Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26983 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26983 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
I shower quickly, taking care to not get my bandage wet, and then get dressed. I no sooner enter the kitchen and Constantine is there greeting me.
“Would you like me to arrange a snack for you before dinner?”
“When is dinner?” It’s almost nine.
“Santino has a dinner set.”
“He isn’t here.” I grab the milk.
“It will be delivered when he gets home.”
“Then he can eat it then.” I grab one of the many boxes of cereal. I’m being a brat, but I can’t help it. I should be more grateful. Kane has been good to me. I don’t want to go, but I’m not settled here either.
“Okay.” Constantine chuckles before leaving me alone in the kitchen to eat my cereal and stew over the fact that Kane isn’t home yet. My eyes flicker over to the clock way too often. Time is dragging by. When the elevator sounds, I slip off the chair and put my empty bowl in the sink.
“Yes, a wedding dress.” Disappointment hits me again when I hear Ned’s voice. “That should be fine.” Wait, a wedding dress? “I’m going to have to call you back.” I peek around, shamelessly doing my best at spying. He takes another call. “Hey.” He pauses. “Now?” His tone turns irritated. “You will not allow her up here right now.” I worry my bottom lip between my teeth. “Fucking hell.” He turns back, heading toward the elevator. He hangs up on whomever he is speaking to.
I think he’s headed back down, but when the elevator doors slide open a pretty, tall blonde is standing there all dolled up.
“Is he back yet?” She tries to step off the elevator, but Ned blocks her.
“You need to leave.”
“I only want to speak with him. My father told me he called off our engagement.” A small gasp leaves me. Ned’s head whips around to see me spying on them. “Is that her? He’s calling it off for her?” The woman hisses while her eyes take me in.
“I’m sorry.” I step back, wanting to get out of here, but I can’t. I flee to the bedroom, my heart pounding. Did Kane seriously find me and then keep me while he was engaged to another woman? Jealousy fills me, and I hate it. This isn’t her fault.
I guess when Kane finds a new toy, he easily discards the last.
CHAPTER 15
KANE
“There’s a situation” was the text I received from Constantine. I wrapped up my business and sped home. Con meets me at the elevators.
“Miss Kimberly was here. She said that you called off your engagement.”
“We were never engaged.” I thrust my jacket in Con’s arms. “How is Laurel?”
“She locked herself in the bedroom.”
“Which one?”
“Yours.”
“I’ll take that as a positive sign.” I flick off my cuff links and give a terse nod to Con. “You can leave for the night. We won’t need you.”
“Yessir.” Con fades away like the good man that he is.
At my bedroom door, I give a small knock and enter. Laurel is nowhere to be seen. I start to back out when a flutter of one of the curtains framing the balcony doors flutters. I stalk across the room and find her huddled under a quilt in one of the chairs overlooking the city lights. “It’s cold out here.”
“Not colder than your heart,” I hear her mutter under her breath.
I cut to the chase. “She’s not my fiancée and never was.”
“I don’t care.”
“You should. If a man showed up and said that he was engaged to you, I’d be pissed as hell.”
Her small chin juts forward. “I don’t have a man. I was kept in a cage, remember?”
“And I don’t have a woman.”
“No woman comes to a man’s house and says she’s engaged if she’s not engaged.”
“And you know this because you have so much experience in engagements?” I arch a brow.
She throws me a dirty look and slides under the quilt until almost nothing of her can be seen but a pair of fiery eyes. “Because I’m a woman and I know.”
I’ve had enough of this banter. It’s been too long since I last touched her. I cross the balcony and fling Laurel over my shoulder. “The problem here is that you’re still a virgin. If you had my cock inside of you, you wouldn’t be having these concerns.”
“Put me down, you-you animal.”
I throw her onto the bed. “Unbutton my shirt.” I hold my arms out.
She folds her arms across her chest. “No.”
I grab her hands and slap them against my shirt. “Unbutton it or I’ll turn you over my knee and paddle your ass so hard you won’t be able to sit for a week.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Don’t test me.” I put her hand inside my button placket and pull hard. The button pops off. “Get to fucking work,” I order. Excitement lights in her eyes. There’s my little bird.