between my legs making me shiver in response. And when his big hands cupped my breasts, his thumbs brushing my stiff nipples, my eyes closed on their own.
I let my head fall back slightly on my neck, my lips parting as I breathed out a moan. My skin felt so sensitive, my breasts heavy, my nipples tingling, almost painful.
“You like this? My touch, Evie?” The way he said my name was so gruff, so masculine, that I moaned again.
I couldn't help it.
1
EVIE
The weather was a bitch.
The relentless rain had soaked through every layer of my clothing, leaving me shivering and utterly defeated. But I supposed that was to be expected, seeing as I was at my lowest and literally couldn’t rub two pennies together.
I stared at the heavy-looking wooden door and pushed it open. A small bell chimed above me when I entered the dimly lit bar, announcing my arrival. The door shut behind me silently, and I stood there a moment, just staring at the interior.
The warmth inside was a stark contrast to the vicious storm raging outside, but it did little to thaw the chill that had settled deep within me. Because the cold I felt was buried so far into my depths that I didn’t think I’d ever get rid of it.
I hesitated just inside the entrance, my vision adjusting to the low glow of neon signs hanging on the walls and behind the bar and the soft amber light that bathed the room. Everyone in the bar looked at me, their stares intense as they eyed the woman who’d just entered, her clothes dripping with rain and her appearance resembling a drowned rat.
Yeah… that woman was me.
I looked down at my clothes, picked at them, and when I brought my gaze up again, the patrons were back to their regularly scheduled activities.
The bar only had a few customers seated at the tables—a couple in a corner booth speaking quietly with each other, and a solitary man seated in the middle table, hunched over his half-finished glass of beer. There was also an older man nursing a drink at the far end of the bar top.
I inhaled a steadying breath, the air thick with the scent of aged whiskey, wood polish, and a hint of something savory wafting from the kitchen. My belly grumbled. The thought of food was now the only thing I could focus on.
Summoning what little courage I had left, I made my way to the bar, each step feeling heavier than the last. I chose a stool that seemed adequately distanced from the older man at the counter and settled onto it. I didn’t see anyone working, but I could hear the clink and clank of glasses coming from the back room.