Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92133 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92133 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
I’d never seen him like this. “Is this to scare me?”
“Not to scare, to make you aware. I’ve got many enemies. Ivan has many enemies. There are plenty of people in this world who will want us dead, and they would have no qualms about using you to get what they want.”
This was the reality. He was giving me exactly what I wanted to know and yet right at that moment, I wasn’t sure if I could handle it. My husband was warning me. Telling me that if I didn’t learn to accept this life, then I was dead. There was no way out. I was to stay by his side, be loyal to him and to Ivan, until I either died or was killed. There were no cops to save me.
Andrei would kill me if I betrayed them.
My parents had done this because they couldn’t stand to be penniless. They handed me over without a bat of the eye. None of them thought I could handle this. Anger filled me.
“Do you keep your word?” I asked.
“What?”
“When you make deals or promises, do you keep them?”
“Yes.” There was no hesitation.
“Then I promise you, Andrei Belov, that I will never turn my back on you. I will never seek out anyone to hurt you or to hurt Ivan Volkov.” I take a step toward him, knowing that my words don’t matter, not really. Andrei doesn’t trust. Loyalty to him must be shown and earned.
Even as every single sense within my body repelled and told me to run, to get as far away from this man and this life as physically possible, a part of me, a small, tiny sliver, didn’t want to.
Andrei intrigued me.
He terrified me in equal measure, but there was no doubt in my mind that I also liked him. This was stupid of me to even think that. He’d shown no inclination to like me or care for me. I was not the woman for him.
And yet, sleeping beside him, night after night, feeling his arms wrapped around me, was comforting. Even down to the fact he locked me up in this penthouse suite to protect me, I wasn’t sure. There was a lot I didn’t know or understand.
I was within touching distance now. All I had to do was reach up, put my hands on his chest, and feel him, but I didn’t do that. I simply held myself completely still.
His naked chest was so tempting. Why did I hold myself back?
I lifted my hands and moved to touch him, but he grabbed my wrists and stopped me.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
To tell him I was going to kiss him seemed a little lame to me, and totally out of place. Nibbling my lip, I glance over his shoulder, trying to think of the right thing to say. Instead, I step toward him so he has no choice but to move our hands, or have them against his skin. Did he hate me touching him, or just touch in general?
“I’m here to give you payment,” I said.
We were going to be in a constant vicious cycle if one of us didn’t give in, and I was not ashamed to need my space. Kissing Andrei would mean something to him, but I imagined he’d been with plenty of women whose kisses didn’t matter. Just a physical action to him he’d done thousands of times, if not more. I had to learn to keep my emotions in check. This kiss wouldn’t mean a thing. I hoped.
“You’re not a whore,” he said.
I flinched. I couldn’t help it. “You were the one who said I had to kiss you to get out of this damn apartment. I don’t have to be insulted by you. I’m not a whore. How dare you!” If he didn’t hold my wrists, I’d have slapped him right across his smug, arrogant face. As it was, he had my wrists and as I tried to tug them free, it was pointless. He was the one who held all the power.
Growling, I was about to raise my knee when suddenly my hands were released, but I didn’t have time to react because within the next seconds, his lips were on mine. The kiss started out soft, a simple brush of our lips, and I expected it to be over. It certainly would have been a lot easier if it had, but Andrei had other ideas.
His hands sank into my hair, holding me close, gripping me tightly as his tongue traced across my bottom lip. A whimper escaped me and that was all he needed to gain entry. He plunged inside, making me moan as he deepened the kiss.
This was a real kiss.
Not sweet or gentle, but an all-consuming passion that stole my breath and made me hate and crave him just a little bit more.