Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 154595 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 773(@200wpm)___ 618(@250wpm)___ 515(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 154595 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 773(@200wpm)___ 618(@250wpm)___ 515(@300wpm)
“Incentive?” she asked, sounding slightly breathless. Her large brown eyes were staring up at him, her lips parted slightly.
Gray liked her like this . . . of course, he’d liked her at the nightclub too. He hadn’t realized she was the same woman when he’d heard her scream. He’d actually thought he’d missed seeing her get a cab and had just decided to turn around to go back to The Edge.
Thank fuck he hadn’t.
Thank fuck he’d heard her scream and entered that alleyway because he didn’t want to think of what might have happened to her if he hadn’t.
“Hmm, don’t you know that good girls get treats. But naughty girls . . .”
“Yes?” she asked. “What do naughty girls get?”
Fuck. What was he doing? He dropped his hand.
“We’re here.” The car had stopped a minute ago, but he knew that Mikhail wouldn’t interrupt them. He knew better than to open Gray’s door. He hated that shit. He didn’t like being driven around like this. He’d prefer to be on his own, to be the one driving, in control.
But when he was representing Markovich, it was all about appearances. He was his second. And he had to show a powerful front.
So when he went to the club on business, he brought a driver. Plus, it had come in handy this time since he’d sent Mikhail to pick up the asshole he’d left zip-tied in the alley, before he’d swung by to get them.
The bastard should be locked up tight in the trunk.
“Oh. Okay. Sure. Umm, well. I guess I’ll just leave. Thank you for the ride home.”
He nodded. Then reaching over, he undid her seatbelt and his.
“Didn’t trust me to do that myself, huh?” she joked.
“No.”
She bit her thumbnail.
“Don’t do that. You’ll hurt yourself. Plus, your hands are probably still dirty.”
“Right. Gross. Yuck. I hope your boss’s car doesn’t still stink once I leave. I could pay for . . .”
“No.”
“Then maybe I could give you money for the ride?”
Oh, she was really pushing him.
“No.” He glared at her.
“But I should repay you for your good deed.”
She reached for her handbag, which she’d set at her feet.
“If you reach into that handbag for money, I won’t be happy.”
“Is that any different from how you normally are?” she asked. Then she put her hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry, that was rude.”
It was actually pretty accurate, but he just shook his head. “So sassy. Come on, out you get. It’s past your bedtime.”
“I don’t think I have a bedtime. I mean, I am tired. Really tired. I could almost fall asleep right now.”
Maeve knew she was rambling. Gray opened the door and slid out, bending to extend his hand to her. She reached over and took it.
Oh, his hand felt lovely. Firm and warm and slightly rough.
She could just imagine him touching her, running his hands over her smooth skin. Cupping her breast.
“Maeve? You all right?”
“What? Yes, of course.” Although she was wondering if she was a bit sex-starved.
He drew her out of the car and she stumbled slightly. Funny, she wasn’t usually quite this clumsy. Maybe it was because she was so tired.
Gray wrapped an arm around her. “Whoa, girl. What’s wrong?”
“Think I’m just ready for my bed.” She straightened up and tried to take a step away from him. She didn’t think he would appreciate her being so close when she smelled this bad.
She must have landed in something when Fishy-breath flung her off his back.
Gross.
Urgh, she really hoped it was just garbage and not something more. She was too scared to take off her jacket and look. It was a real pain to clean velvet.
“Wait.” He reached out and grabbed her wrist. Mikhail had disappeared into the car again.
“What is it? Oh, did you want my phone number?”
“No.”
Wow. That shouldn’t hurt. It wasn’t like he was rejecting her. Actually, that’s exactly what it felt like. But just because he didn’t want her number didn’t mean he didn’t like her . . .
Actually, that’s what it felt like as well.
Rejection sucked. Didn’t matter how old you were or how good your self-esteem. It still hurt.
“I’m walking you up to your apartment.”
Hmm, calling it an apartment might be a bit of a stretch.
“Oh, you don’t need to do that.”
He just walked toward the building, his hand around her forearm. Was he always like this? Or did she just bring out this side of him? She was kind of too scared to ask.
When they got to the front door, she reached into her bag to grab the key.
“There’s no security camera.”
“Uh, no. I think it would just get destroyed if there was.”
“I suppose the door is locked at least,” he muttered.
“Yeah, it gets locked from seven on,” she told him.
“Fuck’s sake,” he muttered. “Should be locked all the time.”
Where was that darn key? Uh-huh! Here it was.