Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Idiot.
This felt like one of those big learning moments for life. If Soren was an assassin, Alexei had given away his neighborhood, making finding him while his guard was potentially down incredibly easy.
If he was ever going to be the best, he had a long way to go and a hell of a lot to learn.
“You were right. The cheese is amazing there,” Soren said with a relaxed smile that helped to take some of the sting off his mistake.
“I’m glad you tried it.”
Soren placed the container on the ground next to his feet and leaned on the small table, closing the distance that separated them. His expression turned serious while still holding on to some of its playful warmth.
“The cheese was delicious, but I’m still wondering how it compares to your cock.”
Alexei fought to maintain his usual cool façade, while his dick perked up and practically begged for Soren’s attention. Fuck cool.
More sex sounded like a good way to spend some time while he waited for his handler to cook up a new contract for him. “I’m listening. How do we fix your conundrum?”
Soren’s smile turned aggressive, and he leaned in more. “Dinner and sex.”
Alexei immediately frowned, and even his dick felt like it was pouting. “Dinner is a bad idea. I’m not looking to get into dating or anything else. Last night was great, but—” Alexei broke off from his swift backpedal at the sharp bark of laughter from Soren.
“Listen, kid—”
“Not helping yourself,” Alexei growled.
Soren held up his hands and nodded. “You’re right. My bad. You’re wearing less makeup today and in the light of day, you look…” He paused as if he were searching for the right word, and Alexei lifted a perfectly sculpted dark eyebrow, waiting to see what he stepped into next. “Incredibly sexy,” Soren finished.
Alexei sniffed. “You’re not completely out of the doghouse, but it’s a start.”
The man didn’t look daunted in the least. “I saw you a block away. I could have turned right around and completely avoided you. That’s how hookups are properly handled, you know? But a sexy man like you with that amazing mouth and sharp tongue, I had to at least try.”
Okay, he was big enough to admit that Soren was smooth as well as sexy.
“You might be a little forgiven,” he murmured as he picked up his coffee and took a final sip of the rich liquid that had now turned cold. “But that doesn’t change my mind that dinner is a very bad idea. The fact that I’m even considering a repeat speaks to how much you’ve brainwashed me.”
Soren chuckled again and the sound was like warm chocolate to Alexei’s ears, sweet and delicious. “Trust me, I know the rules.” He gave a shake of his head. “When I’m with you, I feel old enough to have invented the rules.”
Alexei rested his left elbow on the table and placed his chin in his hand. He made a show of licking his lips, loving the way Soren’s eyes followed the motion. “Still spry and sexy. I prefer older men. You’ve got experience. You know what you like, and you’ve usually managed to get rid of many of your silly hang-ups.”
“And you’re incredibly direct and single-minded for someone your age.”
Alexei shrugged a shoulder. “When you’ve got only one night, why waste it fumbling around and settling for something you don’t want?”
“Very true.”
“But dinner?”
This time, Soren shrugged. “Look, I’m not in any danger of getting attached. This is some fun and unexpected vacation sex. I’ll be leaving soon. You’ll go your way, and I’ll go mine. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun and enjoy each other’s company in the meantime. Soren lowered his voice closer to a whisper. “As much as you grumbled about it, you liked the cuddling last night. You were also laughing as hard as I was until I finally fell asleep.”
“If you tell anyone that I cuddled, I swear I’ll cut your balls off and feed them to the pigeons,” Alexei replied with a sweet smile.
“I wouldn’t dream of it. But dinner would be fun, and then we could finish the night in my hotel room.”
Alexei sat back in his seat and glared at his empty coffee cup. The fact that he was even considering this for a heartbeat was insane. No repeats. And definitely nothing that resembled a date.
But what was the alternative? Dinner alone at his apartment. Dinner alone at a restaurant. Talking with someone he didn’t regard as family would be nice. And he could deftly skirt any tricky conversations about jobs, family, and body count. Soren had also made it clear that he’d be leaving town soon. There was no danger of clinginess or trying to make this into something that could never be.
At the very least, he looked like a safe option when it came to a dinner companion and an evening’s entertainment. And if he wasn’t, Alexei would kill him. Easy enough.