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)
“Am I going to what?” I lean toward her, knowing I’m playing with fire. Riley’s legs part more, making her dress slide up, exposing more of her to me. My mouth waters at the thought of getting a taste of her again.
“What’s happening, Nikolai? Why are you touching me so much?”
“I’ve done more than touch you.” I slide my fingers farther up her thigh.
“Why?” she asks again. I don’t know how to answer her. “You don’t even like me.”
“I more than like you, Riley.” Her brows furrow together.
“But you’re a jerk to me.”
“I know, sweetness. I’m a fucking asshole.”
“I’m more confused than a cat at a laser show.”
I bark out a laugh. Her comment caught me completely off guard.
“Don’t laugh at me.” Riley smacks my hand. Again, catching me off guard.
“I’m not laughing at you.” I shake my head.
“You have a dimple.” She pokes my cheek. “I didn’t know that.” Riley runs her finger from my cheek to my jawline. “You should smile more.”
“Not a lot to smile about,” I admit. Riley drops her hand.
“What's up with Abby?”
“Abby?” Riley rolls her eyes. "Abby as in the bartender and cocktail manager Abby?”
“Yeah.” She glances away, appearing to be shy about the question.
“Why the fuck does that matter?” I pull back, taking my hands off her, because what I really want to do might scare her. Her eyes fill with tears. I hate myself for it, but she clearly knows about Sal and Abby and is jealous.
“You really are an asshole.” She tries to open the door again. I grab her.
"You aren't running back in there to Sal. He’s probably dick deep inside Abby right now.” Her mouth drops open.
“Sal and Abby are together?”
“Yeah, fucking Sal and Abby,” I growl.
“Oh.” She relaxes back into her seat. “Wait, does that make you mad? Sal and Abby?”
"I don't care who Sal touches, as long as he keeps his fucking hands off you."
A sweet little giggle bubbles free from Riley. “You sound jealous.”
“You’re just now getting that?”
“Not that you have a right to be jealous or that I need to give you an explanation, but Sal is my friend.” Riley plays with the hem of her dress. “I don’t have a lot of those.” Her words come out in a soft whisper, so light that I almost miss them.
Her words make my chest ache, making me wish I could make it better for her. I want to kick myself in the ass for ever being rude to her.
“That makes two of us.”
I want to tell her that she has me now. That I’ll be whatever she needs me to be for the rest of her life. But I know she’s not ready for all of that yet. To be honest, I haven’t even wrapped my head around it. Instead, I reach over and grab her hand, giving it a little reassuring squeeze, letting her know she is not alone.
I make a vow to myself at this moment that the only tears I’ll ever put in her eyes are ones of joy from this day forward.
8
RILEY
Istare at myself in the mirror as I brush my hair out. My mind keeps thinking back to Friday night at the bar and all the gorgeous women who fluttered around the room with graceful beauty. I suck my cheeks in, wondering if they're so full because I still have some babyface left, or if it's because I'm a little chubby. I lean in, staring at the freckles that sprinkle across my nose. I don't think there is ever a chance I'll look like that Abby girl. She is all woman.
“I look like a young girl.” I huff a breath, tossing my brush down on the counter.
When I walk out of my bathroom, I’m surprised to see Nikolai sitting on my bed. He’s in his signature black jeans and shirt. I’m guessing it’s his favorite color since he’s always wearing it. I notice he’s got my computer sitting in his lap. I can hear him clicking away on it. What the heck?
“What are you doing?” I haven’t seen him since Friday night. He brought me home, and the rest was kind of fuzzy. I could have sworn he lay down with me in bed, but when I woke up, he wasn’t there. I thought it might have been a dream.
“You don’t look like a girl.”
“What?” He glances up from my laptop.
“With your curves, Riley, you don’t look like a girl.” My face flushes. Crap, he heard me.
“You could knock.” I walk over and take the laptop from him, closing it. “You could also respect someone’s privacy.”
“I could do a lot of things.” Nikolai’s eyes rake down my body and back up, reminding me I’m only in my underwear and an oversized shirt. “All the colleges you are applying to are states away.” He doesn’t sound too happy about it. I should know, I’m an expert in that tone coming from him.