Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72325 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72325 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Zoey patted my back. “Look, you couldn’t have known.”
“Because you didn’t tell me,” I retorted.
“I did as soon as I heard you’ve been seeing more of them. But… if it makes you feel any better, I think they know they’re bad for you. Or at least the one I spoke to did.”
My head swung around. “You talked to one of them? Who?”
“Slater. He looked so hot in his suit last night. I definitely get the attraction. But he said he’d stay away from you, that they all would.”
Slater. That ass. He’d sat right here on this very sofa, rubbing my shoulders and my scalp. Making me moan. Making me think about things I shouldn’t have. And that was his idea of staying away from me? He’d been the one who’d invited himself up here—or tricked me into doing it.
Damn him.
After Zoey left, I couldn’t get him out of my head. None of them had been truthful with me, but Slater was the one who told my friend that he’d leave me alone, just days after he’d all but invited himself up to my place.
And I’d let him in.
Anger fueled me to make some phone calls.
Thirty minutes later, I was the one showing up unannounced at someone’s apartment. Slater’s hair was a mess, and he was wearing only faded blue jeans when he finally opened the door. Clearly, he’d been asleep just like I had when Zoey appeared.
Well, then, he could just wake the fuck up.
“We need to talk,” I said, and I marched past him into his apartment.
13
SLATER
One minute, I was naked in bed, dreaming about Maggie. The next minute, she was storming into my place, looking pissed as hell. Judging by the steam coming from her ears, the dream version of her was in a better mood.
God, the things the dream version of her had done.
I ran my fingers through my hair as I looked down at her. “What’s going on?”
“You’re a liar,” she said, and she raised her arm, her hand flying toward my face.
I was so shocked that I barely caught her wrist in time. That seemed to infuriate her more. “I know who you are,” she said.
“That’s good. I’d hate to think you went around trying to smack perfect strangers.” The way she glowered at me was kind of hot. Hot, but irritating. “I think I need coffee for this conversation. Did you bring any?”
Maggie’s eyes never left mine as she made a pretense of patting her pockets. “Sorry, I didn’t bring any. Guess I was distracted by finding out that you and your friends are mafia enforcers.”
I sighed. “Your friend, the singer, has a big mouth.” Then I chuckled a little. Singers were probably supposed to have big mouths.
“This isn’t funny.”
God, she was a little spitfire. And utterly pissed off. “Why are you taking shots at me? Were Rock’s and Julian’s apartments too far away?”
“Because you’re the one who told Zoey that you knew you were bad for me. Yet you invited yourself up to my place the other night.”
It took me a minute to get the chronology straight. “That was before I told her that.”
Maggie scoffed. “Oh, so you’re saying that when you came up to my place, you’d temporarily forgotten your job? Or who your boss is? You’re saying you thought at that time that you were good for me?”
“No,” I admitted. “But I was a gentleman, at least.” I leaned against the edge of my couch, wishing again for coffee. Maggie had told me she’d wanted to be a lawyer, and for the first time, I could see it. She might look pretty and delicate, but there was steel and resolve underneath that.
“A gentleman? You had your hands all over me.”
“All over your back, shoulders, and head,” I elaborated. “That hardly makes me pervert of the year.”
Maggie pursed her lips, her head cocked to the side like she was preparing her next argument. “You made me moan.”
“That sounds like your problem.”
Her lip rose and she all but growled at me. I felt like a pit bull being attacked by a chihuahua.
Time to go on the offensive. “I was good that night—I didn’t have to be, you know.”
“What would you have done, forced me?” Her eyes shot daggers at me.
“No,” I said simply, refusing to take her bait. “But I could’ve seduced you.”
She scoffed. “You could have tried.”
“Yep.” I nodded. “And I would’ve succeeded.”
Maggie folded her arms across her chest. “I’m not that easy.”
I got up, circling her. She didn’t flinch, not even when I stopped directly behind her, whispering in her ear. “I could’ve gotten you to seduce me.”
“Not likely.” Her voice sounded firm, but I sensed a slight tremor.
My hands landed on her shoulders, kneading gently, a little reminder of how much she’d liked my touch before.
Her muscles were tense under my fingers—at first. Gradually, some of the stiffness left her shoulders, though I could tell she was fighting it.