Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70370 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70370 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
She laughed low in her throat. “He’s old enough. And he is strong—he’s just built differently from you. If you weren’t so jealous, you would see that. Plus, he’s an amazing surgeon, and the patients love him. When he’s in doctor mode, he’s brilliant.”
I didn’t like her praising him.
“He was pressuring you.”
“He was asking me out. He asks me every shift. Every shift, I say the same thing. No. He’s a hopeless flirt, but he is harmless. He will have already forgotten about me and moved on.” She looked around. “See?”
I followed her line of vision. He was already dancing with someone else, not looking at all upset.
I grunted. “I don’t care. All of them need to back off. The rest of tonight’s dances are mine.”
“I thought—”
I cut her off. “We’re in a room surrounded by my people. I don’t see anyone out of place. You can go to work shortly, and I will go to the apartment.” I pulled her closer. “But when you get home in the morning, Sofia, I’ll be waiting. It’ll be payback for this dress and the stunt you pulled earlier.”
“You don’t like the dress?”
I looked down as I spun her. “I love the dress. It looks exquisite on you. It’ll look even better on the floor by our bed.”
She pressed her lips to my ear, her voice low and raspy. “And you didn’t enjoy fucking me?”
I had to shut my eyes as I thought of the blistering orgasm I’d had. I had done exactly what she wanted. I had taken her fast and hard, barely five minutes passing once I was buried inside her. My release had left me shaken, loose, and determined to have her again as soon as possible. I could never get enough of her. I had left her on my bed, curled up and smiling in pleasure. I planned on her smiling that way again.
“Maybe not payback. Reward.”
“Oh, I like that idea,” she said, then laid her head on my shoulder. “But I love dancing with you, Egan. You are an amazing dancer.”
“Having you as a partner helps.”
“Whatever it is, I want to do it a lot.”
I didn’t look around before I pressed my lips to her head.
“Consider it done, my love. Consider it done.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Egan
The sun was shining brightly overhead. I wiped my brow at the heat, shutting my eyes and inhaling the breeze as it drifted over my skin. There was none of the smog or humid air I had grown used to, living in the city. Instead, the air was crisp, clean, the scent of the forest and water strong. I opened my eyes, staring up at the sky. It was clear, blue, without a cloud in it. I sat up, looking around me. I recognized this place. To my right was a stream, the sound of the water bubbling and dancing audible as it traveled along the rocks. Ahead in the clearing was a small house, the pitch of the roof and the old wooden door familiar.
I stood, running a hand over my hair. I had grown up in that house.
How had I gotten here?
By the house was a tall tree, the branches hanging low, providing shade. Sitting in a chair, alone, was a woman. She was bent low over a task, but I recognized her. The brilliant white of her hair was bright in the sun. The bent shoulders were from years of hard work.
My grandmother. Bunica.
I walked toward her, taking everything in. The lazy smoke drifting from the chimney. The swing hanging from the tree not far from where my grandmother sat.
I stopped in front of her, still confused. She looked up, her hands never ceasing their busy work. A bowl of peas sat in her lap, and she separated the tiny green orbs from their shells efficiently, somehow creating two piles within the dish.
“Ah, micul meu leu, I have been waiting.” She always called me her little cub.
I kneeled beside her. “Bunică?” I asked. “How are you here? How am I here?”
“I have to warn you. But I do not have much time.” She shook her head sadly. “You do not believe, but I must try.”
I glanced down. I wasn’t a boy, but a grown man, yet she knew me.
“This is a dream.”
“It is the only place I can reach you. Egan, you have danger around you. Grave danger. You must protect what is yours. Do what you must to ensure it is safe.”
“I am trying.”
She cupped my face, her skin buttery soft, the ends of her fingers callused. “There will be a crossroads. You must choose. Choose wisely.”
“Bunică?”
She looked around. “I must leave, but you have to listen to me. What your heart needs must be protected at all costs. Remember your strength. Do what you must. If you lose your heart, the world will no longer be your home, Egan.”