Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 129980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Andrii wrapped her in the coat and then stood in front of her, cinching the belt. He pulled her long hair from the back of the coat so it flowed down nearly to her waist. He stood regarding her with an approving eye. “That coat was made just for you.”
“It’s beautiful.” She managed to find enough air to get the declaration out, when her lungs felt raw and burning. “I can’t thank you enough for the clothes and jewelry. I didn’t have anything suitable in my closet and would never have been able to go with you.”
Andrii wrapped his arm around her waist and began to walk with her toward the car. Just having his arm around her made her feel safe. Walking with him felt right. He was taller than she was by quite a bit and made her feel almost delicate when she’d always felt awkward. He opened the passenger door for her and handed her in carefully.
The car was pure luxury and warm. Maybe it was the coat. She wasn’t certain she’d ever want to take the Label 287 coat off. It made her feel so different, like she had stepped into an alternative world. A fairy tale. Girls like her didn’t get happy ever after, and they didn’t meet men like Andrii Federoff. She made up her mind to enjoy every single second with him. She wasn’t going to waste time on worrying that he might find a way into her closely guarded heart. Just for this one night, she was going to be that fairy-tale princess.
He drove the way he talked and walked. In complete command. Soft music played, a surprising mix of older songs by Frank Sinatra and Perry Como. She didn’t think anyone else listened to them. She had a passion for singers from the past.
“I love the music.” She managed to tell him without stuttering.
“I play the piano, the guitar and a few other instruments,” Andrii disclosed. “I’ll admit I particularly love older music, all kinds. This mix is a favorite when I’m driving.”
She hugged the information to herself, feeling as if he had bestowed a gift on her. She sensed that he didn’t talk about himself much. He had concentrated on her, asking questions when they’d been in the coffee shop, but she didn’t know anything about him.
“Do you play in a band?”
“I have three brothers—more like foster brothers; we were raised together. We all play instruments, and we get together and gig sometimes in bars. I go to piano bars and play. Music is soothing to me.”
“If you only play occasionally, that clearly isn’t your regular job. You said you worked security. Is that what you do full-time?”
She felt very brave asking. He wasn’t a man who would want anyone prying into his business. She must have sounded hesitant because he glanced at her, sending a reassuring smile.
“Solnyshkuh, we’re getting to know one another. I’ll let you know if I would prefer not to answer a question. You have every right to do the same. I’m very interested in pursuing a relationship. We can’t do that if we don’t know each other.”
She sent him a tentative smile. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable with questions.”
His eyes warmed, going from that piercing, intense silvery color to a softer gray. Her answer, as sincere as it was, meant something to him.
“I own a construction company along with those three brothers. I enjoy working with my hands. Sometimes I design furniture just because the wood speaks to me.”
“I’d love to see something you created,” she said. “Music and designing furniture. You have the soul of an artist. Security must be your fill-in work.”
She’d made that a statement, so he didn’t correct her. In any case, finding human traffickers was more on Code. The rest of them just went on the rescue missions.
“Are you concerned about asking me questions because you don’t like to answer them?”
Azelie frowned, thinking it over. Eventually, she shook her head. “It isn’t that, although I don’t tell very many people my business.” She hesitated, but he shot her a look that told her he knew she was hedging. “I don’t talk to anyone about my business,” she admitted. “After my family was killed, there were so many reporters and cops coming around. I’d been shot multiple times and was in the hospital. I couldn’t get away from them. I just kept my mouth shut, hoping they would eventually give up and go away.”
“You didn’t have anyone to protect you?”
His voice had dropped another octave, sending a shiver of awareness down her spine. He wasn’t happy that she’d been alone, and no one had watched over her. His voice hadn’t really changed, just seemed more intimate, more intense. She wasn’t even certain how he did it, but she knew with absolute certainty that her simple explanation had sent a wave of anger through him.