Total pages in book: 178
Estimated words: 170884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 854(@200wpm)___ 684(@250wpm)___ 570(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 170884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 854(@200wpm)___ 684(@250wpm)___ 570(@300wpm)
Elias blinked at me a long moment before his lip twitched. Then, when he tipped his head back and laughed so loudly, I knew I had achieved my goal. From my peripheral vision, I saw the Turk watching me, and it took everything inside me not to look at him, to taunt him openly.
Fuck you, Az. You think you’re special? I don’t need you.
I didn’t hear Luka Pavlovic approach, but when he towered over me, he looked furious. “I know what you did, kurva.”
My eyes narrowed on him. “I beg your pardon?”
His lip curled. “We all know what you did, Dragon whore. To Julius. To his wife.” When he leant down into my face, my first reaction was to scratch his eyes out. But I maintained the picture of calm. “If this wasn’t neutral ground, I would end you right here where you sit.” He made a show of looking me up and down. “You don’t have a friend in the world, Ling, not especially in this room, so why don’t you just take your skinny little ass and walk it off a cliff?”
Luka was a well-respected man. The so-called King in these parts. The Croat held me firm with his eyes, and a tangible silence filled the room. The foreboding I felt held me weighed down in that seat, and when I looked around at the men around me, I found not one of them willing to step forward and stand with me. Not even the beautiful Turk.
Whelp, that was my cue to leave.
Although my heart was racing, I turned to Elias. “Wanna come home with me? I promise I’ll be gentle.”
But, as I knew he would, Elias shook his head slowly. “No thanks.”
I pursed my lips in dissatisfaction. “What about you, Luka?” I took a step forward and gently touched his tie. “I’ll let you punish me. I’ll even try not to come.”
Luka expression turned irate. His voice low, he spoke through gritted teeth. “I’ve never hit a woman before, but for you, tonight, I might just make a fucking exception. You repulse me, deviant.”
At his unrestrained anger, my eyes flashed. “Ooh, Luka. Don’t tease, baby. I’m already soaked.” I took his hand, bringing it towards the hem of my dress. “Wanna feel?”
When he snatched his hand away, I laughed musically, then looked around at all the stoic faces surrounding me. “Don’t even try it. Every single one of you has eliminated a problem before, and Julius, my old friend, was mine. So come at me if you need to, but don’t pull this holier than thou shit. I did what I needed to, to get myself where I am today, and I gotta say—” My eyes narrowed. “—the view isn’t what was promised in the brochure.”
Glaring at each and every one of them, I stood from my seat and maintained eye contact as I left the room. As I walked out, my gaze landed on Aslan, and when he looked away, I smirked in victory. But when I was out of sight, I pulled out my cell and dialed, putting the phone to my ear as I walked.
Tensions were rising, and I needed to get my shit together.
Chapter Sixteen
Lexi
I was sad. Saying goodbye to Manda was harder than I thought, considering we’d only just met. We spent an awful lot of time hugging and she promised to come back soon, maybe with her father. I promised to keep in touch and send her updates on her nephew. She promised to send me a video of her husband speaking in that sexy brogue of his.
We were two women brought together by chance, parted by distance, and I hated that she was now an ocean away. I truly felt she was my biggest ally at the moment.
Every time I spoke to Nikki, she asked constantly about how things were going with Twitch, when things weren’t going at all. Whenever I managed to catch Dave, he bluntly enquired when Twitch was leaving again, and it very well nearly broke me because he was only asking what I was actually thinking. When I spoke to Julius, he refused to speak about Twitch at all, and Ana was hardly a conversationalist. I had yet to speak to Happy, and the more time that passed. the more it felt like a widening bridge between us.
It seemed hardly fair to have Twitch in constant contact while I couldn’t spare a word for a person who I would describe as my rock when shit went down.
I decided it was time for old traditions to recommence.
Tonight, we’d eat dinner together, as a family. Only tonight, we’d place an extra setting and try to avoid anyone becoming seriously injured.
Yes. That was definitely the goal. That nobody left bleeding.
I checked the oven, and the smell wafting out of it was divine. With a smile, I got to work making the gnocchi from scratch. It wasn’t hard once you knew what you were doing, and I’d learned to make it years ago, no longer needing a recipe, simply going off feel alone. I was still working away when the doorbell went off, and when I opened the door, the tall, blond man who stood there smiled down at me almost sadly.