It worked. My Cinderella girl is snuggling in my arms. I’ve been awake for a while, well rested after sleeping for some of the best hours I have in a long time. With her nestled into me, I found peace even though the scent of her hair in my nostrils is simultaneously calming and arousing by turns. One of my biceps is her pillow. The other is over her, shielding her. And she, the wicked creature, is moving into me whenever I shift. It took me a while to think of the right word. But my lass is a snuggler. Both parts of that are true. Cleo is mine, as surely as I’m hers. Six months without her. Four without even knowing her name. Then I found her, my pretty little assassin, working for another mafia. When I discovered her job, I laughed aloud. No soft princess, my wife-to-be. She is as deadly a woman as a man with a soul as black as mine could hope to seduce. The lass who tried to murder me. That might be the most appealing part of her. She’s from my world. If I told her I couldn’t bear to count how many people I’ve killed, though I could draw every one of their faces, that wouldn’t scare her. Would she understand if I said I want to take the business straight? Ish. I think she would. Maybe one of those companies that tests your security. I can see her by my side as we build something better. I’m not going to let her go. She’s mine, but doesn’t know that yet. I lie next to her and stroke her skin idly, as though I’m not obsessed with her. And that’s when I hear it. “How did you know I’m awake?” Her voice is sweet and still throaty with sleep. “Your breathing. I heard it change. She heaves a sigh. “I’ll have to work on not exhaling so loudly. Nearly got me killed last night. I shake my head. “Last night it was your scent that gave you away. Like lemon meringue. “I thought you were asleep,” she murmurs. “I don’t sleep much. Too many things to do. ” I smooth my hands over her side and she arches into my touch. Then her body tenses. “How do you know my name?” My hand stills. Then slips over her abdomen and tightens. I knew this moment would come. The depth of my obsession for Cleo was never going to stay hidden forever. I just thought it would be secret for a little longer. “Because I searched for you, Cleo. One evening wasn’t enough. I searched. I neglected my work, I let people off. I’ve barely slept for six months without you, Cinderella. “But…” She shifts and before I can stop myself I grip her close to me, then I realise she’s trying to turn over, towards me. I allow her. “Ian, I nearly killed you. “My bonnie, bonnie lass. ” I take in her black hair, spread across my pillow. Plush pink lips. A little swollen maybe, from taking my cock. Blue eyes. I’ve never seen anything as lovely as her. And she’s peeved. My dangerous love. She’s like a furious kitten. Yes, she has claws that will slice me open, but she is impossible to take seriously because my heart swells with affection that she’s so cute. “In the photos. ” She pushes my shoulder and I obediently roll onto my back, taking her with me. She sits up, straddling me. “You had a beard. And it said you were shorter. Ian, I didn’t recognise you. I nearly shot you from across the room. “Risk worth taking. ” I shrug although someone is going to get disposed of for planting the old photos with the Whitlocks and not being able to judge height. “You didn’t shoot, and now I have you. “Ian!” She slaps my bare chest and I swear she’s enjoying repeating my name, like I’ve said her name over and over as I’ve jerked off in the last couple of months. “Be serious!” I just laugh and catch her hand, lacing our fingers. We fit perfectly. Her little hand notches into my bigger one. Being with her is like a strategy happening exactly as I designed. She takes me in and seems a little unsure. “What do we do now? Since I’m your captive. “We have breakfast. Plan our life together. Then I take your virginity. ” And it’s just a guess from how she responded last night, like everything was fresh and new, but it’s accurate because her eyes open wide and she bites her lip, and nods. Speechless at last. I will be her first and only. I grab her up into my arms, squeezing her bottom as I stand and carry her to the wardrobe. I slide her down my chest and wrap her in one of my white shirts. She rolls up the sleeves and buttons the front as I dress. I tuck her into my side and she fits perfectly under my arm as we walk down the grand staircase. In the kitchen I push Cleo onto a sofa and make coffee, lacing hers with milk and sugar. Then I cook breakfast. Toasted oats cooked with lashings of cream. Honey, chopped dates, and crunchy seeds on top. She chatters, examining everything, passing her fingers over ornaments, and pointing out flaws in my security. I admit I left half my alarms off deliberately to be sure she got in and she tells me off like we’ve already been married for a decade. I love it. I adore her. “This is so good. ” She gives me a running dialogue of what parts of the breakfast she likes. I listen and fuck I adore her vibrancy. I probably should be ashamed of being crazy about a girl half my age, but I don’t care. I’m gone for my lass. My cock is solid just looking at her. “About the plan,” I say once we’re on our second cup of coffee, comfortable as if we’ve been doing this for years. She opens her mouth and I put my finger over her pink lips, silencing her. “I want your utter capitulation. Every part of your surrender. I will own every part of you, body and soul, and the only compensation you’ll have is to own me too. ” Hardly a fair exchange. Her sparkling beauty and innocence for my scarred, embattled self. That and an obscene amount of money. She’ll never want for anything. “I will provide endless pleasure. I’ll make you come so hard and thoroughly, you’ll be ruined for any other man. ” I’m not above playing dirty. I’ll make her body my own. “I need you to be irrefutably mine. So much so, it cannot be denied by anyone that you belong to me. “Well I can get on board with that. And I have an idea of how to do it. ” She gets this naughty smile on her face, and takes a deep breath. “Fuck a baby into me. God but is there anything she could have said that makes me harder? How did she know that’s what I was planning? The thought that she wants that too is overwhelming. My cock is filling with blood, engorging further. Getting long and hard and absolutely ready to fill her with my seed. Breed her. “Cinderella,” I growl. “Don’t play. ” Because if she says that again, I will take her up on it. “I mean it. My father won’t give me up without a fight. I’m his daughter, but it’s not sentimental. He hates you for that little game of war over the last two months. I drag my hand through my hair. “He’ll have to get used to it. I’ll never let you go. That possessive declaration makes her smile and step closer. “I can live with that,” she murmurs, eyes shining. “I want that. “You would be mine to protect and love. I’ve known that from when I first laid eyes on you, Cleo. But if I haven’t been bare inside your virgin pussy, I might still convince myself you’re not mine to keep. ” My voice is rough, almost harsh. “But the idea that after you’d come on my cock—because you absolutely would come on my cock at least once—that you wouldn’t belong to me is laughable. You’d be mine. She nods eagerly all the way through my speech. “What if I beg?” “Are you going to?” I demand. Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates… “Please. ” She shifts, standing on tiptoes and takes hold of my collar, pulling me to her and whispers against my lips. “Please Ian Abernathy, I want you to be my first and only. I’ve been dreaming of you. I’ve never felt anything like what you gave me last night. Please fuck me with that big cock of yours. I want to feel you inside me. I want it to be you. “That’s the begging I was thinking of, yes,” I grind out. Yes, I love her begging, but I’ll enjoy this even more. “So you’re free. Her face drops in horror and she’s shaking her head. Sweet lass. She has no idea. I smile at her distress. My feral and dark side has been unleashed by the way this has all played out. I lured her here. She tried to kill me. I want to have her running scared, just for a moment. “This is your last chance to escape. If I catch you again, Cinderella, I’ll own you. Her breath snags and eyes light as she understands. “You’ll chase me,” she whispers slowly. I can’t wait to overpower and take her. All her lithe strength and lean muscles. She’s a prize worth pursuing and fighting for. Worth searching for six months and plotting to make mine. “Understood. ” She nods, a smile of challenge and anticipation spreading across her face. She draws away. “If you catch me, I’ll be yours, body and soul. ” I’m going to catch her, breed her, keep her. “That’s what’s at stake, Cleo. You get a ten-second head start. I peel off my suit jacket and toss it onto the floor. My socks follow, for better grip. My canny girl notices, and sees why. Next I tug my shirt over my head. It falls onto the tiles as my gaze meets with her blue eyes, so blown out they’re almost black. Title: A Second Chance by CrushReel In "A Second Chance," Clarissa and Pierce, once the epitome of a perfect couple, drifted apart as life's challenges tested their love. Following their divorce, they embarked on separate journeys. However, fate may have other plans as circumstances lead them back towards each other. Will they seize this second chance at love or let past wounds hinder their reconnection? This contemporary drama novel intertwines themes of love, loss, and the complexities of relationships against a backdrop of time travel and reincarnation. Readers will be captivated by the intricate exploration of how destiny plays a role in bringing souls together across different lifetimes. What sets "A Second Chance" apart is its compelling narrative that delves into the intricacies of human emotions and the enduring power of love. Dive into this engaging tale that transcends time and space, available to read at CrushReel for those seeking a poignant story that resonates with the heart.