Free UNSHAKABLE (Able Series Book 4) by Gigi Aceves Page A

narrows her eyes, and they bulge seconds later. I’ve seen this look before. Roxy has perfected it and probably taught my Wildflower to do the same.
    Grinning at her, I say what’s on my mind. “You’re beautiful, Sophia.”
    She huffs out loud then says, “I’m close to losing it, so don’t lie! You can’t butter me up, Damien.”
    Now, I gift her with my smile. “Not lying. You’re my kind of crazy, beautiful. I’m close to losing it myself because I want to hold you, want to kiss you.” We stay staring at each other. My smile stays plastered on my face because whose wouldn’t. The most beautiful creature is before me.
    The corner of her lips tilts slightly upward, then just as quickly a frown makes an appearance on her face. “You’re not doing this to me again. No,” she says then turns away from me. Her hands land on her hips as she takes in a couple of deep breaths. “Can you please just go before I lose the last bit of respect I have for you?”
    I’m struck, dumbfounded, lost, out of focus for a second. This isn’t how I expected things to go down. I’ve hurt her so much that every ounce of feeling she has for me has seeped out of her heart. I give myself a few seconds to wallow in fear, and her a few minutes to drown in her crazy ideas of me leaving because that’s not happening.
    “Are you done with your speech because I have something to say. I’m not leaving this room without you hearing it. That’s the only play here, so how do you want to proceed?”
    She shakes her head with an exasperated sigh. “I don’t like you right now, Damien.”
    “Well, too bad. I’d love to love you right now,” I say as I take a few steps toward her. “Why don’t you turn around and see it in my eyes. You’ve always said you know exactly how I feel by looking at them. So look! See how much I want to love you.”
    A soft gasp escapes her. How I wish she were facing me so I could see how she’s punishing her luscious lips, but force has never been a part of our relationship, if anything control has been.
    “I can’t.” She shakes her head again, adamant in refusing me the absolute happiness of seeing her face.
    I move a little closer, so close that I can see her body tremble. I hope not in anger, but in sheer anticipation of what my closeness does to her, exactly what her closeness does to me.
    Barely hanging on by a thread, a slow release of breath from my mouth creates goosebumps in its wake, and her body expels yet another quiver. “Why can’t you look at me? You hate me that much?”
    She exclaims, “No!” Then she stops. “I don’t hate you. I hate the power you have over me. You compel me to do things, to feel things . . . things I’ve buried already. Now . . . now you’re resurrecting them to life, and I don’t know if I could. . . .”
    “I compel you,” I utter these three words slowly; hoping she’ll understand the strength behind the word. “I don’t ever want to compel you enough to lose your mind . . . what I want is to take hold of your heart enough to make you love only me. I want to capture your mind enough to see a future with only me. I want your body to submit to mine as mine submits to yours. I want all this but more than anything . . . above everything else. . . . I.Just.Want.You.”
    Silence surrounds us after laying my heart on the line. I know she understands everything I’ve said. I know she’s analyzing everything, asking herself if this is really happening, or if this is yet another precursor to rejection from me. Regret fills me. If she won’t turn around to face me, I might forget about control and pin her against the wall.
    Desire wins, and in seconds, I turn and hoist her up as her legs instantly wrap around my hips. I’m glad our limbs are on the same page. I walk us over the wall, and my mouth immediately finds hers. My tongue seeks its partner, needing more of her heat against mine. She tastes so good, even better than I fantasized, and my mouth is