Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 34709 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 174(@200wpm)___ 139(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34709 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 174(@200wpm)___ 139(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
Her entire body went lax.
He retracted his fangs and licked her neck, sealing the wounds.
She might’ve mumbled something, but words had no meaning.
He pulled out and then turned her around, careful to keep her from falling. Then he stood, holding her securely against him.
She blinked several times, searching for reality.
“Let’s go,” he rumbled. “It’s time for bed.”
Bed sounded great. “To sleep,” she mumbled against his chest.
“Not a chance.”
* * * *
Her body deliciously sore, Leah sat at the makeshift breakfast table, happily eating scrambled eggs sprinkled with cheese. The white linen tablecloth hung over her bare knees, warming her. Jasper had clothing delivered for them both somehow, and she’d donned one of his T-shirts and a pink pair of panties.
“I like this place.” She quite contentedly reached for a crisp piece of bacon.
“Me, too.” Jasper had drawn on jeans and nothing else, leaving his muscular torso bare, along with his feet. The guy could easily be a model for anything…so long as the advertiser wanted the dangerous look. There was nothing pretty about him.
He paced by the window with the phone to his ear. He must have gotten up early to order both clothing and food for them because bags of comfortable-looking jeans and sweaters for her lined the hallway, along with several pairs of tennis shoes and an absolutely lovely pair of black leather boots. She fully planned to wear those later today.
“Damn it.” Jasper tapped his phone against his thigh.
“What’s wrong?” She took a swallow of the freshly squeezed orange juice.
He shook his head. “I can’t get ahold of either of my brothers. They should have checked in by now.”
Leah frowned. “They could be out of range. Do you know where they went?”
He ran a hand through his dark hair. “They were hunting. We usually go in pairs, but we each had an assignment last night.” He looked her over, and a blush spiraled into her cheeks, heating them.
“I’d say you did your job,” she quipped.
He smiled, looking much younger. In just the jeans with bare feet, he was the epitome of masculinity. A tattoo that matched the brand on his palm and her lower back covered his right shoulder: the Maxwell crest. Would the marking on his palm lighten now that he’d branded her again? Nia had said that usually happened. He lifted the phone to his ear again and turned away.
Leah pushed her plate a little to the side to reach for a piece of toast, and something caught her eye. Tilting her head, she tugged out a folded piece of paper and slowly opened it.
Dearest Leah,
I’m sorry to contact you this way, but we must keep life under the radar. I know you very much want to meet me. If you do, and come alone, I’ll release the seven women I have waiting on ice to take to Kurjan headquarters. Come to Châteaufield Airpark within two hours. One life for seven isn’t bad. No? I hope you and I can reach a friendship.
Very truly yours,
Wallace
She stilled and read the note again. Oh, for goodness’ sake. As she saw it, she had two choices. One, hide the note, get dressed, and escape Jasper to see if she could save those women. She looked over her shoulder at him, at his broad shoulders.
He stood staring out at the Eiffel Tower, his back one hard line of muscle. Or she could ask for his help, and they could work together. What kind of life did she want to have? She was so tired of running and living out of hotel rooms. Last night, she’d gotten a glimpse of what they could have, who they could be. She’d been fighting losing her heart for so long that she hadn’t noticed he already had it. Priding herself on being a risktaker didn’t mean a thing if she didn’t actually take a risk. With him. That quickly, as usual, she made up her mind.
“Jasper, I have a note from Wallace here.”
He turned around. “What? The Kurjan?”
She lifted the paper. “I found the message folded nicely under my very deliciously scrambled eggs.”
He reached her in one long stride and looked down to read the note. His phone buzzed, and he lifted it to his ear. “Dax, where the hell are you?” Jasper winced. “How many of them? No, don’t worry about it. You were lucky to get out of there alive. Where’s Klyde?” Relief crossed his expression.
Leah lifted one eyebrow.
“Klyde is fine. Headed toward Italy after one of the Kurjans. We have allies there to help him,” Jasper whispered to her, obviously repeating Dax’s news.
Good. So, everyone was safe. Leah tossed her napkin onto the table.
Jasper continued speaking with Dax. “We just received a note. Wallace has reached out to Leah. Where are you? Oh, good. Yeah, I’m in the penthouse at your favorite hotel. I’ll leave a note for you to come up. Okay.” He clicked off.