Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 109033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
“He’s pretty elusive in general.” But then so was Naomi herself.
“Yeah, he doesn’t connect with people easily. It’s like there’s this wall between him and the rest of the world. I think his father put it there with all his ‘let’s prepare you for being a crime boss/Prime of a lair’ lessons.”
Luka hadn’t spoken to Naomi of his upbringing. She’d only touched on the subject once, backing off on sensing it was a topic that he preferred to avoid. She didn’t get the feeling that there might be some trauma there, just that he was especially private when it came to his family.
Ella bit into a cherry. “He was groomed to be hard. To make tough decisions. To be as ruthless as any demonic crime boss and Prime needs to be. Nobody taught him how to be part of something meaningful. So he hops from shallow arrangement to shallow arrangement, never seeing what he’s missing. It makes me super sad.”
Naomi raked her teeth over her lower lip. “I don’t like to think of him having been mostly alone all these years, but it’s his comfort zone.”
“Oh, for sure. They don’t come more solitary than Luka. But he made room for me in his life, and then for Lily. Seems to me that he’s making room for you, too.”
Naomi pulled a face.
“You don’t get that feeling?”
“It’s hard to tell with Luka. I feel like he and I have somehow stumbled into a situationship. It’s not an arrangement, it’s not a fling, it’s not a relationship. It’s something, but nothing I can really define.”
Ella gave a slow nod. “I think I get what you’re trying to say. Are you hoping that the two of you will build on that?”
“Call me a coward, but I’m not examining any of what I feel too closely.” If she did, if she learned that she’d officially grown to want more from Luka, Naomi might well shit her pants. Because what man could realistically accept all that she hid?
“No, I get that. It sometimes feels easier to just let things flow and see where it takes you; to not worry about the destination and just enjoy the journey. I did that with Viper. It—” Ella cut off as a fist slammed on the table.
Devon hissed at Khloë. “Dammit, woman, my child is not evil!”
The imp gave her a look of pity. “Saying it won’t make it true, kitty.”
Devon tried lunging at her, tipping over two glasses, sending the contents spilling across the table.
Naomi jumped to her feet—and promptly staggered—but not fast enough to avoid the spill. She gasped at the shock of cold liquid soaking through her red dress. “Crap.”
Harper cursed, nudging Devon. “Now look what you did.”
The hellcat flushed, righting the glasses. “I’m sorry, Naomi. Super, super sorry.”
Naomi groaned as she peered down at the dubious dark stain right over her crotch area. “I look like I peed myself.”
“Here.” Ella handed her some napkins.
“Thanks.” Naomi dabbed at the stains, but the napkins were too thin to help. Sighing, she balled them up and plonked them onto the table. “I’m gonna go clean up in the restroom.”
“I’m really, really sorry,” Devon repeated.
“Did you see how she made a grab for my throat? It’s where Anaïs gets it from,” Khloë mumbled. She and the hellcat then went back to bickering.
Naomi shrugged her way through clusters of people. Along the way, she glanced at Konstantin, who looked close to laughing at the state of her.
“Bastard,” she mouthed.
He did laugh, then.
He also slid off his stool to follow her.
With a sniff, she ignored him as she disappeared down the hallway that led to the restrooms. She almost pouted when she discovered there was a long queue—something she should have anticipated really. It was a good ten minutes before she even made it inside. By that point, the stain was unsalvageable.
Ugh.
She dried the crotch area of her dress as best she could with the hand dryer so she at least wouldn’t look like she’d had an accident. Once she’d washed away the sticky feeling from her hands, she exited the restroom and found Konstantin leaning against a wall further down the hallway.
The bastard still looked on the verge of laughing.
She threw him a dirty look as they headed back into the main area. He made his way over to a stool at the counter while she shouldered her way through the crowd.
A curse burst out of her as someone on her left stood on her foot. He quickly apologized and edged back. She gave him an “it’s fine” smile and turned away . . . only to realize that the person now directly in front of her was Iain.
Ah, hell.
He halted, his eyes going almost comically wide. “Naomi,” he breathed. “Shit.”
On high alert, her demon pushed close to the surface of her skin, ready to take over and attack if Iain gave the slightest indication that he meant Naomi harm.