Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 32402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 130(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 130(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
He looked at her. Then, he nodded his head. “Yes, I’ll take you to the park tomorrow.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she said. “I know the guards would be more than capable of doing it. I don’t want to put you out.”
“Jane, the only way you’re getting to that park tomorrow is if I’m by your side.”
“No other chance?”
“Not a single one,” he said.
“Then I guess we’re going to the park tomorrow. Now, eat up, this is supposed to be super good for you. It’s got your meat and veggies.”
“And I see you put broccoli on my plate,” he said.
“It’s so silly for you to not like broccoli. It makes absolutely no sense to me.” She offered him a smile, and Jane was a little afraid, because in that moment she realized she really liked living with him.
****
Jane looked way too happy.
He hadn’t locked her up as punishment. The few people that had snuck past his guards had gotten lucky. He was shocked when she did kill the cleaning lady, not that she had any choice.
Jane was not like a lot of women. She was a fighter.
After the attacks, rather than argue with him, or leave, she had dug in and dealt with it. She cleaned his apartment, learned to cook and bake. His guards adored her, and she had won them over with the power of her food. It helped that she was a good cook. Even his friends had adored her.
She had killed for him as well. Nikolai liked to point that out time and again. Morello was pissed off, intent on war, and was acting irrational. He had even attempted to ambush him during a meeting, but Alexey had seen right through his tricks. Morello wanted the girl.
Alexey looked down at the girl at his side, and he saw the delicate smile on her lips. She had closed her eyes and tilted her head up. She was happy.
Her eyes opened and she turned toward him. He had never considered brown eyes to be all that attractive, but Jane held warmth within hers. He never noticed it before, but she possessed a couple of cute dimples in her cheeks.
“Okay, just between us, but I might be getting high a little on all that Vitamin D.” She let out a little giggle.
It was summer. The heat waves had been a nightmare, not that Jane had felt much of them, because he kept the apartment at the same temperature. While most people were sweating their balls and tits off, Jane had been pleasantly cooking up a storm in their apartment.
Alexey reached down and did something he never did with a woman. He held her hand and locked their fingers together, so he could keep her close. His men were all around the park, looking for any sign of Morello. He had no doubt Vincent had men around, waiting for the moment to strike, but he wasn’t going to let that happen.
“Alexey, you don’t have to hold my hand,” she said.
“Yes, I do.”
He expected her to argue, but she didn’t pull away, and by some strange miracle, she didn’t even argue with him. In that moment, he wanted to put his fingers against her temples to make sure she was okay. Jane not arguing was a strange concept.
She didn’t argue, and he walked her through the park and kept a close eye on every person there. There were runners, families, mother pushing strollers, even fathers. There were already kids in the park, since it was summer. People were always going to parks and lapping up the sunshine to make them feel better.
Jane sighed. “You know, I have always liked the simple things. A walk in the park. Enjoying the few free things life has to offer, free air, free sunshine.”
He wasn’t about to tell her that this simple walk was not exactly free. The men he paid to keep her safe did not come with just enjoying the morning walk.
“So, do you have any plans for today?” Jane asked.
He looked down at her, and she offered him a smile, to which he was a little taken aback. Over the past few months, he found himself enjoying her company. He genuinely wanted to go home each night to see her. Life was not hard, nor complicated with her. She didn’t ask him a million questions or beg him for girly treats.
In the beginning, he didn’t think he was going to be able to live with a woman. Now, he didn’t want her to leave, and he stopped trying to find ways for her to leave. He knew a lot of men would find her plain and unattractive, but Alexey was fucking drawn to her.
At night, he found himself watching her in her cute pajamas. He brought her clothes home, and she was constantly wearing them. From the cute pajamas to the jeans, to dresses. She wore everything he got, and she didn’t complain once. He loved everything about her.