Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 32859 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32859 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
He smiled and then nodded toward the waiter, ordering for both of them. He went with the beef burger and a double helping of cheesy fries. They were his favorite, and tomorrow morning he’d be hitting the gym to make sure he worked them off. He also liked forcing Leah to sit and watch him. She rarely did, but there were times he caught glimpses of her staring at him. She could try and pretend her attraction wasn’t there, but he knew it was bullshit.
Leah didn’t want to admit it, but she wanted him. He also very much wanted her. There would be a time and place for it, and it certainly wasn’t tonight.
“Would you like to go and play?” he asked.
“Nah, I don’t get my rocks off losing money. I know you have these games rigged.”
He laughed. “Only some of them, otherwise, that wouldn’t be fair.”
She sighed and turned toward him. “You have enough to make sure the people that come here get addicted?”
“No, I haven’t changed the game, Leah, I never did.”
“What would you say you’ve done then?” she asked.
“Absolutely nothing. It’s a game of chance. You win some, you lose some. I can’t change any of that. Sometimes you’ve got to be willing to take a risk.”
Leah looked at him, and he had a feeling she was doing more than just staring. She was assessing him, trying to measure him, to see if he added up to her desired level of a man.
“I guess there are some people in this world who are happier to take risks than others. Some people learn at a young age that to take risks gets you killed.”
And again, she was showing there was so much more to her than he originally thought. She was so beautiful, but he also knew she hadn’t had an easy time. Her life had been tough right from the start.
There was so much more to her than met the eye, but he was going to find out every detail about her if it was the last thing he did.
Chapter Two
“You know I don’t have to watch you work out. I’m pretty sure you can find your way around the weights perfectly fine,” Leah said.
“That is true, but I also like the company.”
She never talked to him. This, right here, was the most she’d ever said to him in one day. She didn’t like to interrupt him while he was working out. Like now, she tried not to catch a glimpse of him as he lifted weights, showing off his impressive arms.
The man was old enough to be her father. The only problem was, she didn’t get the ick vibes, nor did she think of him as her father. Far from it. She thought of him as … much more. A lot more than just her boss.
It was messed up, because she should hate him. His son was a piece of work, and by extension, the father should be as well, but that wouldn’t be fair. She didn’t have the first clue about her own parents. For all she knew, they were complete assholes, and she didn’t think she could be mistaken for being one of them.
She tried not to think of her parents, but compared to Cain, it seemed like a much safer topic. Those abs, those muscles, and she couldn’t forget those deep blue eyes. Sure, the man was scary, if you were easily afraid.
Now, she wasn’t the kind of woman that drooled over a horror movie. She knew from personal experience that life was horror enough. Having your best friend die in your arms, that kind of pain and horror was not going to leave you quickly. That kind of shit scarred you for life, and it was a pain she accepted.
It was easier to deal with.
Normal to her.
Natural.
And nothing was going to change that.
This attraction to Cain was scary. It was fucking terrifying. He was her boss. She shouldn’t be wondering what his hands would feel like touching her body, stroking her. This was insane.
She ran fingers through her hair and went to his walking machine. She didn’t know what name it had, but she stepped onto it in bare feet. Glancing over the controls, she turned it to a steady walk.
Today, Cain had pulled out a black pencil skirt, along with a white blouse he insisted she tuck into the waistband. He’d even stepped up his game and chosen some white silk lingerie for her to wear beneath. The man clearly didn’t know when to stop, but she wasn’t going to argue with him.
Walking helped clear her head and avoid whatever messed-up attraction she had for him. She clearly had “Daddy issues” or something a therapist would lap up and charge her a small fortune to diagnose.
Leah was getting into the flow of the walk when her problem stepped right in front of her.