Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 45284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
“Later, he came to me with a big grin on his face. He told me it was my lucky day. His team had reviewed the applicants, and you were the clear choice.”
“Really?” I ask, hope blooming in me.
“I wouldn’t lie to you about this.”
We hold hands tightly as I ignore the “about this” part of his statement.
“What happened between you and Oliver?”
The moment shatters. Tommy withdraws his hand, then focuses on Loki as he pads over, sitting beside the table.
“Nothing, just old business. Nothing worth talking about.”
“It seems relevant, though, since he threatened me.”
Tommy sighs darkly. “Honestly, don’t worry about it. Nothing like that will happen again. From now on, you’ll have a security detail following you everywhere, securing the inside and outside of any building you’re in.”
“This is a lot of effort to go through for a woman you just met.”
“It’s the least I can do,” he says, “and you’re not a woman I just met. You’re… my obsession.”
Tingles shimmer over my skin, through my soul. I should press him for more answers about Oliver, the event in his past that triggered the threats, but for now, it’s enough to sit in the warmth of this moment.
After a minute or so, I ask, “Are you going to pay him?”
“Hell no. The bloody idiot and his pathetic friends will get one hell of a wake-up call if they try to hurt you.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Thomas
I walk down the hallway with Ami, my arm wrapped over her shoulder, holding her tightly. I never want to let go. I never want to let any asshole get close to her.
I would’ve lost my mind if Oliver had done more than threaten her in the alleyway, and hell, even the threat is enough to make me want to tear his head off.
At the door, Ami stops and turns to me. She looks up with those bright eyes and kissable pursed lips. Since they’re so kissable, I kiss her hard as the word “virgin” ricochets around my mind, a compelling reminder that she’ll only ever be mine. When she returns the kiss, I feel some hesitation, a few notes of it as if she’s unsure.
“Is something wrong?” I ask.
“This has been one heck of a day,” she murmurs. “I think I just need to crash. Is that okay?”
I almost spank her thick ass again for thinking she needs to ask my permission, or maybe I could spank it to get her in the mood.
The threat has made me even more on edge around her. It’s as if the primal part of me thinks we need to claim her now, right this second, before something terrible happens, but no, that’s not right. If anybody tried to do something terrible to her, their life would be over, not hers.
“That’s fine,” I tell her. “Rest up, ready for work tomorrow. I’ll send a car with security. You’ll be safe. Just let them know if you decide to leave, all right?”
Her cheeks blush that gorgeous, vibrant shade of red. “I panicked after the video stuff.”
“How do you feel about that?” I ask, even if I half dread the answer. “Not the job, but me. Aren’t you worried that a pervy older man repeatedly watched your video before we even met?”
She giggles, slapping my chest. “You’re not pervy, and you’re not old.”
I grin, lightly holding her hips in both hands, knowing that if I hold her any tighter, I won’t be able to stop myself from making a real move.
“Maybe I should be worried,” she says, “but I like it. I’ve never felt this special before. That’s the truth. Oh, sorry.”
She cuts off when her cell phone rings.
“It’s my friend, Emma.”
“You can answer it if you want.”
“It’s okay.”
“You could tell her you’ll call her back. I don’t mind, honestly.”
“Are you sure?”
When I nod, she takes out her mobile, bringing it to her ear as she swipes to answer. The phone is loud. Her friend’s voice is audible even though it’s not on loudspeaker.
“Hey, chica,” an East Coast American voice says. “How are things with Mr. Billionaire? Have you bled him dry yet?”
I release my woman’s hips and almost take a step back.
Ami gasps and says, “Emma, I have to call you back. I’m busy right now.”
“Oh, okay—”
Ami hangs up. “I don’t know why she said that.”
I try to keep my expression neutral as I shake my head, but there’s a tight ball of rage, of passion, of something ugly and fierce trembling inside of me. It’s taunting me with visions of Ami and her friend laughing about the gullible old billionaire. I picture them laughing at the idea of getting as much money from me as quickly as possible—tricking me, just like when I was a kid. Dammit, not that. Bloody hell, it’s been years since that happened, yet it still slams into me occasionally.