Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 129980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
“I’m not dressed,” she announced as she cracked open the door.
Opening the door was a mistake—a huge one. Looking at him standing there, dressed casually in dark jeans and a tee from a Queen concert stretched tight across the heavy muscles of his chest, took her breath away and robbed her of her ability to talk.
Very gently, Andrii put one hand to her belly and moved her back into her tiny living space, allowing him entry into the apartment. He closed the door behind him. In one hand he had a large rectangular box that was twice the size of the one she had so carefully taped up and given to the owners of the coffee shop to hold for him.
He immediately placed the box on the small coffee table she’d bought at a secondhand store. She rather liked that coffee table, with the inlaid tree of life in wood and the glass top covering it. There were a couple of small chips in the wood on the edges, but she had found the perfect match in wood stain and covered them. The box took up nearly the entire table.
She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue, trying to find the right words to get him out of her space before it was too late.
“Andrii.” She detested that she sounded hesitant.
“Before you decide to throw me out, Zelie, let me apologize for my atrocious temper. My lack of control really hurt your feelings. That’s the last thing I ever wanted to do.”
Azelie couldn’t take her eyes off of him as he moved around her small apartment easily. Even though he seemed to glide with only air under him, he took up all the space. Eventually, after going through the open-floor-plan kitchen area and sitting room and looking at the bed in the small space that was her bedroom, he flung himself into one of the two comfortable chairs she’d found at a garage sale. They both had thick cushions and were in fantastic shape. They were made with a forest-green leather that went perfectly with the coffee table.
She hadn’t expected an apology or an admission of a bad temper. He seemed so calm and in control, it was difficult to imagine that he had a temper.
“Did I scare you?” he asked when she remained silent.
She swallowed the first three things she wanted to say. None of them were true. Finally, she shrugged. “I wasn’t afraid you would hurt me physically.” That was true. It hadn’t occurred to her that Andrii might hit or slap her.
“I’m grateful you see into my character enough to know I would never abuse you in that way. You didn’t exactly answer my question. What are you afraid of? I know you’re attracted to me. I know you would like to try a relationship with me, but now you’re very reluctant, and you’re looking for reasons to throw me out without listening to me.”
She couldn’t help herself. The smile came out of nowhere because she had the childish desire to stick her fingers in her ears to keep from hearing his voice.
He leaned forward, his eyes going soft. “Baby, give me the reasons so we can talk them out. I know I want to do this with you. I want you to have the same resolve. I know I blew it for us, but I’m asking you to give us a chance to get back on track.”
Azelie struggled with her answer. She wanted to be honest, but it would be giving him too much. In the end, she could only be who she was and answer him with the truth. “I can’t afford to have you rip out my heart, Andrii. I don’t like to admit it, but the truth is I’m still very fragile. It makes sense to protect myself from heartache. You’re a heartache waiting to happen.”
“Why do you say that? My temper?”
She shook her head. “It isn’t that. A man like you can’t possibly be with someone like me without getting bored. You’ll move on eventually. I’m the investing type. I would put everything I am into the relationship, including my heart, and when you walked away, I’d be shattered.”
“Now that right there would earn you a punishment if you were mine.”
The way he said it, in that low, firm voice, sent butterflies winging in her sex. Her stomach clenched around the sudden knot of sheer desire. Her physical reactions to his declarations were frightening, but it was the emotional one that shocked her. She felt so much happiness it was astounding, joy bursting through her and radiating outward to every cell in her brain.
“What does that mean?”
He sounded like he really cared about her. She did her best to shake off the spell he was mesmerizing her with. She shook her head and held up her hand to stop him from uttering another word in his velvet voice.