Total pages in book: 173
Estimated words: 158191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 791(@200wpm)___ 633(@250wpm)___ 527(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 158191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 791(@200wpm)___ 633(@250wpm)___ 527(@300wpm)
“Don’t know if I mentioned it earlier, literaturnaya ledi, but you’re fucking beautiful.” He held out his hand to her.
No one had ever called her beautiful let alone fucking beautiful. And she liked the way literaturnaya ledi rolled off his tongue. She couldn’t help smiling as she took his hand. “Thank you.” Her voice sounded husky.
“You up for more of a ride? I wanted to take you through the Avenue of the Giants. It’s a place not to be missed on a bike. There’re more private places for a picnic. We’d be alone though, Scarlet, and if you’re nervous at all, I want you to say so.”
“Have you taken a lot of women there?” She wanted to bite her lip hard. What had possessed her to ask him that? Did it matter how many women he’d picnicked with there? She wanted to go with him. This was her day. Hopefully her night with him. Maybe her only opportunity. Eventually she’d blow it because she—wasn’t right. And she had a sword hanging over her head.
“I told you, Scarlet, I don’t have relationships with women. You’re the first. You’re the only. I’m feeling my way here so if I make a mistake, I’m hoping you’ll give me a bit of room.”
He tugged on her hand and brought her in a little closer to him as they maneuvered around the picnic tables. His body was between those at the tables and her. She couldn’t help noticing the way other women watched him as they walked back to the Harley.
“I definitely would prefer somewhere with less people and I’ve always wanted to see the Avenue of the Giants,” she said hastily. She was going to blow it because she hadn’t ever really dated anyone. “That makes two of us feeling our way.” She laughed because suddenly everything was perfect again.
Aleksei got on the Harley and backed it out before helping her on. The moment she wrapped her arms around him, she felt complete. It was weird to know this man made her feel that way, when the entire rest of the world put her on edge. She tightened her hold, feeling possessive. For a moment, unexpected tears burned in her eyes.
“Scarlet?”
That soft voice got her low in her belly. She’d forgotten their strange, but very strong connection. “I’m all right. It’s just that this is such a perfect day. I didn’t expect it.”
He rubbed his gloved palm over the back of her hand. “I don’t think you ever expect very much. I hope I change that for you.”
She closed her eyes against the burn of tears she didn’t shed anymore. She didn’t deserve to shed them. Had she paid the price for her sins? Was there ever a time when it was enough? She didn’t know. She felt like she had.
The motorcycle roared again, the pipes loud, machine vibrating between her legs, and they were once again continuing along the two-lane highway, away from the tourists and campers who were staying in the grove. She was glad they weren’t going to stay. She wanted Aleksei all to herself. She hoped he did know some secluded places where she could talk to him, not interrogate him, but just talk to him, get to know him. Pretend she was normal. Let the woman inside of her who desperately wanted to come out and live, do so.
Once they turned off the highway onto the roads that wove around heavy forests of tall, impressive redwood trees towering above them, Scarlet found herself staring upward. She couldn’t stop from tilting her head back. It was a little dizzying even though Aleksei rode slow and maneuvered through the tight curves easily on the motorcycle. The sun shone through the canopy in stripes, creating a strobe effect as they rode. There were countless leaves on the road and built up on the ground so one couldn’t see dirt or rocks under the years of trees shedding the needles. Branches and limbs lay haphazardly in the forest along with some hollowed-out trunks. Some trees had fallen over time and lay, the trunks so large they looked taller than she was.
Clearly, Aleksei had come here often. He made his way through the avenue to a small turnout where there was water dripping over a large rock and several tree roots sticking out of an embankment. There was a very narrow trail that she wouldn’t have even noticed and doubted if most people would have. He slowed their progress even more, taking them carefully along the surprisingly well-packed road to a little area with just enough space for him to turn the bike around.
He let her off, turned the motorcycle around and then parked it before getting off himself. Scarlet looked around her. It was eerily silent, reminding her she was off in the middle of nowhere with a man she’d seen in the library for six weeks but really didn’t know. She had no friends. She hadn’t told a single soul who she was going out with or where she was going. He could murder her and bury her body out here and no one would know. Where were all her amazing survival self-preservation skills she’d honed to perfection?