Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 154595 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 773(@200wpm)___ 618(@250wpm)___ 515(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 154595 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 773(@200wpm)___ 618(@250wpm)___ 515(@300wpm)
There was a man standing beside it. He nodded to Gray and opened the door, not even looking at her.
Was it normal to have this much security in a nightclub? She hadn’t noticed it when she was here last time. But it did seem like a lot.
“Is it wrong to be nice?” she asked as he led her down a set of stairs.
They came out in an underground garage. There were only a few cars down here. Was it not for patrons? Maybe it was just for Gray’s boss and his employees.
He led her to a different vehicle than the one they’d been in the other night. A huge, black truck that was kind of badass, but she didn’t have time to admire it as he unlocked it and then opened the passenger door.
She went to climb in, but he grasped her around the hips, lifting her into the seat. Then to her shock, he grabbed her belt, pulling it over her and buckling her in.
Grabbing her chin lightly, he turned her face toward him. “Being nice isn’t wrong. As long as you don’t allow yourself to be walked over or taken advantage of. You get what I’m saying?”
“I think so.”
He grunted, looking like he didn’t believe her. But that seemed to be the end of the conversation as he shut the door and then moved to the driver’s seat.
As he drove, she watched him, thinking about his words.
Did she let herself get taken advantage of? She wasn’t that bad, right? Saying thank you was a far cry from letting someone walk over her.
Although . . . a few days ago, she’d given her next-door neighbor some cash because she was short on the rent. And she still hadn’t paid her back despite promising to.
And you don’t want to go asking because you hate confrontation.
Maybe she did need to toughen up a bit.
Perhaps she’d be less likely to find herself in trouble then.
But if someone asked for something, she found it hard not to give it to them. Even if she had to go without. Things were pretty tight at the moment because she was missing that money.
She sighed. It wasn’t like she was going to starve or anything. And she had a few jobs nearly completed, which would bring in some more cash.
Still . . .
“You all right?”
“What? Yes. Why?” She straightened up, realizing she’d been slumping and scratching her cheek.
“You’ve gone all quiet. Not like you.”
She had to grin. “Is that your way of saying I talk too much?”
“No. Well, you do talk a lot. Surprisingly, it doesn’t annoy me.”
Was she meant to take that as a compliment? She wasn’t quite sure.
“But it makes me notice when you go quiet. You upset?”
“No, I’m all right. Just thinking.”
“Regret what we did?”
She turned to look at him. Damn, why was watching him drive so sexy? Maybe it was because he was totally in control right now. She was trusting him to drive her safely home.
“No,” she said in a soft voice. “Do you?”
She didn’t know what she’d do if he said that he did. Probably throw an epic tantrum. Hmm, she’d never thrown a tantrum in her life so she didn’t quite know what to do, but she was certain she could work it out, right?
“Girl, I just got an amazing blow job and I got to eat you out. Why the fuck would I regret that?”
The words were said in a rough voice. They weren’t pretty.
But they were reassuring. Maybe because he was so blunt. He just said it as it was.
And that made her feel better than any false platitudes or niceties ever could.
“Okay,” she replied as he parked outside her apartment building.
“Stay there and wait for me.”
He jumped down from the truck and jogged around, opening her door.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to park here. You might get a ticket.”
“Not worried about a ticket.” He undid her belt and lifted her down, taking her hand.
He walked her to the door.
“I’m fine going from here on my own,” she told him.
“Not happening, girl. You’ll probably get accosted between here and your door.”
“I never have before.”
“Still not taking that chance.”
She rolled her eyes as she started searching in her bag for her key. Where was that darn thing? Ah-ha, there it was. She’d put it on a big key chain with a bright pink pompom on it that she’d made a few days ago.
“Jesus, what is that?” he asked as she unlocked the front door. There was a light on in the foyer.
“A keychain.”
He eyed it.
“You don’t like it? I made it myself.”
“You did? It’s uh, nice.”
“I could make you one.” She bit her lip so she didn’t grin. “I’ll make it a really pretty color. Something that will bring out the color in your eyes.”
“I know you’re joking, girl. But don’t you dare.”