Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 70518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“Did you lose?”
I slowly shook my head. “No. I couldn’t bring myself to lose my grandmother’s money. I figured they wouldn’t kill me since I couldn’t make money for them if I was dead, but at least my grandmother would be okay. And I foolishly thought maybe they would only break my leg or something.”
“Oh, Kon.” Her blue eyes were filled with worry.
“But they were going to kill me,” I continued wearily. I hated thinking about this story, much less telling it to someone else. “They dragged me out after the fight and brought me to a back room. I was…tied up and being beaten with a metal pipe by several men. And then Svetlana came. Somehow, she found out what was going on, and she offered herself to Dmitri—to do anything he wanted to her for as long as he wanted—in exchange for my life.”
Lucy sucked in a breath. “Oh my god.”
“And he agreed.”
“Holy shit.”
“It took me six months to find her. And when I saw what he’d done to her…” My voice trailed off as I tried not to think about the condition that I’d found her in. “I killed him.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Lucy
“I wasn’t expecting this,” I told Kon the next morning as I scanned the contents of his refrigerator.
It was cleaner and more organized than any refrigerator I’d ever seen. Fresh fruits and veggies were sorted into glass containers. He had eggs, butter, bacon, and cream—everything I needed to make us a good breakfast.
“What were you expecting?” he asked, approaching me from behind and putting a hand on the curve of my ass.
“Well, Sawyer had beer, bologna, and mustard when I got to his house. Something more like that, I guess.”
He laughed softly against my neck, kissing me until I forgot the contents of the fridge and sank back against him.
“It will sound strange to you, but one of my dreams growing up was a refrigerator like this. Always full of food. My housekeeper knows what I like and she makes sure I always have it.”
He wrapped his arms around me from behind. I’d woken up later than usual after our late night and we’d had morning sex and snuggled. Around eleven, he’d made coffee and brought me some in bed. I could have stayed there with him all day, but we were hungry and it was almost noon, so I’d put on one of his T-shirts and ventured into the kitchen.
“That doesn’t sound strange at all,” I said. “I know my reasons aren’t the same as yours, but I find a clean house and a stocked fridge very comforting.”
“What can I do to help?” he asked, releasing me from his hold.
“Can you grab the bacon, eggs, and cream? And those cherries, too. Where in the world did you get fresh cherries in St. Louis in early December, by the way?”
He shrugged. “My housekeeper gets everything.”
“I like her.”
After he had grabbed what I needed from the fridge, I got mushrooms, an onion, and a block of cheddar cheese. As soon as I put everything on the counter, I took a moment to ogle Kon, who only wore a pair of black gym shorts. He was leaning his hip against the kitchen counter and sipping his coffee. God, he was ridiculous to look at. All defined muscles and ink.
“You look hungry,” he said, smirking.
I laughed at the truth in his words.
“I’m not saying I don’t want you again, because I definitely do. But I need to eat first.”
“Me too. I don’t think there’s a single sperm left in my balls. You drained me dry, Miss Cain.”
“I need a knife and a cutting board,” I said. “And I believe it was you who woke me up with your dick pressed against my ass this morning, Mr. Volkov.”
He opened a drawer and took out a wood cutting board, a smile playing on his lips.
“This is the risk you take when you sleep naked in my bed with an ass like that.”
“I’ll remember that.”
He brought over a knife and a cutting board, kissing me. “How can I help with breakfast?”
I looked around at all the ingredients on the counter. “Why don’t you crack some eggs into a bowl for me? Maybe six or seven.”
He grinned. “I will eat at least that many on my own. I’ll do the whole dozen.”
I shook my head, unable to imagine eating as much as he did and still having abs. He burned a lot of calories playing hockey, of course, but it still seemed unfair.
As I laid the bacon in strips on a plate to cook it in the microwave, I cleared my throat and found Kon’s gaze.
“Thank you for telling me what you did last night. It took a lot of courage to be that vulnerable.”
His expression turned serious. “I am not proud of my past, but I want you to understand why I owe Svetlana.”