Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 34292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
“Yeah, not going to happen. I’m strong, and my physical therapist said so.”
“Really? You asked?”
“Damn right, I did. I wanted to make sure I could easily flip you around.”
“You told him that you want to toss me around?” I’m sure I’m beet red from embarrassment. There is no way he actually said that to the therapist.
“Not exactly, but I think he got the hint,” he says with a chuckle.
I slap his arm and duck my head, shaking it in complete mortification. “Oh my goodness. I’m never going to be able to show my face again in the gym.”
“That’s good, because I might have to get a little too crazy if you did. There are way too many men in there.” I look up at him and he actually seems dead serious about that.
“You are nuts,” I exclaimed.
“Damn right. When it comes to you, I’m insanely possessive.” He slides me down his strong, muscular front so I can feel every rippling muscle and his protruding length against his zipper.
“I’m not sure why,” I say, guilt and doubt living in the back of my mind.
He cradles my face with his big, calloused hands and looks deep into my eyes as he says, “Because I’m in love.”
“I love you too, Simon.”
“Good, because I can’t imagine my life without you, Vivian. Even when I couldn’t remember that weekend, I couldn’t picture any reason that was serious enough for you to be that angry with me. I knew that I’d never betray you because you were always meant to be mine. My dearest love, will you marry me?”
“Yes. Yes, Simon. I can’t wait to marry you.” We kiss and then his phone rings, stopping our interlude in the kitchen.
He pulls back, and I finally get to examine my new space. My mouth drops open, and I gasp. It’s perfect. It’s as if he had designed it for me, even though I know he didn’t since these buildings have been here for a long time. Still, it’s wonderful and has a massive double baking oven. I open up all the cabinets, looking around and inspecting everything with greedy, imaginative eyes.
All the while, I don’t even notice that he leaves the room.
Chapter Fourteen
Simon
My phone rings, so I pull away from Vivian. It’s my father, so I assume he’s letting me know about the move. There’s a lot to do in a short time and I’m already dragging my feet because I don’t want to leave Vivian’s side for even a moment. “What’s up, Pops?”
“Steiner’s dead,” he states calmly though I’m sure he’s anything but.
“What?” I ask in an angry hush.
“He died in a helicopter crash in the Rockies.” I see Vivian digging through the cabinets, so I let her do her thing while I take the call, walking away so she doesn’t listen in.
“I can’t fucking believe it. Do you think it was a real accident?” My mind immediately goes to my friend who has ways of dealing with matters especially now that he has millions invested.
“I don’t know.”
“I need to call Miles.”
“Go ahead. Don’t forget you need to get to Law’s place.”
“I know. We’re getting ready in a few minutes. Thanks.”
“Congrats.” Despite the hiccup, I can’t stop the smile that comes to my face. There’s nothing that could take the joy away from me when it comes to my future with Vivian. All this other bullshit is inconsequential.
“Thanks.” I end the call and immediately video call Miles because I want to see his face.
“What did you do, Ivanov?” No need for a greeting because I’m not calling for niceties.
“I don’t appreciate your insinuation, West. I didn't do shit.”
“Are you telling me that this was purely an accident?” I look at him, and he shrugs. There is no artifice in his face or body language, but the man is a master liar and professional. He's been trained by mobsters in Vegas and has years of experience with the rest of the Riders to have learned so many tricks of the trade. I wonder if he’s telling me the truth.
“I'm telling you I had nothing to do with his death. If it was me, I would have made it way worse. The bastard took the easy way out, actually.”
“You think a helicopter crash was an easy way out?” I chuckled.
He nods slowly. “I would have tortured the fucker, but it's for the best because he was facing a long prison sentence. The charges on him were going to be insane, and I had enough to rack up decades’ worth of charges.”
“Is there anything else we can pin on that instructor?” I asked, wanting one of these assholes to pay.
“We have a couple of charges, although not much other than the shit we already have. Your attempted murder will get him twenty years if we can. I can make things happen in time, so don’t worry. It’s the little punk that bothers me. If he makes any moves, I’ll have him taken care of.”