Total pages in book: 210
Estimated words: 203847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1019(@200wpm)___ 815(@250wpm)___ 679(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 203847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1019(@200wpm)___ 815(@250wpm)___ 679(@300wpm)
“What text?” I feign ignorance.
He spins in his seat and pins me with his gaze. His angry gaze. “Don’t fuck with me, Liv. I promised you exactly what you want—no motherfucking strings, and you agreed. And now you’re fuckin’ running from me like I’ve proposed.”
I open my mouth to speak but close it again and look away.
“If you really don’t want to see me that badly, then say it now and I’ll get out of this car. The only time you’ll see me will be if Bridezilla shoves us together and I’ll keep my hands to myself. Just like you claimed to want once.” He leans forward, his fingers creeping onto my seat. “But I don’t think you know what you want, do you, baby girl?”
I want you to go. I want you to never touch me again.
I want you. I want your body over mine, hot and heavy. I want you to explain why you walked out last night without even a goodbye like I was nothing but a common whore.
“It’s not that I don’t want to,” I say softly. “It’s that I can’t. There are things you don’t know about me, Ty. Things that you wouldn’t be able to deal with. Trust me when I say you staying away from me is for the best.”
“How do you know I wouldn’t be able to deal with it? Have you asked me?”
I tuck some hair behind my ear and glance at him from the side. “I don’t need to ask. I can barely cope with my crap. In fact, you are the reason I can’t. I wasn’t lying when I said you’re dangerous. I just failed to mention how dangerous you are for me.”
He sighs gently, his eyes softening. “I’m not talking to you in your car. Drive to my place and we’ll talk. Just talk, okay?” he adds when I open my mouth to protest.
“We’ve barely had a conversation that hasn’t ended up with your tongue down my throat,” I say dryly, starting the engine.
“I promise to behave.” He reaches over and takes my hand. I immediately take it back, and he sighs again.
Hand-holding is stringy.
Although, mind you, this situation is about as fucking stringy as it gets.
I follow his directions to his place. He lives a few blocks from my apartment, but it’s a much more expensive neighborhood than mine. Figures. I pause in the car when he gets out.
Do I really want to do this? Talk to him? I don’t owe him anything. I don’t owe him an explanation of who I am or why I am the way I am.
Tyler opens my door and looks down at me expectantly. “It’s too late to run, Liv. You already had your chance to tell me to go, and you didn’t. So now we’re gonna talk.”
Reluctantly, I put my hand in his and allow him to pull me from my car. I lock it and try to tug my hand from his grip. He holds me tighter, his fingers squeezing mine. Stuck holding his hand, I follow him silently past the doorman and into the building.
Marble floors. Floor-to-ceiling windows. Leather chairs.
I’m gonna place a bet that one of these apartments costs more than I’ll ever earn. I’m so out of my depth here—this is like a whole other world.
He pulls me into the elevator after him. I half-expect him to push the button for the penthouse apartment, but he doesn’t. He presses the button for the floor below. He catches me watching the pad and lightly squeezes my hand.
“I don’t need a penthouse. I’m not a flashy bastard like my cousin.”
My lips twitch. Yeah, Aaron is kind of flashy in an oddly discreet way. I know about that Ferrari. “No Ferrari for you, then?”
“No. I’d be too tempted to drive the bloody thing and no one in their right mind drives a 458 Italia. Unless they’re on the Nürburgring or something.”
“What’s that?”
“A 458 Italia?” He raises his eyebrows.
“Yes, because I have no idea what that is.” I roll my eyes. “No, the ring thing.”
“Oh. It’s a racetrack in Germany. Deadly. Crazy fast. I’ll drive a 458 round there one day.” He grins and it’s so beautifully boyish, so mischievous, that my heart thumps loudly.
We step out from the elevator and Tyler digs in his pocket for his key. He unlocks his apartment and pulls me inside. Quicker than I can comprehend it, he slams the door, locks it, and pins me against it.
I take a deep breath, making my chest heave. He doesn’t touch me. His forearms rest against the door on either side of my head and his hips hover just above mine. I still feel him—everywhere. His breath fanning across my lips. His thumbs flirting with my hair. His thigh brushing mine as he steps forward.
“You’re not the only one hiding things, Liv. You’re not the only one who thinks they’re unable to hold down something for more than one night.” He breathes the words over my mouth, his lips millimeters from mine. “I want to understand you. I want to know why you’re pushing me away when it’s not really what you want.”