Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 64704 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64704 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
That fear shouldn’t be on her face. I hated seeing it and wanted to wipe it away, kiss it away even, and remind her that she had enjoyed everything that I’d done to her.
Except that last night I’d lost a bit of control, pushed her too far, and now she wouldn’t believe any reassurances from me. I could have simply shown her that she’d enjoy sex—love it—but even in my desperate need to take her fully, I wouldn’t like this.
I’d never taken a terrified woman in my life, and wasn’t about to start now.
This girl was driving me crazy. When had I ever wanted to kiss away a woman’s pain and fear before? When had a woman ever driven me to lose control like this?
“I’ll leave instructions for you downstairs,” I said woodenly.
Her expression never changed, and I closed the door quietly and leaned against it. There was no sound coming from inside. The woman was still frozen in place on the bed.
Did she hurt from last night? Had I pushed too far? It bothered me that I wanted to ask, that I cared, but the worry stayed with me even long after leaving the penthouse and getting to work.
To my surprise, Jim was in his office when I got there. He rose from his desk and followed me down the hall. “I’m here two hours early,” I growled and flipped the lights on. “Why the hell are you here?”
“Gemma didn’t sleep much last night, and it wasn’t going to do me any good to try. Figured that I might as well come to the office early and get some work done.”
“You have a live-in nanny. Isn’t she supposed to deal with that kind of thing so you aren’t kept up all night?” I said loftily, sitting down behind my desk.
“She’s my baby girl,” he said with a soft smile and a shrug as he settled on the couch. “If she can’t sleep, I want to be there to comfort her. Not the nanny.”
“God, that girl is making you soft.”
“And yours is making you cranky.”
Sharply, I looked up. “I really need to fire my assistant.”
“Most days I would agree, but we both know that Julia is far better than anyone you could hire to replace her. She’s concerned about you. Thinks you may have gone off the deep end, and I can’t say that I disagree. Buying a woman? You’ve never paid for a hooker in your life, Brick.”
“She’s not a hooker. She’s a goddamn virgin, and ever time I talk about touching her, she acts like she’s going to break.” I rubbed my tired eyes. “She should be mine by now, so why the hell am I waiting?”
“Why do you have her at all? Virgins aren’t your thing. You don’t want to be a cherished memory, remember?”
Jim wasn’t wrong. Before I’d set my eyes on Daisy, I’d always sworn off virgins. Even my first was a seasoned teenager with plenty of experience. It was just easier that way. When people thought fondly of their first times, I didn’t want my face to pop up in their mind. I wasn’t built for that kind of sentiment.
“She’s different,” I hedged. “Her father is an emotionally abusive alcoholic and her boyfriend is a slimy weasel who actually sold her. She would have been homeless had I not intervened!”
“And now you’re the cold-hearted bastard who’s taking advantage of her situation and asking for her virginity to return for that ‘kindness,’” Jim said quietly. “Usually, I admire you, Brick. You see something that you want, and you take it. But this? This isn’t about sex. This is about having power over someone else, and we both know it.”
I was tired of my friends and employees turning against me. They didn’t even know the fucking girl. “I’m not discussing her again, and the next person who brings her up is going to be fired.”
His features tightened, and he got up to leave. As he reached for the door, I groaned inwardly. “Jim, wait. Your daughter. Is she okay?”
“She’s just having some nightmares. The doctors say it’s normal and will pass. She keeps asking about you.”
“Bring her by this weekend. Maybe a change of pace will help break the cycle,” I offered without thinking. Jim turned and looked at me sharply, and I knew what he was thinking. I had Daisy in the penthouse and had no business inviting a child over, but then he cocked his head and frowned.
“All right. Saturday night,” he said softly. “I was going out anyway, and can give the nanny the night off. I’ll drop her off around five and pick her up at ten?”
Five hours with the little bugger? Normally, I only spent a supervised hour or so with her. “Sure,” I said stiffly. “Sounds good. Now go take a nap before you drop dead. You look like hell.”