Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 45404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 227(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 227(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
She finally turns to me, wide eyes, almost like she’s pleading with me to believe her, and maybe she is telling the truth. If she doesn’t have a crush… Thank fuck I didn’t tell her she is mine—that no other man will ever lay a single goddamn finger on her.
I’m breathing hard. My heart’s slamming, but I don’t think I let it show.
“That’s fine,” I say. “I understand.”
“You’re not mad I lied?”
Then, or now, Jane?
“No, and you’re not trapped. I didn’t want the Russians to hurt you. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.”
She leans close again, taking my arm. “Now that we have that all cleared up, what do you say we have the best first date ever?”
I kiss her again, and she returns the kiss urgently. She pushes against me and has me panting through it. My dick can’t take it anymore. I’m hard right away, and then I back off.
She smiles, her lips red. “Sorry.”
“Never apologize for that,” I say intensely, glancing at the driver’s partition.
“Can they see through here?” she asks.
“If they could, there would be a problem. Nobody else is seeing you like that.”
She beams gorgeously. “I kind of like it when you’re possessive.”
These signals couldn’t be more mixed. No crush, but she likes this aspect of me. Screw it. I’m going to do what she suggested. Enjoy the date. Enjoy our time together.
“If you ever forget that rule,” I whisper, kissing her cheek, then bringing my lips to her ear, “you’ll get punished again. Spanked like the horny virgin you are. I could tell you liked it.”
“I did. Does that make me weird?”
“If it does, I’ll be weird with you.”
We kiss again, and I know everything will be okay, at least for the morning.
“Do you think I overdressed for breakfast?” she asks.
“We’re going to a fancy place, but we could chow down at a hole-in-the-wall, and I’d still say no. You look beautiful. Your hair, the fact you’re not wearing makeup, your curvy body in that dress…”
“You sound like you might go into beast mode again,” she whispers.
“You’re my not-even-a-little-plain Jane,” I tell her.
She laughs. “That’s a mouthful, but I like it.”
Finally, we pull up outside the skyscraper. The restaurant is on the top floor, giving my woman a view of the entire city, the skyline, and the ocean. The whole world is at our feet.
My cell phone rings. It’s Christopher. “We’re going to ensure the area is completely secured, sir, if you don’t mind waiting in the car for a few minutes.”
Christopher strides into the lobby, his bald head catching the morning sun, one hand holding the cell phone. His shoulders are broad, and he looks capable. I know he worked as a cop for a while, retiring when four gangsters jumped him and almost completely shattered his left leg, but he worked hard and rehabbed it. The police wouldn’t take him back. Now, I’m proud to give him the salary he deserves. His limp isn’t noticeable unless you know to look for it.
“That’s fine,” I tell him, hanging up the phone.
“It seems serious,” Jane mutters.
“Don’t worry.” I hug her tightly. “I’ll keep you safe.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Jane
I had to tell him it was a lie.
Last night, when sleep finally took me, I woke up what felt like seconds later. I was pinned to the bed, and in my sleepy state, I saw a phantom-like demon propped on my chest, pinning me down. I couldn’t move. I was trapped just like before.
There was a world in which I didn’t take the crush back, but when he asked about my parents, that world died, memories dragging me back there. It’s not that I don’t want to be trapped with my man. I do, more than anything. It’s a fact he can’t possibly want what I need.
There’s something else, something which makes me feel like a big baby. I’m scared of waking like that again, locked in place, my own thoughts torturing me.
Now, he turns and smirks, his hand resting on the small of my back. He looks dashing in his blue shirt tucked into his trousers, the shade similar to the silver in his hair. Flecks of silver have appeared on his shaved sides, giving him a wilder look.
“Don’t look so nervous. I’m not going to go beast mode on my not-so-plain Jane.”
The nickname teases me with warmth, and I cuddle closer to him. Remembering what I said in the car—to enjoy the date, forget everything else—I rest my cheek against his chest as he wraps his arm around me.
“I never knew elevators could take this long.”
He chuckles. “That’s the problem with the top floor.”
“I’m not complaining.”
“Relax. I know you’re not.”
He’s right. I feel so erratic right now, like I can’t decide which version of me I want to be. The elevator doors finally open, and I step away from Luke.