Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 37273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 186(@200wpm)___ 149(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 186(@200wpm)___ 149(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
He cocked an eyebrow. “It isn’t broken, so you’re very lucky. But it’ll hurt like a motherfucker for a while.”
“And that man, you killed him, too.” She stated it. All of this she knew, but she also knew she needed to get her head clear, and with the pounding in the back of her skull, the blood that covered her, and her wrist feeling like it was run over by a semi, she wanted to hear him say all of this.
“What surprises you more, that I took the time to help someone out because I can feel a semblance of compassion, or that I killed someone that was about to put a bullet through your head?”
Her pulse started to beat rapidly. No blood marred his body, and his tanned, firm flesh could be seen at the junction where his shirt collar gaped open. Marra swallowed and turned to grab the pills and water. She took a few, and washed them down, but one sip wasn’t enough. It was like she was starved for the water, and guzzled half of the bottle in a matter of seconds.
When she was finished she looked at him again, knowing that Joey would continue to ask her that question. Taking a deep breath, she stared at her hands in her lap, and then ran her hand over the bandage. The silence stretched between them, but Marra knew a man like Joey, one that dealt with death in his chosen “profession”, had an abundance of patience.
She stared at him and finally answered. “Your compassion, Joey. I’m surprised by the time you took to save me, to bring me to wherever it is that I am at, and to care enough about my life to even save me.” Sweat was beading between her breasts and down her spine, and the longer he stared at her, not speaking, the more she grew warm and uncomfortable by the situation.
Joey exhaled and then pushed away from the dresser and moved back over to the chair he had been previously sitting on. “Right now you’re at my apartment in the city.”
She glanced out the window. “But why?”
He exhaled again and ran his hand over his face. He looked exhausted, and those two things were not something she had ever seen in Joey Bacelli before. He was always in control. He dropped his hand back to rest on his thigh and leaned back. His muscular thighs were spread slightly in a relaxed position, and he rested an arm over the back of the chair. “Is it so fucking hard to believe that I wouldn’t want anyone to hurt you, Marra?” he said evenly, calmly. “Is it a damn mystery that I would want to interact with you on more than just a sexual level?”
She didn’t know how to answer, didn’t know what to say to any of that. She had assumed Joey wanted her as a piece of ass, and because she kept refusing his advances he got more adamant on having her. It was like he wanted her more because he couldn’t have her, and Joey Bacelli was used to getting what he wanted. “Yes, Joey, it is a little surprising, given the fact you are…” She licked her lips, not sure if it was smart to say what she had been about to say out loud.
He leaned forward once more, now looking very interested in this conversation. “Say it, Marra. The fact that I’m what?”
“That you run the Bacelli crime family,” she said quickly and on a long breath.
He smirked and leaned back in his seat. “So because I chose to live my life a certain way means I would let an innocent woman die?”
Marra stayed still, and when she didn’t answer and he stood and walked toward her, she finally found the strength to push back against the headboard. The scent of him filled her nose as he came closer, and it was the same spicy, potent cologne she smelled on him every time he came into the café.
It was subtle, yet dark and dangerous. And when he sat on the edge of the bed and she felt the heat from his body surround her, she started to feel lightheaded. Joey reached out and brushed a piece of hair away from her face.
“You need a shower,” he said and removed his hand from her. “You have blood all over you.” He stared into her eyes, and she got lost in the grey depths. “I have some questions I want to ask you, but I’ll let you get cleaned up first.” He didn’t move right away. He had one arm caging her in place on the bed beside her outer thighs, and the other on his lap. She felt like a small animal, a piece of meat in this predator’s clutches.