Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33243 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33243 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
I don’t even realize where I am until I look up and see her apartment number instead of mine. With a chuckle, I press her doorbell.
“Just a minute!” Her voice alone is like a balm to my frazzled nerves.
Zara pulls the door open. When she sees me, her whole face lights up, eyes sparkling, lips curving upwards in the most beautiful smile.
Just like that, the chaos in my head quiets. No buzzing. No noise.
“Hi, Alec. I missed you today. Want some dinner?”
Those simple words make me stand a little taller.
I am home.
10
ZARA
“Hi, Alec. I missed you today. Want some dinner?”
Alec grins. It’s the first time I’ve seen him smile this wide, revealing a row of perfect white teeth. His gaze is full of unconcealed longing, and it makes me feel like I’ve done something heroic already.
“Only if I can have you for dessert.”
I open my mouth to respond, but he sweeps me in his arms and kisses me with desperation and urgency. Dinner is forgotten as I climb him and wrap my legs around him, giving as much as I’m getting.
Who is this woman that has taken over my body? I hardly recognize myself. The intensity of my feelings for Alec should frighten me, but I don’t feel scared. In fact, I feel secure in the knowledge that he won’t hurt me … at least not intentionally. Never intentionally.
My arms tighten around his neck, and I shamelessly grind on his crotch. But instead of tearing my clothes off, he chuckles against my mouth and squeezes my thighs. “I want to take you out on a date.”
My chest heaves, a swirl of emotions threading through my body. A soft breathy sound comes out of me, and I bite my lip. “Now?”
“Yes and don’t look so disappointed.” He untangles me from him and smacks my ass. “Now go change.”
My gaze strays to what he’s wearing—black shoes, black dress pants, and his usual crisp white shirt with high collars and the sleeves rolled. It’s his eyes that make me rub my thighs, though. It blazes with heat—something I’m sure he sees in mine too.
Damn. We’re crazy for each other, and I don’t mind that one bit.
Alec takes me to a fancy restaurant that he says his family owns. When he mentioned his family business, I was blown away. Owning one hotel was already unbelievable, but a chain of hotels? It’s batshit crazy to me. My parents are pretty well-off but so far from Alec’s level.
When I found out about their family business, I was sorely tempted to put my sleuthing skills to use, but something held me back. I couldn’t do it. It didn’t feel right. It felt like I was betraying him by going behind his back. I didn’t think Alec would appreciate my online snooping, so I resolved to let him take his sweet time to tell me everything about him and the Fieldings.
Even though they didn’t show off, there was something about Alec and his siblings that screamed old money. Maybe it was the way they carried themselves, the quiet air of confidence, like they knew they didn’t need to prove anything to anyone.
It’s hard to believe that this normal guy who lives in an apartment building with a broken elevator is filthy rich. The rest of his brothers don’t even act like the typical privileged boys I’ve met. They’re as normal as can be, which is both intriguing and refreshing.
The restaurant is on the top floor of a twenty-story building. Half is indoors, and the other half is outdoors. Alec takes me outdoors, which has a panoramic view of the whole city. The sun is beginning to set, and we’re bathed in its golden glow.
I turn to thank Alec, only to find him studying me, like he’s hungrily devouring every detail. God, I burn with desire for this man. And with the way he stares at me, I fight to find my breath. Flames dance through my belly, and the bolt of longing going through me has my toes curling in my shoes.
But whatever filthy thoughts I have are interrupted by my empty stomach, the sound making Alec smile. Rude.
Dinner is delicious, and I’m already mentally planning to tell Mom all about this place so she and Dad can dine with me here next time. Maybe we can dine with Alec. I’ve never introduced anyone to them, so if I do, they’ll definitely know it’s serious.
Then again, nothing about me and Alec so far says ‘casual’. We haven’t even talked about us—labels and all.
“Alec, dance with me.”
He scrunches his face and darts his eyes to the growing number of couples on the dance floor. “No, baby, please. Ask anything of me but that.”
I pout and run the tip of my finger along the rim of my wine glass. “Then, I guess you don’t mind if I dance with someone else?”