Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55606 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55606 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
“You think he is selling me out.” A single shoulder shrug. “Or already has sold me out.”
“I think people don’t change as much as we hope they will.” She rotated back toward the table and Mark. “We also know I don’t trust Robert. But it’s your life, not mine.”
He licked his lips and her core clenched in response. In her periphery she watched Mark’s mouth quirk. A slow glide of her tongue along her lower lip was her retaliation to Lance before she slumped back in the seat.
“What do you think?” Lance pointed the question to Mark.
Funny, it seemed as if his focus remained on her, however.
“Man, I don’t give a flying fuck what you do. I’m here purely because I owe this woman my life.” He too, leaned back, one strong arm draping over the frame of the chair. “All that to say, if she says it’s wrong and the man is shit, I’d listen to her. I never worked with Robert, but men he worked with, yes. And they were the ones who burned me, nearly cost me my life and that of my boy.”
“And your twin?”
Jasmine smiled. She’d wondered how long it would be before Lance brought up thinking he’d seen two of the same man.
Mark shot her a wink and she wasn’t positive but damn near that a growl emerged from the man beside her. And he inched closer to her. Jasmine gave Lance about thirty good seconds before his arm was along the back of her chair.
“Don’t have one.”
“Bullshit,” Lance spat.
Oh. She’d been wrong. It wasn’t the back of her chair he settled his hand possessively against but the nape of her neck. Strong fingers curving about, his grip familiar and calming.
Damn it! She wasn’t supposed to feel anything but lust for him. This comforting and protected feeling she got wasn’t part of the plan.
A reminder that had become somewhat of a mantra when it came to this man here. It irritated her to no end that she had to continue remembering that. She scowled. Anger slithered up her spine and she ground her jaw, counting slowly and trying to regain her control.
He leisurely stroked her neck and her insides responded to the familiar touch. It wasn’t only the inside either, her skin pebbled and her nipples tightened. A huff of air burst from her lips and she shifted away from him, rising from the chair.
The men glanced up at her but she ignored both of them, walking to the fridge.
“You have water right here, Jasmine.”
“Not getting more water, Mark, thanks.” She didn’t have to turn around to know the bastard had a smirk on his face.
“Babe?”
She scowled at the fridge’s interior before swiping a beer she didn’t need. Fingers curled around the longneck, she turned back to the table, nudging the door closed with the sole of her foot.
Lance was moving toward her and she sucked a sharp breath. Even recovering, there was no denying his presence. It was simply there. His gaze locked on her like a heat-seeking missile and her thighs clenched involuntarily.
Predatory. Hungry. Determined. Possessive.
All words that described the way he watched her. Touched her.
As if he hadn’t a care in the world, he backed her into the fridge, arms bracketing her in as his palms slapped the white material of the appliance.
A swift bite to the inside of her lower lip sent enough pain through her to give her a wake-up call. Coldly arching an eyebrow, she waited.
Amusement glided over his expression as he bent his elbows and allowed himself to come closer. His warm breath skated over her lips and she had to force herself not to move nearer and allow them to connect.
“Care to tell me what’s got the bee in your bonnet?” A brief pause. “Babe?”
“Just because I wanted a beer doesn’t mean there is anything wrong.”
He narrowed his eyes and she swallowed, realizing she wanted to see those icy green eyes without the colored contacts in them. Before she could move away, he gripped her throat then moved his thumb along her skin.
Heart kicking up, she watched him as he observed her. Thumb moving to her lower lip, he pressed it in then dragged his digit away.
“Don’t hide from me, Jasmine. We’re in this together. You and me. The hell with the rest of the world.”
If only.
Giving in to her need to touch him, she settled her hand on his cheek. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply. The prickly stubble along his jaw abraded her palm and she curved her fingers, moving them so her fingertips slid over his skin.
“This is your life. You need to think carefully about your decision. Do what’s best for you, not for anyone else.”
He inhaled deeply and brushed their lips together. “My life includes you, Jasmine.”
Her heart wrenched and she blinked back tears of desperation and frustration. She was desperate for a man like him, one who would love her unconditionally. Frustration because she wasn’t going to have that. It wasn’t in her wheelhouse. She wasn’t a person anymore. She was a ghost. Not meant to have a normal life.