Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36118 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36118 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
He opened his mouth only to shut it and sigh heavily. Without a word, he walked to the door and stepped through.
“She’ll take the protection. I’ll stay out here.” Ryker gripped the back of his neck and tugged before stepping out of her line of sight.
Instantly, her body longed to go after him, allow him to hold her. Because despite it all, that man was the one who’d made her feel safe.
Mr. O’Shea and the smiling one came back in and shut the door behind them.
“Here’s how this is going to go, Ms. Hunter.”
αβ
November
“Are you excited?” Tink leaned over the island to snag another two chips from the bowl.
Was she? Rayla shook her head. “I don’t think so. More like I’m kind of numb.”
Tink tipped her head to the side and studied her. Her gaze wasn’t one of judgement just studious.
“Maybe you don’t know exactly what to do now that your life is your own again and you no longer have all those hotties around you?” She waggled her eyebrows.
“One, all of them were married. Two, you’re married.”
“Three,” Tink said without missing a beat. “I’m not dead, I saw them and four, this is the most important one, they aren’t all married. There’s a single one in the bunch.”
She refused to think about Ryker Owens and his frustratingly handsome, sexy face and body. Or the way he called her baby, or said good girl and made her wetter.
Right, there I go. Not thinking about him at all.
Tink munched happily on her chips. She didn’t blame her, she had a billionaire husband who loved the fuck out of her so much it made her teeth ache to be in the same room as them.
“We need to go out,” Tink announced, popping off the stool. “Let’s go.”
Rayla shook her head. “I’m not dressed for outside things. Hell, I’m barely dressed to entertain you.”
Tink scowled at her and stomped to where she sat, grasping her shoulders in a frighteningly strong grip. “You don’t get to sit here and disparage my friend. She’s a fucking brilliant, beautiful, and sexy woman. If she wants to go out in a sweatshirt and jeans with a hole in them, that’s fine.” Another scowl followed by a blinding smile. “Now, let’s go.”
Resigned to her fate, Rayla tossed her hair up in a loose bun, swiped a jacket and shoved her feet into some Uggs.
“I’m doing this,” she said as they exited her apartment and went down the two flights of stairs. “But under protest.”
Even though the Abdulov crime family had been put away, along with her father for his ties to them, she wasn’t used to not seeing one of the men from Tungsten waiting for her. Ryker had listened and hadn’t been in view but she felt him watching.
“I hear your protest,” Tink said as she unlocked her SUV. “And I ignore it. Let’s get moving mama. I’m sure there’s some hot man out there waiting for you.”
She grinned over the hood of her vehicle before scampering inside and starting the engine with a push of a finger. Rayla rolled her eyes, pleased even if she didn’t want to go. Her friend meant well and she didn’t have a lot of friends so, she’d do with what she had.
“Not sure I want a hot man.”
“Fine.” Tink pulled out of the parking lot. “We can find you an ugly one.”
She laughed and Tink joined her. Maybe this was a great idea.
αβ
December
This he could officially say was a shit idea.
I’m a goddamn stalker. This is what my life has come to, stalking the woman of my dreams just to get a fucking look at her.
He’d moved to Birmingham to be closer to her. Not that she would talk to him on the few occasions he allowed her to see him. Now that the entire thing had been resolved and the guilty parties charged, she should be safe.
Tungsten, his new employer, had pulled out once the job was over and Aidrian had said they didn’t have anything he couldn’t do from there. So while he stalked, he did behind the scenes work for Tungsten and some of their cases.
Christmas was a week away and normally he would be heading home to spend time with family but as the woman he wanted was here, he was also. The forecast was calling for snow. Not common in this area of the country and he figured it would pretty much be on lockdown if it actually happened due to the unfamiliarity of the people driving in snow.
He lifted his head as she walked out of DarkStrike’s offices, waved at the security guard and shrugged her shoulders while tugging up the collar of her gray and pink winter coat that, to him, looked to have a 50’s look. He noticed her glance up and down the street before she turned the same direction as she always did and started walking.