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)
After the attacks, she stopped complaining and started to look for hobbies. Her cooking and baking were the best so far. The knitting was not going so great. He’d seen her hold the sweater up, and it looked awful. She was not a good knitter, but that didn’t stop her.
“Take you for a walk in the park,” he said.
“That is not going to take a long time,” she said.
He chuckled. “You never know. A park is an exciting place.”
She took a deep breath. “Yeah, I know. Do you see any threats? Anything I must be on guard with?”
“Nothing so far.”
“I already spotted Richard up ahead, and there’s Ben.”
He glanced down at her. “You know the guards’ names?”
“It’s only fair. They are risking their lives to save mine, and in all honesty, it’s not like I’m anyone important.”
“You saved my life. That makes you important,” he said.
“I’ve told you before. There are a lot of people who would have done it.”
Alexey chuckled. “You think you know the world, Jane. You truly don’t.”
She rolled her eyes. “I know there are a lot of bad people in the world. Trust me, I get it.”
He spun her around and pressed her up against the tree. “Does this have anything to do with that foster dad who ended up dead?” he asked.
She smelled so good, like vanilla, and it always made his mouth water.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said.
This made him smirk. “You know when every foster kid responds in exactly the same way about the same situation, it stinks.”
Jane stared at him but didn’t say a word.
“Do you know what is even more telling?” he asked, waiting for a few minutes to pause. “When they dropped the case, all evidence seemed to disappear, and the kids just ended up going their separate ways.”
“I think I’m ready to go back home,” she said.
He liked that she called it home. Alexey didn’t want to let her go. She wore a cute yellow sundress that skimmed her curves, but each time she moved, it gave a little glimpse to what was hiding beneath.
“Fine,” he said. “We’ll go home.”
He kept hold of her hand and walked her all the way back home, pleased that his jacket hid his raging erection.
Chapter Five
Jane tried to fall asleep and ignore the sound of Alexey moving around the apartment. He had a big place, and usually she didn’t hear a single sound he made. Tonight, she heard everything and it was driving her crazy.
After their walk in the park, Alexey dropped her off at the apartment, kissed her on the forehead, which he never did, and then left. She hadn’t seen him at lunch, nor at dinner, and this was unusual for him. She hated that it bothered her.
Jane was used to being alone and eating alone. That was how her life had been for a long time. She was not someone who needed anyone’s company. In the last few months, she had grown to really enjoy Alexey’s company. He made her feel safe, and he didn’t want anything from her. This was not a tit-for-tat deal. He saved her, just as she saved him.
She growled as she threw the covers off her body and stormed out of her bedroom. Alexey stood in the hallway between the kitchen and dining room. He had a glass of red wine in his hands and a book in the other. A simple fiction book. He was keeping her awake by pacing his apartment, reading.
“Why aren’t you in bed?” she asked.
“I’m reading.”
She tightened her hands into fists as she glared at him. It was a good enough reason, but she didn’t have to like it, and she glared at him, not impressed at all with his answer.
“Why didn’t you come home for lunch today?” she asked.
“I was busy.”
“And dinner?”
“Still busy.”
“Don’t you think that is rude, and you didn’t even send me a message and I waited for—”
“I don’t owe you anything, Jane.”
This took her back a bit. She didn’t think he owed her anything at all. “I thought we were friends,” she said.
“Friends tell people stuff. They don’t lie. They don’t hide,” he said.
“I’m not lying and I’m not hiding.”
“But you don’t divulge anything.”
“And neither do you,” she said.
“Because you don’t want to know,” Alexey said. “You never ask for details.”
“What do you want me to say, Alexey? You want me to ask how many people you’ve killed? How many people you hurt today, or perhaps some shitty deals you know people aren’t going to be able to pull out on? What do you want me to say?”
“I want you to trust me,” he answered.
This conversation was confusing to her. They were arguing and she didn’t know why. Nothing seemed to make sense.
“I do trust you.”
“With your life, but not your past, apparently.”