Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 82579 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82579 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
“Will you get out of here if I do?” I ask, barely able to get the words out.
He tilts his head like he’s considering. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do with you yet.”
I have to fight not to whimper at that, because holy shit. The dripping innuendo makes my knees shake.
“Turn around.”
He hesitates. I can tell he doesn’t want to. But I may be out of my mind, except I’m not an idiot. There’s no way I’m undressing in front of him.
Slowly though, he turns his back to me and leans against the doorframe. “I’m impatient,” he says softly, which nearly makes me scream.
Impatient to see me play dress-up for him.
I take off the sweatshirt. I skip the chest protector since it’s just a big, restrictive padded bra anyway meant to protect a female fencer from a hard touch. I shrug on the jacket, trembling slightly as I button it up and turn to him.
“Alright, you can look.”
He turns back around. And he stares.
I’ve never felt more vulnerable in my life. Not even when I gave him my virginity for the first time. That night was something I wanted. I felt like I was at least partially in control. But this is totally different. This is what he wants, and I’m doing it because he likes it, and that’s a power dynamic I wasn’t expecting.
I like the way his eyes rake up and down. Fencing costumes aren’t exactly the sexiest things in the world—they’re basically giant white jumpsuits—but the way he’s drinking me down makes it feel like I’m standing ass naked in here. My nipples are stiff, and I’m tingling like crazy between my legs, and my breath’s coming in fast, and I don’t know what I’m going to do if he comes any closer.
His jaw flexes. He takes a deep breath and blows it out like he’s struggling to keep himself under control.
“It fits,” he says.
“I was pretty surprised too,” I say awkwardly.
“You look good. You look… like you should have that on.”
“Thank you?” I’m not even sure what that’s supposed to mean, but he’s clearly into this right now. The tension between us is electric, and one wrong move, one wrong word, could set this whole place on fire.
And I’m not sure that’s what I want right now.
Considering how complicated our relationship is.
“You should wear it more often. I have space… down in the basement. If you wanted to start training again.”
My eyebrows raise. That is not what I expected. “Really? You’d do that?”
“I can clear it out. Get you what you need.” He stares into my eyes. There’s a depth to him that I didn’t expect. I knew his charm and magnetism hid a darkness behind it, but this is new.
It’s almost like he cares.
“I’d like that,” I say very softly, too taken aback to be anything but sincere.
“But you have to wear that for me when you train.” He licks his lips again.
“You’re going to get us both in trouble with that.”
“I think you like trouble.”
“And you don’t know me at all, remember?”
His smile comes back like he’s forcing it. “I want you to see a doctor and get approval before you start working out again. But once you do that, I’ll give you anything you need.”
My heart skips a beat. I almost forgot that I was pregnant. For a second, I was just Carmie, a woman he’s clearly into.
But no, I’m just the pregnant wife.
I wrap my arms around myself almost as if I’m trying to cover my exposed body. “I’ll look into it.”
“You should.” He hesitates and obviously he wants to keep looking at me, but I’m finished now. That comment about a doctor dragged me back to reality.
“I’m going to finish unpacking.” I gesture at the door. “And I’m going to get changed again.”
“I’ll make an appointment with the OB.”
“I can find my own doctor, thanks.” Excitement gets flushed away and replaced with annoyance. I swear, this guy knows exactly what to say to piss me off already. It’s his superpower.
“I’ll handle it.” He leaves my room before I can argue, and I’m cursing under my breath as I close the door behind him.
My heart’s racing and I’m a shaky mess like I’m coming down from adrenaline as I strip out of my fencing gear for the second time and put my normal clothes back on. There was a moment where I would’ve done anything he wanted, so long as he kept looking at me like it was me he wanted.
But that’s not how this works.
We were thrown together—and if I’m going to get through this marriage, I have to start seeing him for what he is.
The enemy.
Chapter 16
Lev
The pawn shop’s a ramshackle building in a halfway decent neighborhood in West Philly. I park down the block and walk over since the weather’s nice. A bell rings when I step inside and the smell hits me first like a memory. Musty and warm and spicy. The smell of a thousand objects, a thousand lives.