Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 84446 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 422(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84446 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 422(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
With that, Cinna finished her drink, then turned and walked away.
Alone, I lifted my drink, taking a long sip as her words swirled around in my head.
The thing was, she wasn’t wrong.
I genuinely didn’t know what I was getting into. If I had, I wouldn’t have been crying so much, feeling so despondent and unsure of myself.
And while Renzo had shown me sweetness, even softness, there was no denying he was a hard man.
One who clearly didn’t want a life partner. Just his alliance. And a body to move with when the mood struck.
He didn’t want me.
That thought had stupid tears pricking my eyes again, making me finish my drink, then make my way toward the kitchen where Elian was standing, holding something in a takeaway tin.
“What’s this?” I asked as he handed it to me.
“Chicken fingers and fries,” he said.
“How’d you know I practically live on this?” I asked, taking off the lid, and popping a fry into my mouth.
“Because my sister does too,” he said, nodding. “Finally got that invitation, huh?” he asked.
“I did,” I agreed, nodding with a certainty I didn’t feel.
Sure, I was here.
But I didn’t feel like I belonged.
And I was pretty sure I might never.
But then Dav showed up with another drink.
And by the time I finished it, I kind of didn’t care anymore if I belonged or not.
I drifted around the room on a cloud, greeting people who engaged me, talking to a man named Michael for a while, then trying to play pool, and failing spectacularly, and drinking the refills Dav kept bringing me.
I didn’t even know how much time passed as I was trapped in a Bay Breeze haze, but the party seemed to thin out a bit by the time I was walking through the seating space where Renzo was seated.
He hadn’t said a word to me all night.
And I’d been trying to pretend that didn’t hurt.
It got easier with each drink, I found.
But walking?
Walking got harder and harder with each one.
“Whoa!” one of the men yelled as the walking thing and the coordination thing failed me at the same moment, making me trip and start to pitch forward.
Only to feel myself snatched around the waist by strong hands, then pulled backward until I was set in someone’s lap.
Someone who smelled deliciously of leather and smoke and tonka bean.
“How you feeling there, mouse?” his voice and breath met my ear, making a little shiver course through me.
“Like I could fly,” I declared, shooting him a smile.
“Let’s keep your ass away from the balcony then, huh?” he asked, his arm tight around me, preventing me from getting up.
But I didn’t have any intentions of doing that anyway.
He felt good and solid.
And the world was kind of starting to spin.
It felt good to be anchored.
Even if everyone seemed to ignore my presence as they continued their conversation like I wasn’t there, not even bothering to try to engage me in it.
But I didn’t want to be included anyway.
Not with Renzo’s body plastered to mine, his arm possessively around me, claiming me in front of his friends.
This had been what I’d been waiting for, hoping for.
I was just going to savor it.
“Still flying?” Renzo asked sometime later.
“No,” I said, realizing that everyone had seemed to filter out without me even realizing.
“Gonna have to tell Dav to pour a little lighter next time.”
So he’d seen Dav bringing me drinks. He hadn’t been oblivious to my presence.
A warm little tendril of hope started to form in my heart at that information.
“They were good,” I insisted.
“Bet they were,” he agreed.
“Everyone left.”
“It’s late,” he said. “Almost early,” he added. “I should get you to bed.”
“Yes, please,” I said, getting a strange sound from somewhere deep in Renzo’s throat.
“Not what I meant.”
“Why not?”
“You’re drunk.”
“A little,” I agreed.
“A lot,” he countered, a little smile pulling at his lips. “Can’t fuck if you’re drunk,” he added.
That word sent a thrill of desire through my system as I leaned in a bit, sniffing his neck, then tentatively pressing a kiss to the skin, making a rumble move through him.
“That’s for girls in bars,” I decided, feeling like I had a fairly good argument. “Not your wife,” I added, my fingers getting bold, teasing across his chest, exploring him in a way I knew I never would feel comfortable doing if I wasn’t still buzzing from the alcohol.
“You’re making this hard,” he said.
Oh, it was getting hard alright.
And that was the point.
“Lore,” he grumbled as I wiggled a bit on his lap.
Feeling bolder than I’d ever been before, I found myself reaching for his hand, taking it with mine, then sliding it down the front of my pants, pressing his fingers against where I was aching for his touch.
“Fuck,” he growled, finding me already wet and aching for him.
His finger slid up, teasing around my clit, as his other hand worked my button and zipper free, giving him more room to explore as he teased my clit, as his fingers slipped down and inside of me.