Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 31818 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 159(@200wpm)___ 127(@250wpm)___ 106(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31818 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 159(@200wpm)___ 127(@250wpm)___ 106(@300wpm)
Riley hates me. She has plenty of reasons. But that doesn’t stop me from following her every move. She’s part of my family now, an addition I never saw coming. Having her this close is more than I can stand. I don’t care if she hates me, I want her, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get her.
Riley O’Haire
Nikolai hates me. He thinks I snitched on him. Of course he’s wrong, but I’m not going to waste my time telling him the truth. Not when he stalks my steps and even enrolls in my school to keep an eye on me. It doesn’t matter that I’m attracted to him, that I find myself thinking about him far too much. We can’t be anything to each other, not with our past, not even if I want it.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
1
NIKOLAI
The sounds of moans and grunts are starting to piss me off. I go back to counting the payout for the end of the night so I can get the fuck out of here. I'm damn tired, but maybe for once I can get some sleep. The only way I can get it is by exhausting myself.
“Sal.” I hear Abby laugh.
With no music pumping through the club, you can hear everything. This shit wouldn’t have bothered me months ago. I didn’t care who fucked who, as long as everyone handled what they needed. Now the mere thought of sex sends my mind wandering to a little redhead that I should never be near. One that I don’t deserve to share the same air with. I make it a habit to stay away from her.
I count the final stack of cash and wrap a rubber band around it. Sal and Abby come strolling out of the keg room where they disappeared twenty minutes ago. When Abby sees me, she winks. I shake my head.
Abby oversees all the waitresses and bartenders. Sal zips up his pants. I grit my teeth, wanting to punch him in the face. Once upon a time, the two of us got along. Now I tolerate him. Everything he does annoys the shit out of me.
“Is this good to go?” Abby picks up a few of the cash stacks. I nod. She starts bagging them up to put in the safe.
“I’ve got to head out.” Sal glances at his watch, as if he must be somewhere at this early hour. The only place I’m going to go is to bed, but I need to stay away another hour at least. Then I can head home and crash. I’ll have the place to myself.
“We’re not having breakfast?” Abby rolls her eyes, irritated with Sal now. I tune them out as I get my shit together to go up to Matteo’s office. I’ll lie on the couch till I can go home.
“Can’t, sugar. Gotta head to take Riley to school.” I don’t miss her name. No, I don’t miss anything when it comes to Riley, and that's the damn problem. She’s the reason I’m in a perpetual bad mood.
“Why are you taking her to school?” Just the thought sends my level of annoyance with Sal to another level.
“Boss took the wife back to the house.” No one told me that. Was Riley home all alone?
“Why?”
Sal raises one brow. “You think I ask him why he does anything with his wife?” True. Mona and Matteo have been staying in the city since Riley has been in school to finish out her senior year.
“You’re not taking her.” Over my dead body are the two of them going to be alone together. Abby’s eyes bounce between Sal and me.
I can't stand Sal and Riley together. Nothing pisses me off more. She talks to him. The two of them are always fucking chummy for some fucking reason. When Sal got hurt months ago, Riley was worried about him. Even made him food. I clench my fist thinking back to it.
“Following the boss's orders.” He shrugs, knowing he’s pissing me off and enjoying it.
“I’ll take her,” I grit out. Then I’d have to be near her. I feel myself start to grow hard. The hell is wrong with me? The mere thought of the tiny girl fills my body with heat. It’s one of the biggest reasons I steer clear of her as much as possible.
“You think that’s a good idea?”
“You think it’s a good fucking idea to question me on this?” I step toward him. Sal and I have had it out more than a few times over Riley.
“All right, let's calm down.” Abby steps between us, having borne witness to more than a handful of our fights. I could use one right about now. I’m itching for it. I want to take out my frustration on someone.
“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.