Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 107557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Then he’d reevaluate his life choices after hearing what she came to his place to say.
“I should.”
He wanted to read her the riot act, but instead he tamped all that shit down deep and went in a different direction. A safer one. “But you can’t resist the dick.”
“While the dick is good, if you want this to continue, we need to set some boundaries.”
Boundaries?
He forced his response to that shit right back down, too.
If it was anyone else other than Sapphire standing at his door, he’d have slammed it shut and went back to his damn beer. Since it was her, he stepped back, giving her the space to come inside.
Her gaze landed on the gun in his hand, now held loosely at his side and pointed toward the floor.
One dark eyebrow rose. “Expecting trouble?”
It already arrived and had stepped into his condo. “Never know with those dirtbags.”
He engaged the deadbolt again and turned, taking the opportunity to run his gaze over her from top to toe to assure himself she was in one piece.
“And speaking of dick… I don’t know who you think you are that you feel that you can dictate what I do. You knew exactly what I did when I met you. Hell, I met you at the club.”
Yeah, as a hostess, not swinging naked around the pole.
“I don’t share.” And that drunk asshole was touching what was mine.
He was smart enough not to say the second part out loud. He probably shouldn’t have said the first part, either. But saying shit he shouldn’t was a curse he had to live with.
“Then don’t, Rez. If you can’t handle what I do for a living, we can end this here tonight. Just say the word.”
“Is that why you came over? To officially end things between us?” With the way she went back into The Peach Pit and left him out in the cold, he figured that had already happened.
She sighed softly. “I thought you were going to be different, Rez. That’s why I kept coming over. It was why I…” She swallowed the rest of her words.
He frowned. “It was why you what?”
She pinned her lips together and shook her head. “It’s why I came over here tonight.”
Nice deflection. “Nobody should be putting their hands on you.” Except me. And not violently.
“You won’t hear an argument from me about that.”
“With the way that club’s being run by the Demons, it’s going to happen again,” he warned.
Resignation filled her face. “It very well might.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Get in line.”
“You need to get another job, Phire. It’s not safe for you there,” he stated the obvious and he was going to keep harping on it until she did.
If him worrying about her made her walk out the door and never come back? He’d have to live with it. But he wasn’t going to stay silent about it and then watch her get hurt. Or worse.
He would lose his mind and go on a rampage. The results would be a lot worse than what happened earlier at the club.
“And what do I do until I find one that will pay enough to cover my bills? It’s not like it’s easy to find a damn job around here. It’s even harder to find one that has decent pay.”
Unfortunately, she was right. The job prospects in this area were limited. “So, that job’s worth being abused?”
“Did I say that? Do you think I liked what happened tonight? I’m mad at you for stepping in,” she lifted her palm to stop him from interrupting, “but I’m also grateful you did. Your actions screwed up your undercover work, Rez.”
“You’re more important than fucking undercover work, Sapphire. Jesus. That asshole pulled you off the stage. He could have hurt you worse than he did. And not one of those motherfucking Demons rushed in to stop him from whatever he was about to do next.”
“I was there, Rez,” she reminded him. “I have a tweaked ankle to prove it.”
He pulled in a breath to try to rein in his temper. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, luckily, it’s not as bad as I first thought. But I won’t be wearing platform shoes or even dancing for a few days.”
Good. “Sorry.”
“Are you sorry? That smirk you’re trying to hide says otherwise.”
“Sorry that I didn’t stop that drunk sooner. I expected Saint to do his damn job and handle it.”
“You and me both,” she admitted on a sigh.
“You didn’t bring your bag. That leads me to believe that you did come over to end whatever it is between us.”
“As I said, I came over to set boundaries. And you’re wrong, I did bring my bag.”
“Where is it?”
“In the car.”
He grinned despite the pain it caused from his busted lip.
She rolled her bright blue eyes. “Don’t get cocky. I was going to see how this conversation went first before deciding to stay. And we’re still not done talking.”