Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36476 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 182(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36476 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 182(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
I told her I can wait. It’s what I’m known for. I can be patient when it’s beneficial to me. I can outwait anyone when it comes to a deal. I’m never a man you want to play chicken with. I’ll let the time tick away and go about my business. Well, that’s how I was before her, anyway. All that shit has gone out the window when it comes to this touch of sunshine that I can’t get enough of.
Wanting to distract myself, I unpack the food delivery and find a couple of plates that don’t match. One has daisies along the trim while the other has some kind of weird vine, making me once again realize that Rae and I come from two very different worlds.
It’s my understanding that women usually throw themselves at wealthy men. I’ve had a few who have tried over the years, but it took a mere glare from me to send them running the other way. The others must have gotten the memo because for the most part I’m left alone when I do have to attend some event.
Rae isn’t one of those girls. I can’t throw money at her to get her to want me more. After just watching her for more than a week, I know what she wants. A family. So much so that now she is digging into her past. I think it was triggered by her best friend going off and falling in love. That’s the interesting thing about triggers. Most of the time, you never know what they are and what will spark them. Most importantly, you never know how you will react when one is flipped.
I listen to the sound of the shower turn off as I plate the food. I haven’t eaten since lunch, but the only thing I’m hungry for is Rae. She awoke an insatiable appetite within me. I can’t get enough of her. I lift my head as she comes walking down the hallway a few minutes later. She looks like a goddamn vision. Even though she’s on the shorter side, I swear when I see her in those little sleep shorts, her legs go on forever.
She’s wearing an oversized shirt that falls off one shoulder. My mouth waters as she draws near, knowing with each step she takes she has nothing on under that shirt. It’s all bare soft, warm skin. Skin I know feels and tastes like sunshine, and I’m dying for more.
“You got it ready.” She beams at me with a bright smile, and brushes past me. I don’t move one inch, making her have to let her ass skim against me. With anyone else in the whole world, I would have stepped back. But with her, I lean in, always trying to get as close to her as I can. “This place has the best raviolis.” She cuts one in half and offers it to me on a fork. I take the bite but hate it. I still had her lingering taste in my mouth, and that has now ruined it.
I watch as she digs in herself. I take a few bites, not wanting to be rude. More than anything, I watch her. The faces she makes. The little sounds that come from her each time she takes a bite.
“Is there something on my face or something?” She picks up a napkin and wipes her mouth.
“No. I just enjoy watching you.”
“Do you enjoy a lot of things in life, Ivan? I mean, you’re mega-rich. Do you take those crazy vacations where you have your own island or jet off to Europe or random places on a whim?”
“Sometimes I have to travel for work.” She tilts her head, a piece of her blond hair escaping from out of the tie she has it up in.
“Vacation, Ivan. Not work. Do you ever do anything to relax?”
“I’ve never desired to, but I’d take you.”
“You’re serious?”
“We could leave tomorrow. Where would you like to go?”
She lets out a dreamy sigh. “As lovely as that sounds, I have jobs and don’t have a passport.” I pull out my phone and text Marco. He responds in seconds that he’ll get to work on it. What the fuck can’t this man do? I suppose I could make a few calls and fast track things, but he’s telling me he’ll have it later in the morning. That should suffice.
“I’ll have one for you tomorrow.” The fork with the bite of cheesecake that she almost has to her mouth freezes.
“Are you serious?”
“Always.” She snorts one of those adorable laughs that always warm me from the inside out. I can tell she’s really thinking it over. “Just a few days. Both of us doing something we’ve never done.” She places her fork back down.
“There are a lot of things both of us haven’t done.” Her voice turns husky. I can see her nipples harden under the thin shirt.