Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Jade wasn’t quite sure when her mystery man joined her, but she felt him close in. She didn’t even need to turn to know it was him. Her hand was on the pepper spray in her jacket pocket, if she needed to use it. One glance in a passing car’s window, and she saw his reflection at her back. She couldn’t help but smile because it felt so good for him to be there, and close to her as well. She took a deep breath and loosened her hold on the pepper spray.
He placed a hand at her back, and they walked toward her apartment. Before she even got a chance to type in the code to let herself into her apartment, he was there, pressing the code in. Jade didn’t want to know how he had gotten access to her security code.
They walked into the elevator, and she looked at him. To some women, he might seem like a monster, scary. The scars on his face had faded, but she didn’t mind them. She wanted to ask him about them, but if he wouldn’t give his name, she doubted he’d talk about his past.
“Good evening,” she said. She didn’t know if he had changed his mind on liking small talk or not, but either way, she was going to try. “I would add your name, but I don’t know it.” She licked her lips. “Did you have a good day?” She chanced a glance toward him, and he kept staring at her. Jade couldn’t read him.
“I don’t know if you had a good day or a bad day. I had a slow day. Not a lot of customers. The ones I did have were nice. That was good. I like those kinds of days. I do prefer busy days, so I don’t have to think a lot, but we can’t always get what we want.” She had a feeling he got what he wanted. All he had to do was snap his fingers and anything he wished would be granted to him. “The weather is cold.”
The elevator stopped and they stepped out of it, going toward her door.
Braxton took the key from her hand and slid it into the lock. She couldn’t help but look at his throat. Ink decorated his neck.
“Did it hurt?” she asked.
He turned his head and she saw the glare in his eyes. “Did what hurt?”
“Your ink? Your, ugh, your tattoo? Did it hurt?”
“No.”
They stepped into her apartment and Jade reached for her jacket and was about to take it off when his order stopped her.
“Take your clothes off,” he said.
This made her stop and turn toward him. He’d already closed the door, and she heard him lock the bolts into place. There was nowhere for either of them to go.
“What?”
“You heard me, take your clothes off, now. I want you naked.”
Jade frowned. His request was rude, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but be aroused. She didn’t even know how she could be considering his rudeness, but she stripped off her jacket, and then walked toward her bedroom.
She didn’t get very far.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked.
“I’m going to get naked.” She pointed toward her bedroom.
He tutted and shook his head. “You don’t need your bedroom to get naked, babe,” he said.
No one had ever called her “babe” before.
“Get naked here.”
Jade glanced around her front doorway. The door was closed, and they were far enough away from the windows. She looked at him, and as he stood here, commanding his space, she found it next to impossible to ignore him.
“Get naked,” she said, taking a deep breath, hoping it would ground her. She felt nerves travel up her spine.
Nibbling her bottom lip, she went to the buttons on her blouse and slowly began to release one, and then the other. She pushed them through the loops, opening her shirt, and eased it off her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. Next, she went to her pants. Once again, she had gone for elastic, because they were so comfortable. She gripped either side and pushed them down.
Jade didn’t know if she was supposed to make this sexy, by swinging her hips from side to side or imagining a song playing. The pants were on the floor. Now she stood before him in a pair of boots, panties, and bra. She eased the boots off her feet after releasing the zipper. Kicking them off, she went toward her bra and unhooked it, letting it fall to the floor. Her panties were the final garment.
Once again, she had lost count of the number of times she was naked, and he was not. Her mystery man was fully clothed. It seemed to be what they did to each other. She had to wonder if there was ever going to be a time when she got to see him completely naked.