Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 58442 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58442 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
One night for fifty thousand.
I can do that, right?
But can I do it without getting attached, or even more attached than I already am?
That’s another question entirely.
CHAPTER 28
RAIDEN
Isit in the back of the limo with Grandma, waiting outside Needle & Muse. Grandma is withdrawn, no surprise there. Almost three full weeks since the murder at the Retreat, and still nothing.
“Oh my,” Grandma says with more excitement in her voice than I’ve heard since before the killing. I follow her gaze.
Aurora stands in the entrance to Needle, wearing a gorgeous green dress that fits her body to perfection, hugging her curvy form tightly and elegantly. She wears a studded necklace that complements her modest cleavage.
I climb from the limo, gesturing at the driver to stay put.
“Grandma knows we were a deal,” I tell her, taking her hand.
“She does?”
“She guessed it. She’s a shrewd woman.”
Aurora swallows. “I suppose that means we don’t have to kiss, then. Not yet.”
“You’re right, technically speaking,” I say, my tone dark.
Then, my world brightens. She clasps my face in her hands and stands on her tiptoes to kiss me. I wrap my arms around her, my body responding instantly.
The kiss lasts a long time. I somehow doubt Aurora meant for us to consume each other like this while Grandma waits, but weeks of longing and want bubble up just like they did earlier in the week.
She slides her hands down to my chest and pushes herself away. I love when she does this it seems to take so much effort, as though she’s always on the verge of a lust-filled collapse, always on the verge of giving herself to me even if part of her pretends she doesn’t want it.
“Aurora, darling, you look simply sublime,” Grandma says when we reach the limo.
“Thank you, Evangeline,” she replies.
“Is this your creation?”
“Yes, mine, and my grandmother’s.”
“You made this dress?” I ask.
She smiles up at me. “You don’t have to sound so shocked. It’s sort of what I do.”
I chuckle. “I don’t think I’ll ever stop being surprised by how talented you are.”
Her smile falters. Ah. I get it. I mentioned the future. What a bad, bad boy I am. I turn to the window, watching the town drift by.
“How is Margot?” Grandma asks.
“She’s doing much better, thank you,” Aurora says. “She doesn’t know how to rest, but I’ve been educating her. Sometimes with… let’s say, encouragement.”
Grandma laughs. “I don’t know Margot well, but I know her well enough to believe that. She can be fiery, as I recall.”
“Like recognizes like,” I say, winking at Grandma.
She rolls her eyes. For a few moments, it’s like the murder and the secrecy never happened.
“What are your plans when she’s able to take over the shop?” Grandma asks.
I look out of the window again. I don’t want to be part of this conversation. Petty, perhaps, but the idea of Aurora leaving isn’t exactly thrilling to me.
“I’ll return to college. In New York.”
“You live there?” Grandma asks.
“It’s a six-hour drive,” Aurora says. “Commuting would be impossible. Unless I wanted to be a zombie who never got any work done.”
“I suppose it makes relationships difficult too,” Grandma says.
I bite down, still not turning, not looking. One last job. That’s all this is supposed to be, and I need to be okay with that.
“Relationships are going to be difficult no matter where I live. I don’t know what I’m going to do after college. I might get a job abroad. I might open my own place. I don’t know. A lot is up in the air.”
I grind my teeth. I don’t want to be one of those stupid men who thinks he owns a woman because they’ve had sex and bonded a few times. I know that when I tell her I own her, it’s part of our game, our special dynamic. Nothing more.
It still hurts somehow.
“You’ve got your whole lives ahead of you, both of you,” Grandma says. “No rush.”
“Don’t forget, Grandma, one of us is younger than the other.” I wink at Aurora.
She rolls her eyes. “I’m twenty-three and you’re… what, thirty-five?”
“Thirty,” I say. “And none taken.”
She giggles and nudges me.
“You can’t pretend this is simply a deal,” Grandma says.
Aurora’s warm look vanishes from her face. She bites her lip and stares at the floor. I shoot Grandma a look… Why did she have to go there? Grandma shrugs at me as if to say, Well, it’s true…
“Aurora, don’t worry. We’ve already discussed this.”
She looks at Grandma. “Evangeline, I do like your grandson, but I’ve got… things I want to do. A life I want to live.”
“I don’t believe love is incompatible with that.”
“Love?” I say. “Take it easy. No one said anything about love.”
“You don’t need to sound so offended,” Aurora jokes.
I shake my head, laughing. “Why do I get the feeling I’m being ganged up on?”