Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
“I’ll take her.” I grab my keys off the bar. This isn’t up for debate. It doesn’t take me long to get to the condo. I park in the basement garage, right outside the elevator. No one will fuck with my car.
I give one of the guards standing next to the elevator a nod before I step on, hitting the button for the top floor.
Matteo has kept this place well-guarded since the event that occurred a few months ago. His wife’s and Riley’s brother had raided this place when he knew Matteo would be gone. Too bad for their brother, I’d been home. That didn’t work out in his favor.
I shake thoughts of that from my mind. I lost it on Riley that night. Since then, we have stayed away from each other. It was for the best. My control deteriorates when I'm around her. She fucks with my head in a way that no one ever has. Everything that comes out of my mouth to her always sounds pissed off.
The last time in my life I didn’t have control over myself was when I was a kid. Before Matteo pulled me off the street, all I felt during those times was rage. Now when I'm not in control, all that rage comes flooding back into my mind, and I'm not always rational. I thought I’d put those demons behind me, though. Under Matteo’s watch, he’d help me focus. He taught me that I could be more and focus that energy into my work. I’d been on a good path. All that slipped through my fingers like water when Riley showed up.
I step off the elevator, checking the time again. I’ve got no clue why she decided to go back to high school to finish out her senior year. I hated school. Matteo tried to put me in it when I was a kid, and I only ended up in fist fights. So much so that I was homeschooled with a tutor who had to deal with me until I passed my GED. Like it fucking matters with the life we live.
When I don’t see Riley in the living room area or kitchen, I head toward her bedroom. I pause in the hallway when I see her coming toward me. She keeps her head down, engrossed in the book she's holding. She always carries a book with her.
What the hell does she have on? She's wearing a polo-collared shirt, but that's not what's drawing my attention. The fucking skirt she's wearing puts her damn legs on full display. The last time I saw those legs and way too much of her was that night when her brother came. She was in white cotton panties. Who knew white panties were hot? I can’t help but wonder, does she have them on now under that pleated skirt?
I don’t move as she draws closer. I allow her to collide with me, feeling her softness press into me. She lets out a squeak, dropping her book. I grab her shoulders so she doesn’t fall back on her ass. Riley barely comes up to the middle of my chest. She’s a tiny thing but has curves that make my dick ache. Ones that I want to run my hands and mouth over.
“Nikolai.” Riley whispers my name, her head slowly dropping back. Her glasses slide back. They hide her eyes. Eyes that I swear can see to the darkest parts of me. Parts a girl like her should never bear witness to.
“Watch what you’re doing.” My tone comes out gruff, the Russian accent I try to mask slipping out around my words. “I don’t like when you touch me.” I release my hold on her, stepping back.
No, I fucking love it. Too damn much. Softness is not something I have ever had in my life, and I want to bury myself deep inside of hers and never come out. But she deserves more than what I can offer her. She doesn’t need me to taint her.
“Sorry.” She tucks one of her unruly red curls behind her ear. “I didn’t know you were here.”
“I live here,” I remind her. She licks her lips, taking another tentative step back. I want to grab her and pull her back but I keep myself in check. For once.
“I know. You’re just not around much.”
I’m not around when she is. If she is, then she is asleep. I've stopped being home for that too. It’s too tempting. She is too vulnerable to me when she sleeps. Too easy to get way too close to.
“I’m taking you to school.”
“Oh.” Her shoulders drop. I don’t miss the disappointment on her face. Her reaction makes me want to pound Sal’s face in even more.
“That a problem?” Cause too fucking bad. I am taking her or she can keep her little ass home. With me. All alone.