3\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
riantet onyo to cry VINY\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t let anyone disrespect my woman\u00a0<\/p>\n
Violet\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou must have a death wish, laying your hand on my woman like that. You\u2019ve got two seconds to take it off.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The voice cut through the mall, echoing until every whisper died. My heart jolted so hard it hurt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knew that voice. I knew it in my sleep.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was the same voice that had growled low in my ear as he took me from behind against the glass mirror, his breath hot on my neck, daring the world to watch as he fucked me. The same voice that had groaned low and raw as he pushed deep into my mouth, making my eyes water and my pulse race. The same voice that helped me when nobody did.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hades.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I blinked once, twice, and turned. I was right.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Walking toward us, hands in his pockets as if he owned every inch of the ground beneath him, was Hades. The black suit fit him perfectly, then again, I suspected every suit in existence was made for him. His black hair was immaculately styled, and those piercing blue eyes were darker now. Even though I\u2019d met him only that day, I already knew they only darkened when he felt a certain emotion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The question was which one was it now?\u00a0<\/p>\n
When his gaze locked on mine, I froze. My heartbeat stuttered. Then the reality of my position crashed back on me, I was on my knees, a crowd watching, this woman\u2019s hand twisted painfully in my hair. Heat burned in my cheeks, and I dropped my gaze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why was I embarrassed?\u00a0<\/p>\n
It had been years since I\u2019d felt anything close to shame. Life had taught me embarrassment was a luxury, something you discarded if you wanted to survive. Not even Matthew had ever made me feel it. And yet, the thought of Hades seeing me like this, on my knees, degraded, made small, gnawed at something inside me. I didn\u2019t want him to see me this way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t want him to think I was like everyone else thought was.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The tears were threatening to come, but I refused to be weak.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I lifted my hand and touched the woman\u2019s wrist, my voice low. \u201cLet go of me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She blinked, but her grip didn\u2019t loosen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hades tilted his head, his voice turning cold. \u201cYou\u2019re still holding her? You really want to lose those filthy hands.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Something in the way he said it made the air in the room change. And whatever she heard in his tone was enough to cut through her defiance, because she instantly yanked her hand back, stumbling one step away from me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I ignored the woman\u2019s smug, painted face and braced my palms against the cold floor, willing myself to stand. But before I could move, Hades was in front of me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One moment I was kneeling alone in the middle of a crowd, the next he was standing over me like everyone else was background noise. He didn\u2019t even glance at the gawking faces or the women that tried to get his attention. His eyes were fixed on me alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I still couldn\u2019t look back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If he\u2019d been here long enough, he\u2019d have heard every word that woman spewed, every filthy lie her man\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
a lot my VETERY\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
confirmed. Maybe he thought I really had been throwing myself at some random man for money.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at me, princess,\u201d he growled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1 finally lifted my gaze. But instead of the disgust or disbelief I was bracing for, he did something I never could have predicted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Respect?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Without a single word, he reached up, slipped his arms from the sleeves of his jacket, and lowered himself down to one knee in front of me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The black fabric brushed my shoulders, smelling faintly of him. For a moment I just sat there, stunned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My head snapped up, eyes wide. \u201cWhat are you-\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you hurt?\u201d His voice was low.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c1\u00a0<\/p>\n
I blinked, unsure how to answer, but his gaze had already dropped, fixating on my right hand, the skin red and swelling, and the scrape on my knee. His jaw tightened, something dark and dangerous flickering in his eyes. I instinctively tried to hide them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
From behind him, the woman yelled. \u201cW\u2013who the fuck are you?! Wait\u2026\u201d She squinted, then her mouth twisted in realization. \u201cAre you her sugar daddy, or what? Then I was right! Look at her, sleeping with older men who could be her uncle for money. She has no shame! How dare she!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned my head just enough to give her a flat, unimpressed look. Under all that bluster, there was jealousy in her eyes. Maybe because she could feel it too, Hades made her man look like a damp rag in comparison.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hades didn\u2019t even acknowledge her. His lips curved slightly It wasn\u2019t a kind smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you give me a few minutes?\u201d he asked me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I frowned. \u201cTo do what?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t let anyone disrespect my woman and walk away unscathed,\u201d he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. \u201cI\u2019ll make sure I ruin them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened. I couldn\u2019t tell what unsettled me more, how possessively he kept saying my woman, or how much I liked it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2026\u201d My voice caught in my throat. \u201cYou don\u2019t even know who her man is. What if\u2014\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t lose,\u201d he said simply, cutting me off. \u201cI never lose.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He wasn\u2019t boasting. It was just the truth, as far as he was concerned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I believed him instantly, and that was what scared me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I swallowed hard, suddenly aware of every eye on us, of how small I must have looked kneeling in front of him. Something inside me wanted to stop him before things spiled. But another part of me, the part that\u00a0<\/p>\n
remembered too vividly what it felt like when everyone her looked at me like I was nothing. I wanted him to do it. I wanted them to see what happened when I wasn\u2019t alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAlright,\u201d I finally said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before I could even think about getting up on my own, Hades\u2019s arm slid firmly around my waist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My body jolted in surprise, my hands automatically going to his shoulders. \u201cW\u2013what are you doing?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His grip didn\u2019t loosen. His voice was calm, completely unconcerned. \u201cYou can\u2019t walk. You\u2019re hurt.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Teont let anyone depot my som\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
That wasn\u2019t true, I could walk but the certainty in his tone made it sound like my opinion on the matter didn\u2019t count. I opened my mouth to tell him to put me down, to stop treating me like I was something fragile in front of all these strangers. But his hand tightened slightly at my waist, pulling me just a fraction closer. His mouth lowered until I felt his breath against the curve of my ear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBe a good girl.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just four words, but my body reacted before my brain caught up. I froze. Heat rushed to my face, my ears burning The protest died on my tongue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked away, desperate to focus on anything else, and that\u2019s when my gaze collided with Alec\u2019s.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stood a few paces away, black shirt stretching over broad shoulders, his white hair a little messy like he hadn\u2019t bothered to fix it. His lips curved into a small smile when our eyes met, but there was something in it, like he knew exactly what I was feeling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s nice to meet you again, Violet,\u201d he said, leaning slightly forward and crossing his arms as if this was the most casual thing in the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If this were any other moment, maybe I would\u2019ve smiled back, or at least returned the warmth in his voice. But right now, with the weight of Hades\u2019s hand still at my waist and every set of eyes burning into me, all I could manage was a stiff nod.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hades didn\u2019t wait. He guided me forward with a gentle push, and before I could brace myself, I was passed into Alec\u2019s arms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t know what to say. My mouth opened once, closed again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTake her to the car,\u201d Hades instructed, his tone flat. \u201cI\u2019ll be right back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alec nodded. \u201cOkay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, as he turned to leave with me in his arms, his voice carried over his shoulder, directed at the silent, gawking\u00a0<\/p>\n
crowd.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t cause too much of a scene. Don\u2019t forget I\u2019m the one who has to clean up after you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words were quiet, almost lazy, but there was an edge to them that made the air feel colder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I swallowed hard. For some reason, the way he said it made my skin prickle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And I was certain he didn\u2019t mean sweeping the floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
COIN BUNDLE: get more free bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nights Burn With Regret \u2014 by Nathan Perez 42 3\/3\u00a0 riantet onyo to cry VINY\u00a0 +25 Bonus\u00a0 I can\u2019t let […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-craving-the-guardian-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27958"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27958\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}