Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
“I just want you to be ready before we cross that line.” I’ve been keeping my dick in my pants for a reason. I don’t trust myself. “Once we cross that line…” I trail off, trying to temper my lust, knowing once I fully take her, there is no turning back.
“Well,” Riley says, licking her lips. “Next time we’re, you know—”
“I’m eating your sweet pussy.” I fill in for her, watching her face turn redder. I have to reach down and adjust my cock. One day I’ll watch her blush as she wraps that mouth around my cock.
“Yeah, that.” She ducks her head, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. “I’m okay with doing more.” I put my finger under her chin, making her lift her eyes to meet mine.
“You really think you’re ready for that? When it comes to you, Riley, my control isn’t the best.” I want her to understand that. To know what she’s asking me for.
“I kind of love that I can make you lose control.” I shake my head. I’m not sure how I feel about that. “Nikolai, you’d never do anything to hurt me. Even when you thought I betrayed you and Matteo, you still didn’t raise even a finger to me.”
“Because I knew you were going to be mine.”
I’d been on fire the night her brother showed up here, thinking they could take Riley and Mona from us. I knew that there had to be some kind of tracker on Riley. It was the only way they could have found them. I wasn't wrong. I'd lost my mind, thinking that Riley didn't want to be here with us. That her plan was to go back to her father.
While I might have been pissed, I wouldn't have laid a hand on her in anger. I just knew I would have to show her that her family was fucked and she'd been brainwashed. I also knew I would have to put them down. Then there wouldn't be anyone for her to betray us to. Yes, that would have been problematic, but it was a necessary solution. One that kept Riley and me under the same roof and safe from her family. That was all that mattered to me.
Oh, and making her all mine. I knew that one would take time, but I was willing to play the long game. I've discovered that, when it comes to Riley, I'm willing to do anything.
“And that’s what I mean. I trust you.” She slides her hand into mine. “You’d never hurt me.”
“Never.” She is right, so I agree without much thought. For her, I'd go up against anyone. Even Matteo. I didn’t think that was possible. That man raised me and gave me a better life. I owe so much to him. Yet I know my choice will always be her if it ever came down to that.
My phone goes off, interrupting our moment. I reach into my pocket and pull it out. “Fuck,” I mutter under my breath when I see it’s Church. I know it’s not a social call. Church doesn’t do small talk. He only calls when there’s real work that needs to be done.
“You gotta go?”
“Yeah.” I don’t want to, but I’ve been somewhat MIA lately, wanting to spend all my time with Riley. Matteo and Church depend on me to do my part, and I need to live up to that.
“It’s fine. Go.” She squeezes my hand. I’m grateful that she doesn’t ask me a hundred questions. This is where her understanding of our lifestyle comes in handy. I hate that she had to live through it with her shitty father and brother, but it makes it easier for me when it comes to my work.
“Sleep in my bed tonight.” Fuck, as much as I love slipping into her room, the idea of her waiting for me in my bed is alluring.
“I can do that.” She tilts her head back toward me. I sink my fingers into her hair and kiss her deeply. Riley grabs ahold of my shirt, getting lost in our kiss. When I release her mouth, her face is flushed, and her lips are swollen from mine. “Be safe.”
Those two words hit me hard. “Okay,” I choke out. To think I have someone waiting at home for me, worried for my safety, is new. I can’t lose her. I’m in too deep. There is no going back for me. I can’t return to who I was before her.
I give my girl one last look before I head out. When I hit the bottom floor, Sal is there. “I got her.”
“Sal.”
“She’s your girl, Nikolai.” He cocks a smile. “I only see her as a sister.”
“Right,” I scoff. You'll never persuade me that Riley isn't the entire package. That not everyone wants her.