Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 57121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
But dammit. I do have the right. I’m the Bratva boss for the whole of Washington DC. I turn men into cowards with just a look. I may kill the next man who dares to follow her, stalk her, or even think about hurting her.
It turns out I’m not like the others. I’m trembling with my desire to run up the stairs, kick open the door, drag her to bed, and show her she wants me as badly as I want her.
Instead, I start the car and drive away.
Lia: Thank you for being honest with me.
My gut tightens.
Honest… when she has no clue I’ve been digitally stalking her for months. What a goddamn joke.
CHAPTER 9
LIA
Iwake after a night of tossing and turning. Maksim was in my dreams, looming at the doorway, only this time he was shirtless and covered in sweat. I don’t know why. Or maybe I do. Maybe it was the feeling that gripped me when I thought he was going to grab me, kiss me, and make me his.
Maybe it was the tension in my body. In my heart. In my soul.
Okay, that last one is getting a little dramatic… but this is a dramatic situation.
It’s only five AM. I’ve got some time before I have to get up. When I check my phone, I find a text from Maksim waiting for me.
Maksim: Your mother’s situation has been checked and double-checked. Everything is going well.
It’s a kind of doublespeak, like he doesn’t want to mention any specifics over text.
Lia: Thank you. But please remember, this situation doesn’t mean you get to control my life. I’m grateful for your help, and I know I’d be screwed without you, but I want to make that clear.
Maksim: I can work under those conditions. But only if you walk me to the door like a gentle-lady every time.
I laugh, shocked when I hear the sound. It’s been a while since a man has made me laugh over text. I wonder if it’s ever happened. I know it must have, surely, but I can’t think of a single time.
Lia: Why are you so goofy over text?
Maksim: You don’t think I’m goofy in person?
He sends a sad-face emoji with the message. That just adds to the overall surreal nature of this. He’s saved my life, intimidated me, intrigued me, pushed my mind into curious and exciting places… but emojis, from a big tough guy like this?
Lia: You can be goofy and silly. But your overall demeanor kind of ruins the effect.
Maksim: Are you saying I frighten you?
Lia: Maybe you should look in the mirror sometime. You’re a big, scary guy. But weirdly, no, you don’t scare me. That probably means this whole experience has made me lose my mind.
Maksim: I lost my mind the moment I opened my eyes and saw you standing over me. All those months ago, a gunshot sending agony through me, and there you were.
I step into the bathroom. Everything in this townhouse is modern and expensive. There’s no mold in the bathroom, not even spots of it, no cracks in the tiles. I’ve only ever stayed in a place like this on holiday, back before Evan died and Mom had her life together.
Splashing water on my face, I look at myself in the mirror, remind myself not to get carried away. But his message triggers feelings in me I thought were buried under layers of grief and stifled emotions and work.
Lia: I think you need to slow down.
I sit on the edge of the bed waiting for his response.
Maksim: Nothing about this is slow.
I fold my legs as warm tingles dance over my body. My stomach knots, but not with the usual nerves or impending sense of doom. It’s not dread that makes me tense up. Lust grips me, and my heart twitches when I realize that I might be special to him, that I’m the object of someone’s desire.
A criminal’s desire, I try to remind myself. He admitted his business is blackmail, stealing information, and using it to his advantage. I’ve seen him assault a man like it was nothing.
Lia: Just because this situation is crazy doesn’t mean we have to be.
Maksim: Speak for yourself. I’m already crazy. I’ve had to be. Because of this life I chose. So, if I come off as unhinged, that’s why.
Lia: You’re very raw over text. I mean, you’re pretty raw in person too. But this is something else.
Maksim: I’m good at hiding how I feel. I’ve spent a long time honing that skill. In my world, it can be dangerous to show emotion, even a moment of it. But sitting in the dark, typing this, it’s like I can let myself go a little. I don’t have to be such a tough bastard.
A smile spreads across my lips, reckless and wild. I try to take my own advice. Take a beat. Slow this down. Keep my head on straight, so I’m not whisked away like some princess in a fairytale. Maybe I am like Cinderella though, just a bit, spending all these years grinding and toiling only to have my Prince Charming save me from it all…