Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 86238 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86238 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
“Did you retaliate?” Yev is playful, fun, and always the life of the party, but he could knock any man on his ass. If he didn’t have such a short fuse, he could have gone pro.
His grin gleams in the early morning sun. “Nah. I deserved it.”
“How does anyone deserve a punch in the eye?”
Everything makes sense when he murmurs, “I told him how you put me in place, and how you needed two hands to do it.”
“Oh my God, Yev!” I sock him again. This time, I drop my aim a couple of inches below his navel. “You’re lucky he only hit you. Only a couple of years ago, that would have seen you buried in a shallow ditch.”
Spit flies in all directions when he pffts me. “Please. That would mean he’d have to dig a hole, and you know Alek only does that for the people he likes. He would have dumped me in the ocean.”
His reply is mostly honest. “Alek likes you.”
He screws up his face like he doesn’t believe me. “I still think he blames me for you guys breaking up.”
Over our conversation, I double the length of my strides. The only person responsible for our breakup is Alek—the very man leaning against the passenger side door of the car I was planning to deposit twenty thousand dollars into. He looks well-rested, and his eyes aren’t as pained as they were last night. His migraine is gone—or perhaps it is only just beginning.
“I can’t accept your money.”
Alek tightens the fold of his arms before peering over my shoulder. With a lift of his chin, he dismisses Yev from my watch.
He tries to hide the tic of his jaw by scrubbing his hand along it when Yev checks with me on what I want him to do. He’d stay if I asked, but after his confession, I think it’ll be best if he leaves.
“We’ll catch up soon, okay?”
He smiles, jerks up his chin, then disappears into the fog that won’t lift for several more hours.
Once he disappears, I plan to get back to the conversation about the ridiculous amount of money Alek paid to lie next to me, but Alek has other ideas. “Why aren’t you wearing a coat? It is fucking freezing out.”
I don’t own a coat, but I’m not going to tell him that.
“I had to pay a ten percent surcharge for cash, so not all you paid is in here—”
“Where the fuck is your coat, драгоценный?”
I continue talking as if he didn’t speak. “But considering your migraine is gone, I’m sure you’ll see it as money well spent.”
“драгоценный.”
“I can’t be sure without proof, but I think some of the cash circulating last night was being laundered, so you might want to take it through a similar process to make sure you don’t get caught.”
“драгоценный.”
“Or perhaps your money is dirty, so you gave it to Jax to launder.” I shrug, truly confused. “Either way, here is your money.”
“драгоценный!”
“What,” I shout back, over the use of a nickname I’ve always loathed.
There is nothing precious about me.
White puffs of air escape Alek’s nose when he repeats, “Your coat? Where is your fucking coat?”
“I don’t own a coat!” I thrust my hand to the left like my father’s building is on the horizon. “I took everything when I moved in with you, so when I came back, I had nothing. It is also really fucking hot in Italy. Coats…”
My words trail off when Alek rises to his full height. I’m short, so it should be intimidating. However, my body acts on the opposite end of the scale. “Get in the car, Ana.”
“What? Why would—”
“Get. In. The. Car.” He stoops down low, bringing his face to within an inch of mine. “Or I’ll take you over my knee and spank you until you have no choice but to get in my car, since you’ll no longer be able to walk.” He waits a beat to ensure I can’t miss the absolute truth in his eyes before adding, “I played nice. I’m done with that now. Get in the fucking car.”
Confident I’ll obey, he stands to his full height again, puffs out his chest, then stalks to the driver’s side door of his pricy ride.
7
ALEK
With her grumbles unconcealed and her attitude at an all-time high, Anastasia slips her scarcely covered ass onto the passenger seat of my car and slams the door shut.
“Seat belt.”
“I…” She thinks better of her reply. Opting to keep her mouth shut, she glares at me while pulling the seat belt across her chest and latching it into place.
The heat of her stare doubles when I activate the lock feature. Even if she has a change of heart, she can’t go anywhere. The doors won’t open.
“You’re welcome, by the way,” she murmurs once I pull into traffic. When I peer at her, confused, she adds, “Only hours ago, you would have been too curled over in pain to yell at me.”