Total pages in book: 192
Estimated words: 182641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 913(@200wpm)___ 731(@250wpm)___ 609(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 182641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 913(@200wpm)___ 731(@250wpm)___ 609(@300wpm)
Come on, baby, take my hand …
Her fingers fold over mine and fuck me if my chest doesn’t rattle with something unnamable. Something—
“Rocklin.”
Her spine shoots straight and she jumps a foot back, both our heads whipping toward the motherfucker who dared.
“Oliver,” she shoots for calm, but there’s a bit of a shake in there, “I’m—”
“Back the fuck up.”
His eyes snap to mine, and the little bitch tries hard to hold on to his tough-boy bravado, but I recognize fear when I see it, and he’s right to be on edge.
But all these men think the same. Just like her dad assumes Enzo Fikile won’t cause problems on the Greyson Estate because of what it stands for, this dude thinks I’ll back down because of where we are. Because of who he is and who I am not.
What sets me apart in all this?
I ain’t got shit to lose, no face to save, no bond at risk of breaking.
I’m a lone wolf in the middle of a dangerous-ass pack, yet I’ve still got no fucks to give, ’cause at the end of the day, what happens here means nothing.
The girl is mine, regardless.
There’s a difference between being taught and being forced to learn, and that’s adaptation. That’s understanding shit changes in the blink of an eye and knowing how to get out of it. You can plan ahead all you like, having a backup plan from A to Z, and I bet they do for most situations. But it makes no difference when influence and money are the keys that unlock the door, giving them what they want, when the guy who has no key can find his way in regardless. Street smarts win every fucking time.
Oliver grins, and it’s too wide. Too fucking sure, sending a prickle of awareness down my spine. “It wasn’t my intention to interrupt … well, to be honest, it was. So why don’t you head back to the other side of the room. We are already gaining attention and you wouldn’t want to find out what happens when Rayo gets curious.”
“I said back the fuck up.”
“Bastian—”
Oliver reaches for her hand, but I catch it, twisting until his back bows, his face scrunching with pain like the weak bitch he is.
“Touch her again and—”
“Bastian, stop!” she hisses.
“—this will end so much worse for you.”
“Fuck you,” he seethes.
I toss his ass and he stumbles, bumping into a waiter, the tray crashing to the floor.
Rocklin gasps, people look, and this dumb fuck’s ego is burning. He comes back, cheeks red with rage, but I meet his one step forward with two of my own.
“I fucking dare you, pretty boy.”
“What the hell is going on here?”
Rocklin jerks and Oliver stands taller, masking his expression.
My eyes are glued to his, muscles tense to the fucking max, rage blistering.
Oliver starts to smile, a perfect pretty-boy smile and he smooths his arms down his jacket. “Just a misunderstanding, sir. All is good now.” His grin is smug, triumphant, as if his savior just stepped up with a golden ticket to the prize that is not up for grabs. “Rocklin and I are about to have that dance she promised me.”
“Fuck if you are.”
Rocklin might have squeaked, can’t say for sure, but I don’t miss the way Oliver’s eyes widen, flicking from me to the shadow at my side. He laughs, and he’s the only fucking one.
That shadow shifts, and suddenly, Rayo Revenaw is in front of me, blocking Oliver from my line of sight, so I lift my gaze to the man my girl never wanted me to meet.
His dark eyes are sharp, expression a mask of indifference, but I see the demand there. He wants me to submit, to step back, to stand down. He wants to know who the fuck I am, why I’m here, and why I’m standing so close to his daughter.
Most of the people in the room are back to their own little worlds, the spilled tray a momentary issue, a sound shock having snagged their attention, and not that I give a shit either way, but we lost it when the pretty boy started laughing.
When I say nothing, Rayo’s eyes narrow and he shifts his stance, chin lifting a bit as he tips his head.
“Oliver,” he speaks slowly. “Why don’t you and Rocklin go on and have that dance.”
“Dad—”
“Go,” he cuts her off.
After two more seconds of hesitation, Rocklin steps around her father, eyes tight and flicking toward me as she moves toward another man.
Oliver reaches out.
Rocklin offers her hand.
I grab her around the fucking wrist, and then Rayo Revenaw is in my face, four guards fanning out around him.
“Get your hand off my daughter before I show you what happens to people who touch things that don’t belong to them.”
“If he puts one hand on her, I’ll be giving a demonstration of my own and I won’t wait until no one’s watching to do it.”