Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 80207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
“What’s the special occasion?” Alek asks while he pulls his phone out of his pocket.
“You.”
His eyes flick to me, and a hot-as-hell smirk tugs at his mouth. “What kind of pizza?”
“One pepperoni and one Hawaiian.”
“Let me guess, the Hawaiian is for you,” he teases me.
“Of course,” I chuckle. “And get whatever you like.”
“I’ll have the same as Vincent.”
“Like father, like son,” I whisper as I walk down the hallway to change into something comfortable.
In the safety of my bedroom, I take a moment to calm my racing heart because the organ hasn’t stopped fluttering since Alek went all alpha on my butt.
I grab a pair of leggings and an oversized t-shirt and change into the comfy clothes.
When I walk back into the living room, it’s in time to see Alek rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt. My eyes lock on the tattoos covering his skin, and then I see the scars on the back of his right hand and left forearm.
I remember tending to his wounds with the little supplies we had and how I prayed day and night he wouldn’t get an infection.
“Everleigh?” Alek says to get my attention. When my eyes dart to his face, he asks, “You okay?”
I nod, and pointing at the keypad for the alarm, I remind him, “You were going to show me how everything works?”
“Right.”
Alek walks me through the house, showing me where all the cameras and panic buttons are. He also demonstrates how to activate and deactivate the alarm, then he programs Peter’s number into my phone.
“And your number,” I say before he can hand the device back to me.
The corner of his mouth lifts, and I watch as he keys in the numbers under ‘the love of my life.’
With a chuckle escaping me, I shake my head. “You couldn’t resist, could you?”
“Nope.” He glances at Vincent, then he says, “The pizza should be here soon.” Then his eyes lock with mine. “Let’s sit in the kitchen so we can talk.”
“Okay.” I go straight for the coffee machine. “Do you want coffee?”
Alek shakes his head. “Come sit, moya malen'kaya lyubov'.”
We take a seat at the little nook, and I feel a nervous fluttering in my stomach.
Alek looks confident as hell as he asks, “Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?”
A smile spreads over my face, and I decide to tease him. “I don’t have a babysitter.”
“Let me rephrase my question.” With a dangerously attractive look, he asks, “Will you and Vincent have dinner with me tomorrow night?”
“We’d love to.”
“Good. I’ll have a dress delivered for you. Please wear it.”
My eyebrow lifts. “Okay, and what should Vincent wear.”
“There will be a little suit for him.” He tilts his head. “Which reminds me. I’ll take Vincent to the store to get the right size suit.”
He’ll take Vincent. Alone?
Alek must see the panic on my face because he says, “Vincent will be safe with me, Everleigh. I’ll never do anything to hurt him.”
“I’m just not used to letting him out of my sight. This will be a first.”
Shoot, it’s happening too fast, but how do I tell Alek he can’t spend time alone with Vincent?
Alek gets up, then crouches in front of me. “Vincent will be safe with me. I’ll send you a photo every ten minutes.”
Knowing I can’t be selfish when it comes to Vincent, I nod. “Okay.”
A smile spreads over his face, and rising to his feet, he leans down and presses a kiss to my cheek. Instead of pulling away, he keeps still, and I feel his breaths fan over my skin.
Butterflies go crazy in my stomach, and tentatively, I turn my head until I meet his eyes. The golden flecks are on fire in his irises.
“Do you still want me to wait until the third date?”
He wants to kiss me.
Anticipation builds between us, and I love it so much, I nod. “I want you to wait.”
Letting out a groan, he sinks back onto his chair. “You’re torturing me.”
“You’ve survived worse.”
Our eyes lock, then he whispers, “So have you.”
Knowing Vincent can’t hear us, I ask, “Did you speak to anyone about what happened?”
“Just Misha.” He tilts his head. “You?”
“No. You’re the only person who will understand what I’ve been through.”
Alek reaches for my hand and links our fingers. “Do you need to talk about it?”
I shake my head. “I’d rather leave the ghosts in the past.”
“What would you like to talk about?”
I think for a moment, then ask, “Why did your father shoot me?”
Alek's face turns grim in a heartbeat. “He saw you as a liability.”
It hurts to hear the reason. My life was almost taken just because some man thought I was a liability. I never would’ve talked.
God, some people are vile creatures.
“I know you said you weren’t close with your father, but if things work out between you and me, you need to know I never want to see him. He’s not allowed near Vincent.”