Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 55860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
“Not if he wants to keep breathing,” I answer darkly.
“What do you mean?” Serena is puzzled by my swift response.
“I mean if he lays a hand on you, I’ll notify his next of kin to pick up his remains myself,” I say clearly. “Because I will tear him apart with my bare hands.”
“Why?”
“Nobody takes advantage of you, Serena. Not on my watch. And nobody is going to make you compromise yourself. I’ll fucking kill them if they try.”
“You’re acting like you have to protect me. I fight my own battles.” She crosses her arms, her cheeks still flushed.
“You have until now. I’ll clear the debt. You tell Foz to give you whatever we owe you for working this week. Walk away. Go home, tell your dad this is the end of the line, no more bailing him out. Finish school or whatever. I don’t want to see you back here. I’ll make sure he’s turned away if he tries to come back. No go,” I shove my hand through my hair in frustration.
I need her the hell out of my sight. The sooner the better.
“I don’t need charity,” she protests.
“I can afford it.”
“I can pay my own way—”
“Get out of here.” I practically growl it at her.
“I didn’t come in here looking for a handout,” she says defiantly.
“It’s your only option, Serena. Take the offer and run. Don’t look back. You don’t belong here, and I was an idiot to give you a job. Stay far away from this joint and cut your dad loose. You deserve to have a life, start over free and clear.”
“I’m not a kid,” she says, still protesting.
“If you don’t get out of this office right now, you’re going to get a lot more than a handout,” I practically roar at her, shooting to my feet and rounding the desk.
I grab her arm, warm, soft skin sears my palm like I’ve grabbed molten steel. I make a noise, a throttled gasp that catches in my throat. She steps in toward me, her eyes blazing, instead of trying to pull out of my grip like any sensible person would.
“You want me to leave because you’re afraid what you’ll do if I stay,” she says.
“Serena,” my voice is rough, a low warning. “You need to leave.”
One hand grips her upper arm, the other fists at my side as I try to white knuckle my way through waves of something intoxicating. It’s not just lust. Lust is my old friend, and this is nothing like it. I want to gather her in my arms and protect her. I want to jerk her jeans down and bend her over Ronnie’s desk, rail her right there on top of the papers, watch her scrabble for purchase frantically with her fingertips as I stuff her full of me.
She’s looking up at me, eyes on mine, so I see it when she understands what I’m thinking.
5
SERENA
“I’m not going anywhere,” I say, my voice steady.
He stands there, notorious womanizer and Mob boss, Jack Marino. He looks at me like I I’m the devil. He drags a hand through his dark hair that’s so slick and flawless. Now it’s messy and wild, sexier than anything I could imagine.
The next thing I know, Jack leans in closer to me until my lungs are filled with the peppery scent of him and his mouth brushes my ear. “You had your chance.”
Tingles roll over my skin when Jack nuzzles my neck. He puts his mouth to my throat, and a noise comes out of me. It’s an embarrassing sound that no one should ever have to hear. It’s part moan and part whine, absolutely the opposite of the sexy noises that lovers make in movies. I want to slither out of his grasp and hide under the desk I’m so embarrassed. Until Jack looks up and grins, “Let’s see what other sounds you make, hmmm?”
I wonder when he kisses my jaw if I’ve been electrocuted. My whole body seems to blitz, like a flash of bright light, sudden breathless darkness followed by another power surge. I shudder, and I’m clutching at him. I’ve slid my hand up his chest and grip onto the smooth fabric of his shirt, crumpling it in my desperate fingers.
“I like that,” he murmurs against my throat, “Hold on tight to me.”
I start to pull away, my cheeks heating.
“What are you thinking?” he says. I back away. Not far, but enough that he can see I want to put things on pause. I’m surprised that he lets me.
“Nothing,” I lie, “this is a bad idea.”
“It’s a terrible idea,” Jack grins. “But those are always the most fun.”
Jack Marino is pure seduction. His voice makes me tingle. And when he takes hold of my waist and caresses my back, his hand electrifies my entire body. All my awareness seems to concentrate there, in the place where I can feel each individual finger pressing a ring of warmth on my bare skin where I tied up my shirt earlier. That harmless strip of exposed skin has wreaked havoc with my senses.