Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 71908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
“Bonte was right. The humor is in there,” I tease, wanting to lighten the mood. “Speaking of, since they’re here, should we marry now or—” Naomi is shaking her head no. “It wasn’t a deal?”
“It was. I should warn you, but it might be too late.” Yes, what she’s wanted to talk about.
“The curse. Is that what’s too late?”
“Possibly. I enjoy listening to you speak. I get easily sidetracked with you.”
“That’s good for my ego,” I tease her.
“I don’t think you have a problem with your ego.” A small smile forms.
“You think I’m cocky.”
“No, I believe you are confident, but that doesn’t mean you are cocky.”
“You can be confident if you think before you step. We have that in common.”
“Your flattery isn’t helping,” Naomi huffs out. “I’m growing possessive of you. My jealousy is not reasonable. Things could get out of hand. I don’t know how to handle it so well.”
“Like knocking out men to bring them into a hospital.”
“So you understand.”
“Do you?” I ask.
“No, but it’s safer if you know this. That way you act accordingly. Don’t linger around other women.”
I chuckle, which she does not find amusing. “I don’t share either,” I warn her right back. “You have nothing to worry about with me. You’ve had me from the moment I laid eyes on you.”
It might not have been purely sexual back then, but I’d been captivated from the start. In a way that only she could do to me. She’s the only woman who has ever piqued my interest.
“Because you think I’m beautiful.” Her head tilts slightly down, that vulnerability showing again.
“That and so much more.”
“Okay,” she agrees. “We should go. I don’t care to be late to things.” Naomi tries to wiggle off my lap, but I stand, picking her up with me and then putting her on her feet. “You make me feel girly and delicate when you do those things.”
“You are not a man.” Which is a very good thing every way you slice it.
“I am not,” she agrees. “Before we go, there is one more thing.”
“What can I do for you, Sunshine?”
“Don’t make me kill you.”
“If I do, then I had it coming.”
I can tell this pleases her because she slips her hand into mine, and I tangle our fingers together just like I plan to tangle every part of her up with me.
If anything, I should have warned her about me, but as I said, I play dirty.
Chapter Fourteen
NAOMI
“Is there anything I need to know?” I ask Paxton. His driver, Arturo, is taking us to the event. It’s not far, so time is limited. “I’m not thoroughly prepared.” I take out the cards Mac had quickly made for me, filled with information.
When he doesn’t respond, I glance over toward him, which I have been trying not to do. The urge to crawl into his lap is strong. It felt good when I was straddling him, the slight rock of my hips making my sex press against his hard cock. It not only had an ache forming between my thighs, but my breasts too now feel heavy.
“You have note cards?”
“Yes, Mac found the guest list and pulled the biggest players in the room. I want to know their names and what they do.” Mac’s research never ceases to amaze me.
“Archie Guldner is going to make a play for governor in the next election,” he says. “There is a chance he could win. I need to play both sides until I can get a sense of who is likely to win.”
“You’re good at that, aren’t you? Reading situations. That, or you have a lot of moxie, as my grandfather would say.” He has done things that could have gotten him killed, but he’s come out unscathed. If anything, he’s ahead. He’s got a knack for that.
“Yes, I am rather good at it,” he admits. “It’s a skill set I started working on from a young age.”
“Your father was abusive.” Shit, I said that far too fast and cold. “I apologize. I could have expressed that more thoughtfully.” I have to remember that I’m not around my family, and blurting random things out may not be the best idea. They’re used to my directness.
“Don’t change the way you speak on my account. Yes, he was an abusive asshole. One that thought he had me under his thumb.”
“Making the people close to you fear you more than they respect you will lead to your demise. I struggle with this,” I admit. Not with my family but with the men that work for us. I spoke carelessly about his upbringing. I can give my own issues.
It’s not because I’m trying to cause people to fear me. It’s simply my demeanor and the whispers about me. When people think you’re cold and don’t have feelings, it scares them. Empathy is a tool many latch on to, and if they think you don’t have any, they know no amount of words they give you will stir you.