Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 104682 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 523(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104682 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 523(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Nikolai didn’t press me to continue but he never stopped reminding me he was there because his fingers danced over my skin in the softest of caresses.
"It took a long time and a lot of work to get caught up to my grade level, but Patricia helped me do it. Then she brought up the c word."
"College," Nikolai supplied.
I nodded. "The idea of college scared me in ways I couldn’t even deal with. I really wanted to make her proud of me, but I knew there was no way I could do it."
"What changed your mind?"
“Forceful proof, remember?” I reminded Nikolai. He chuckled. I found myself smiling as I added, “Proof that it was possible made me change my mind… living, breathing proof.”
I found myself snuggling back against Nikolai. My eyes fell to the dark hair on the arm he had slung over my waist. I ran my fingers over his skin as I said, "One day when I arrived at our tutoring session, Patricia said we were going on a road trip. Not far, of course. Just to Lawrence. There was someone she wanted me to meet. He was giving a guest lecture at the University of Kansas."
"Clifton Hayes," Nikolai offered.
“Clifton Hayes," I acknowledged. "I'd heard of him, of course, who hadn't? But as far as I was concerned, he was from another planet with all the money he had. I don't really remember what the lecture itself was on… something having to do with market risk. Afterwards, a lot of the students went up to ask him questions, but his assistant waved them off and told them to submit their questions in writing. Cliff wasn’t the social butterfly back then that he is now,” I joked.
Nikolai laughed and said, “I guess not.”
“Anyway, before I knew it, Patricia was dragging me to the front of the room after everyone else was gone. I tried to stop her, but man, that woman was strong," I said with a laugh. "I was already practicing the speech I'd have to tell the cops after I was arrested for being party to accosting Clifton Hayes himself. But Patricia, she just yelled Clifton's name—she called him Cliffy, actually—and hell if he didn't look up and almost smile."
"Smile?" Nikolai said doubtfully.
I laughed again and nodded. "Smile," I confirmed. "It didn't stop there. She hugged him and, wait for it…" I glanced over my shoulder. Nikolai was smiling. "He hugged her back."
“Now I know you're full of shit," Nikolai said and then he took advantage of my position and dropped his head so he could kiss me. It started off as a soft kiss, similar to the ones he’d been placing along my shoulder and neck for the past hour, but it didn't take long before I was sifting my fingers through his hair to get a better grip on him as his mouth owned mine. I let out a moan of protest when he broke the kiss.
"Story first," he said before he dropped a quick kiss to my nose.
I sighed and called him a cocktease under my breath, not remembering that the man had the hearing of a bat.
He leaned down and nibbled my lips before murmuring, "Story first, cock teasing after.” His sexy, growly voice sent a shiver of excitement down my spine.
"Promise?" I responded.
Nikolai shifted his body just a little but it was enough to have his already hard cock sliding along my crease. My breath caught in my throat.
For the life of me, I couldn't remember what the hell we'd even been talking about which had him chuckling. "Did you forget something, sweetheart?”
"Bite me," I said impatiently as I tried to quell my libido.
"Is that a request or…?" Nikolai asked as he leaned in again and nuzzled my neck.
"Do you want to hear this or not?" I asked. For good measure, I shifted my backside a few times, causing his hard-on to slide along my crease. I heard him suck in a sharp breath behind me.
“Nikolai?” I prodded innocently even as I continued to grind against him.
“Fuck,” Nikolai cursed softly and then his big hand clamped down on my hip to still my movement. “Continue,” he growled.
Since he wasn’t letting me move my lower half anymore, I could only assume he wanted me to continue with the story. I smiled to myself at the tiny victory. "So, after Patricia and Cliff were done with their little reunion, she pulled me forward and introduced me to the man. I, of course, couldn’t manage to get even a word out. The man was a god as far as I was concerned. Long story short, the reason she took me to meet Cliff was because—"
My words dropped off suddenly as I realized what I’d been about to say.
"Because?" Nikolai prodded.
Forgetting all about the sexual game I'd been playing with Nikolai, I turned over so quickly my head smacked him in the chin. "Oh, shit, I'm sorry. Are you okay?"