Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72643 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72643 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
“That’s all the stuff I ordered for my room.”
He draped his napkin across his lap. “We may as well send it all back since you’ll be staying with me from now on.”
I forked a piece of pancake. “Don’t be so sure. Your decor could use a major update. Everything is so bachelor. The dark bedding, the mismatched rugs, the heavy drapes, the enormous closet that’s half full of weapons. I could go on.”
Nate smacked his hand on the table, faux surprise painting his features. “Well I never!”
I smiled with my mouth half full. “I’m just speaking truth to power over here.”
He sipped his coffee. “Honestly, I couldn’t care less if you decorated the walls with My Little Pony as long as you’re in my bed every night.” Scooting his chair back, he motioned me over. “Come here.”
My cheeks warmed as I rose and crawled into his lap. He snagged a piece of bacon from his plate and pressed it against my tongue. I chewed and swallowed as he claimed a piece of bacon for himself.
Opal hurried in with two fresh glasses of orange juice. “I can help you with those boxes after I’m done preparing lunch. I’m curious to see what kind of household items are in fashion these days. This house has been occupied for decades, but the decor has remained the same for most of that time. It’ll be nice to have some more modern things.” She smiled at me and freshened up Nate’s coffee.
“Sounds good. I’m looking forward to it.” I shifted on Nate’s lap as his erection pressed against my ass.
Opal hustled off to the kitchen through the swinging wooden door.
I smacked Nate on the arm. “Didn’t you get enough this morning?” A slight ache between my thighs reminded me of how it felt to wake up with him inside me.
“Enough isn’t a thing with you. I’ll never get enough. You may as well get used to it. Besides, I already warned you that I’m a beast in the morning.”
I ran my tongue along his lip and savored the saltiness from the bacon and the unmistakable taste of him. “What’s on the menu for today?”
He sighed. “I’m meeting with Peter and David right after breakfast, then we’re going to go over our game plan for tonight, then we need to make contact with our supplier and double check that the airport is secure. After that, we need to survey the spots along the river where the fake delivery is taking place so that we can get our men in position right when the sun goes down.”
Nerves fluttered in my stomach, but I wouldn’t turn back. If he truly wanted me to be his queen, then he would understand my request and, hopefully, grant it.
“What is it?” he asked, his gaze narrowing.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re doing that thing where you hook your ankles together and bounce your knees against each other. It means that you want something. Usually badly. It’s a tell you’ve had since I first met you.”
I glanced down and found my ankles pressed against each other and my knees bouncing. Forcing them to stay still, I took a deep breath. “I want to go with you tonight—”
“Absolutely not. This isn’t even—”
“Wait!” I slapped my hand over his mouth, but his frown still marred his eyes. “Let me explain.” I pressed my palm tighter against his lips. “Will you let me explain?”
He gave me a curt nod, and I dropped my hand.
“I know you’re going to say it’s dangerous. I know you’re going to say that I should stay here and let you handle it. But I want to stay with you. When we’re separated, bad things happen. And maybe I can help. Staying here and sitting on my hands helps nobody. Maybe if I’d been with you that first night when you were attacked on the waterfront, I could’ve saved lives.” I dropped my gaze and stared at my fingers as they nervously wrestled each other. “Maybe I could’ve saved Will.”
“Sabrina.” He ran his hand through my hair. “Will’s death wasn’t your fault. You did everything you could to save him. Even if you had been there, he was hit too hard. Nothing could have brought him back from that. And if you had been there, I would have been worried the entire time that something would happen to you. I wouldn’t have been able to think straight, and I definitely wouldn’t have been able to act when I needed to save lives and to fight off the Russians. Keeping you safe is a priority. You aren’t a trained fighter. You’d be a sitting duck, one that Dmitri wouldn’t hesitate to take.”
I wanted to argue with him, to dispute what he’d said. But deep down I knew he was right. I’d only been training with David for a few days, and that was just for defense. Even so, the facts didn’t change how I felt. I always wanted to be at Nate’s side, whether that was here at the house or out in the thick of things.