Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 106159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 531(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 531(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
It takes everything I have not to startle when he slams his fist into the glass cabinet housing trinkets and accessories. “She isn’t there by choice.”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
His laugh is mocking and full of condescending arrogance. “You know what, I came here to look out for you, but you seem to think you have it all figured out, so I guess I’ll leave you to it.”
The genuine worry in his tone makes me laugh. “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
Unable to leave without showing his true colors, he knocks over the bow tie stand and kicks the bin next to the cash register before pushing open the boutique’s entry door with so much force he almost takes out a pedestrian on the other side.
He doesn’t apologize to the elderly lady. Instead, he pushes past her and makes a beeline for his ugly sports car parked a few spots up from the boutique.
I stop watching the trail of smoke his brisk exit whips up when the bell above the door chimes.
“You good?” Saka asks, his dislike for Vasily as evident on his face as mine.
I jerk up my chin. “Yeah, but only if one of them is for me.”
He jiggles an over-milky takeaway coffee in his hand before muttering, “I’m allowed to come in?”
“Of course you are,” I reply, like I haven’t begged him for six months straight to give me a minimum of twelve feet of breathing space.
“Thank you. I’m sure she will love it. A racy number like that will instantly switch her from girlfriend to wifey.” After walking our final customer to the door, I lock it before twisting the open sign to closed.
As I switch off the interior lights, I recall how crazy today has been. When Saka’s record-low six-hour shift was taken over by a new member of Matvei’s security team, I was left to my thoughts for the first time in years.
Stupidly, I loathed the silence, so I invited Millie and Maria over to see the latest lines. Taylor is still in her study bubble, and I’m not exactly sure she is open to invitations from me just yet. The interruption at the end of her exam session meant all the tests had to be forfeited—even the ones already handed in.
I text her another apology before heading out the back entrance and rounding the corner. “Sorry,” I murmur when I bump into someone coming from the other end of the alleyway.
He also apologizes, but it is gobbled up by Haynes, Matvei’s primary driver, shouting his location. “Over here, Ms. Lefevre.”
I cringe before skedaddling to his side. “Can you please call me either Nat or Natalya? Ms. Lefevre reminds me of my mother.” It is easier to blame her than announce that my last name comes with a heap of issues no one wants to deal with.
“Very well, Natalya.” He opens the door for me before stepping back so I can slide in without touching him. After slotting behind the steering wheel, he asks, “Where to?”
“Ah...” Good question. “Um…” I am desperate to see Matvei, but his carelessness yesterday can’t be excused again. “To my apartment.”
He nods, acknowledging he heard me before seeking a break in the traffic. Mercifully, there aren’t many commuters on the road at this time of night. Most are already home with their families. A ghost of a smile creeps across my lips. Most men are petrified of having kids, but Matvei blurted it out like he is without a single hesitation.
His craziness is why I need to stop by my apartment. The pharmacist I visited during my quick lunch break said the morning-after pill wouldn’t be as effective since it had been almost twenty-four hours since our mishap, but a quick Google search said I could double the chances if I were to take it with my regular contraception pill.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” I announce to Haynes, slipping out of the car and racing up the stairs before he can declare a request to shadow me.
“Sweet Jesus. I can’t unsee that.”
Saka's hands shoot down to cover his erection as Taylor yanks a blanket over herself.
“What are you doing here? Matvei said you were staying with him tonight.”
Confusion pummels into me when the questions are fired off Taylor’s tongue instead of Saka’s.
“You’ve spoken to Matvei today?”
As her cheeks redden even more, she jerks up her chin. “He came by to make sure everything was returned to normal.”
Robotically, my eyes stray to her open bedroom. The desecrated wall has been painted and covered with expensive-looking artwork, and the mattress and carpet have been replaced.
My heart sighs with happiness, and then I stupidly return my eyes to the living room.
“Nope. We’re not doing this. Not while you’re standing there like that.” I take three steps toward my room before I recall they’re doing the nasty on the three-seater couch I purchased to go with Taylor’s two armchairs. “That’s—”