Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 53764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
She absolutely could not do anything to raise his ire--which leaving might do. There was no way she could afford a lawsuit against her, or even to lose her driver's license. She didn't want him to get home and think she'd done a runner on him.
She almost plopped down on the white couch, but realized her clothes were a bit grimy and chose the chaise longue upholstered in black instead.
She'd think about the problem while she rested. Maybe Marco would drive her back to her cousin's when he got home.
****
All the lights were still on when Marco let himself into the penthouse. God, he was glad to be home. Tanya had almost driven him out of his fucking mind tonight, and even the thought of her naked body couldn't get his libido running. In fact, it did just the opposite. She'd tried her damn best to get him into her apartment when he'd dropped her off, but there had been no way he would allow himself to be cornered.
She'd flirted her ass off and flaunted herself at every man at the charity event tonight, and he knew she'd done it in a bid for his attention. It had gotten his attention; that was for damn sure. Why hadn't he ever noticed that side of her character before tonight? And just as quickly realized he had noticed--he knew exactly the kind of person she was, but overlooked it because he flat didn't give a shit. He'd never given a shit. She was a convenient sexual outlet to him; that was all. And lately, she wasn't even that.
Everything in the penthouse smelled clean and fresh, and even though the lights were on, it was as quiet as a tomb. He walked through to the kitchen, and found everything in perfect order. He looked around a moment, a new, soft scent lingering in the air that caught his attention and struck a chord in the pit of his stomach. There was a note in front of the coffee maker and he picked it up. Timer is set. Coffee will be ready in the morning. He fingered the piece of paper a moment, taking in the neat, feminine handwriting before setting it back down.
He left the kitchen and walked through to his bedroom. Again in this room, all was immaculate.
But where the hell was she? Had she just upped and left?
He returned to the living room, only to find her purse on the floor next to the coffee table. He took a deep breath, the inexplicable agitation he was feeling somewhat mitigated by the sight. He narrowed his eyes and let his gaze roam across the room, looking for any other signs of her occupation. His eyes shot past the chaise longue, and then came back again just as quickly.
Ahh, there she was. He'd almost missed her at first, her small body dressed in a black t-shirt and dark jeans blended in with the dark fabric of the furniture. She was curled in a fetal position and her cheek rested on hands that were steepled as if in prayer.
She was sound asleep.
He prowled over on silent feet and stared down at her, fisting his hands to keep them from reaching out to touch. Her eyelashes made dark crescents across the pallor of her complexion. She looked pale to him, almost unusually so. And there were dark shadows under her eyes, as if she were exhausted. Had he worked her too hard? He knew from the detailed billing that the housekeeping service he used sent two women to do the work, and by the looks of it, they didn't perform the same job as this one young woman had done.
Although they hadn't discussed it, he obviously knew she was without a vehicle, and he had hoped he would still find her here tonight.
He sank down to his haunches, and lifted his hand to touch her face. He steeled his guts and imposed strict control as he allowed himself to touch her with only one finger. "Natalie."
He said her name softly, maybe too softly, because he received no reaction. He ran his finger down the silkiness of her cheekbone and tried again. "Natalie."
"Hmm."
The libido that had been quiet all night, no matter how hard Tanya had tried to tease him, suddenly came screaming to life when Natalie let out that single puff of air, lifted her arm over her head and turned to her back to seek a more comfortable position.
His eyes shot down to the small mounds of her breasts accentuated by the position of her arm. She was slight and almost fragile, exactly what he was most attracted to, and she was asleep in his house. The connotations of that were too much to fight against and his erection became painful very quickly. His stomach muscles clenched as he attempted to gain control.