Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 135382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
But then Brody had joined her and one night she’d found herself picking up The Mercenary I Loved and falling into the story of Shane and Gabriella, and she’d found a whole new world.
Brody cursed under his breath, but his boots came back into view. She could feel him looming over her. “You don’t know what you’re offering.”
“I know exactly what I’m offering.” She didn’t lift her head. “I’ve never had a Dom. I won’t have another one. Not out here. I want the experience, Sir. Or do you have a submissive at home in London?”
His hand touched her head, fingers sinking into her hair. They slid along her scalp, lighting up the skin he touched. “You know I don’t.”
“Then I don’t see the problem, Sir.” She had to hope the word Sir worked the same kind of magic on Brody that it did on Serena’s heroes.
The hand on her head lifted. “The problem is that you’re going to want more from me than one night in the sack, Stephanie, and I can’t give you more than that. I’m not the kind of guy who settles down. I’m not the one for you.”
Yes, she’d heard a whole lot of that. What he really meant was she wasn’t the one for him. It wasn’t his fault he wasn’t attracted to her. She’d misread the situation and it was time to retreat.
She stood up, swearing she wasn’t going to cry. Nope. She’d been through way worse shit and one guy rejecting her advances wasn’t going to break her. Her inner tough chick made an appearance and she found herself straightening her shoulders and lifting her chin. She rose to her feet. When she thought about it, she was horny. That was all this was about. He was gorgeous and close to her and the adrenaline of the day had affected her.
Yeah, inner tough chick was good at deflection.
“Sorry about that. I didn’t understand. I get it now.” She held out a hand. “It was nice to meet you, Brody Carter. Have a good life.”
He looked down at her hand and sighed. “Steph, let’s sit down and talk. I don’t think you do understand what I’m saying to you. I’m not trying to hurt you, luv.”
He didn’t even want to shake her hand? She eased around him. Inner tough chick had started biting at the bit Steph kept in her mouth. Irrational anger poured through her, but she had to keep a lid on it. It wasn’t Brody’s fault that she’d gotten her hopes up. “Not necessary, man. It’s all cool. I’ll see you sometime.”
She started for the door.
“Please, Steph, I don’t want to say good-bye like this. I don’t want you angry with me.”
But she was. It wasn’t fair, but he was one more disappointment in a lifetime of them. She might deserve it, but it hurt. This one particular snub cut deep. She’d known deep down that she would be alone, but she’d thought there might be moments of respite. These weeks with Brody had refined her need.
Never let them see you hurt. It was far better to look like she didn’t care than to sit down like an obedient little girl and let him explain all the ways she wasn’t good enough for him. She was certain he would tell her it was the other way around, but what she would hear was that she wasn’t sexy enough, her boobs weren’t big enough, she was on the thin side, and he was a man who needed curves on his lovers.
“I’m not angry,” she said as flippantly as she could. “I’m trying to catch the CIA dude before he turns in. He’s bunking down in the clinic. I thought he might want an upgrade.”
She wasn’t going to look for Ezra Fain. The last thing she needed was a casual hookup. God knew she’d had more than enough of those in her life. Except those hadn’t been casual. Those nights hadn’t even been about sex. They’d been about obliterating herself.
No, she would go to her cabin and cry and sleep, and in the morning, she would work and begin to forget him.
She started out the door but then felt a hand at her wrist, dragging her back.
Brody’s eyes had narrowed, his face turning hard when it was always soft around her. It didn’t make him any less beautiful. If anything, that hard edge sent a thrill through her. “What did you say?”
Her first instinct was to drop to her knees and beg his forgiveness, but he didn’t want that. He’d rejected that part of her. So he got the inner tough chick, the part of her that kept on surviving. “I said, I’m going to check and see if Ezra needs some company since you don’t want any.”
The door slammed and she suddenly found herself with her back against it. Brody crowded in, taking up all the space and staring down at her. His body brushed hers and she found both her wrists captured in one of his. He dragged them over her head, forcing her chest to come out, breasts skimming along his body. “I shouldn’t do this.”