Beautifully Cruel
He was a stranger to me, a dark and dangerous presence who materialized from the shadows one rainy night to save me from a vicious attack. I didn’t know his name or where he was from. All I knew was that the only place I’d ever felt safe was in his arms....
- Pages
- 323
- Audiobook
- 8 hr 59 min
- First published
- 2020
- Language
- English
- Edition
- Audiobook
Shelved by 6 Litcadians
Reviews
Finished June 6, 2026
Liam has been going to the diner that Truvy works at for 11 months; if she isn't working when he arrives, he leaves. He tries desperately to stay away, but he can't. Tru finds him mysterious and attractive and is more than a little intrigued since she knows he comes in just to see her but barely talks to her. One day she is attacked while taking out the trash, and he saves her just in time. He wants her in the worst way but believes it isn't safe for her to be with him. So he proposes a 28 day arrangement; after that, they will never see each other again (yeah, like that is going to happen). I love that Tru calls him Wolfie. He is confused by how much he wants her and how amused I was by his shock at Tru not being the shy demure girl he pegged her as. It is funny to see how attracted she is to him and how badly she wants him as well. There is a lot of push and pull between these two and the sexual tension is extremely high. Liam's backstory is heartbreaking with what happened to his brother and his family. Liam is obsessed, protective and with her he shows his gentle and vulnerable side. I liked Tru's spunk; she did not let Liam control her or boss her around. The humorous banter between the two had me laughing quite a bit. I will say the first half of the book was better than the 2nd half; it went a bit downhill at the end, but still a very enjoyable read. “You’re beautiful, wolfie. Has anyone ever told you that?” “I’m not afraid of you,” he says, his dark eyes turning coal black. “I’m afraid for you. For all the ways I should scare you but don’t.” His voice drops. “For everything I want from you that I think you just might give me if I asked, though you’d dearly regret if you did.” “Who are you?” His eyes soften. He wrestles with himself in silence for a long time, until finally he says, “Apparently, your wolf.” My wolf. My deadly protector, dark knight in Armani armor ripping to shreds those who dare to harm me. “I’m not good for you.” “So you’ve said. Wine and cheeseburgers aren’t good for me either, but they’re literally two of my favorite things. Also, that argument would hold more weight if you hadn’t saved my life. Saving a person’s life is kind of the default definition of something that’s good for them. Being alive is good for me. Hence, you are good for me. If you want to argue that you weren’t good for those three guys in the alley, well, you’ve got me there.” Nostrils flaring, he mutters an oath. “You can curse all you want, wolfie. It does nothing to change the fact that I trust you.” He’s appalled by that. His eyes widen and his lips part in shock. “You trust me,” he repeats faintly. He stands in the same spot I left him, staring down at me like he can’t for the life of him understand what’s happening. I whisper, “Sing me to sleep, wolfie. Sing me an Irish lullaby.” He covers his eyes with a hand and groans softly. “If it will help, I’ll pretend to be really scared of you if you’re still here when I wake up. I’ll scream and everything.” He drops his hand to his side and sighs. It’s heavy and resigned, and I know that I’ve won. If anyone is in danger here, it’s definitely him. I hesitate to ask, but curiosity gets the better of me. “How does he look at me?” “Like he’ll die if he doesn’t.” “Listen to your heart. I won’t try to convince you beyond this: I want you like I’ve never wanted anyone or anything. Give me twenty-eight days, and in return I’ll give you everything on earth I have to give. “I can’t promise you forever, but I can promise you a month you’ll remember for the rest of your life.” He moved my things here. My clothes…my books… When? While I was at dinner? It doesn’t matter when, idiot! What matters is that he kidnapped you! Oh god—I just had sex with my kidnapper. My kidnapper just made me come. Teetering on the edge of hysteria, I whisper, “Let me go. Let me go right now.” “Of course.” “You smug son of a bitch,” I say, seething. “Don’t think I won’t shoot you, because I might.” “Maybe you could let me give you a few more orgasms first, though. Just a thought.” He mutters hotly, “Jesus, fuck, you’re gorgeous when you’re mad.” “Yeah? Well, by the time tonight’s over, you’re gonna think I’m a friggin’ supermodel.” Glaring at the console forested with useless buttons, I mutter, “Smug. Arrogant. Infuriating. Pretentious—” “Easy, now.” A voice crackles through a speaker in the ceiling. “Pretentious is going a little far, don’t you think?” I’m so mad I resort to ridiculousness to express my fury and stamp my foot. Looking up at the ceiling, I shout, “You’re spying on me, too? Kidnapping wasn’t good enough, now you have to spy?” Liam’s voice warms. “I love looking at you, lass. Can’t help myself.” I dig my hands into my hair, close my eyes, and huff out an angry breath between clenched teeth. “If you need a nice massage to release some of that stress, I’ll be happy to give you one.” “And I’ll be happy to punch you in the nose!” “So violent.” He chuckles. “I knew we were a good match.” “You’re wasting time with all this unnecessary outrage. Let’s move on to something more important: how long are you going to be mad at me? My dick is aching for you, and I need to hear you scream my name again. Like within the next five minutes.” “Get used to disappointment.” He raises his head and stares deep into my eyes. “You could never disappoint me. Even if you don’t let me touch you again for the next month, it will still be the best month of my life, because we’ll be spending it together.” Into my ear, he whispers, “I want you. I’ve wanted you since the first time I saw you, but I want you even more now that I know how you sound when you come. Now that I know how that beautiful mouth feels around my cock. The way you claw my back and scream my name when I fuck you. The way you never hold anything back. “But even more than all that, I want you to feel safe with me, and to trust me, and to know that there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to make you happy, including putting a bullet in someone’s head.”
Finished July 7, 2022
Finished May 5, 2021