Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82517 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82517 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Tapping her fingers on her leg, she didn’t have a single thing to say to break the awkward silence.
Her father had come home and ordered her to go to dinner with Roman. This was a ruse. Liam wanted to see how far the threat went, and even though he hated using her as bait, she was the intended target of whoever was after her. She had been told time and time again that his men, as well as Greco’s men, were everywhere.
The restaurant was fancy, the kind designed for lovers.
Not for the first time, she licked her lips, and again, her mind flashed to the moment Roman kissed her. She didn’t understand why it was constantly playing a loop in her mind. It was just one kiss. The only kiss she’d ever experienced.
There would come a time when she would have more kisses to compare them to. Even as she thought that idea, she knew it was laughable. At twenty-one years old, Roman, her actual husband, was the first and only man to kiss her. It was pitiful.
She had to wonder if other women felt this way.
“How was your day?” she asked.
“You’re thinking about it,” Roman said.
“What?”
He smiled and leaned back in his chair. “You’re thinking about our kiss last night.”
Her cheeks immediately felt way too hot. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“In the past five minutes, you’ve licked your lips five times, and each time you do, you look at me. You’re thinking about our kiss.”
“I could be licking my lips for any reason. You don’t have to be the cause.” She didn’t know why she tried to evade the question.
“And there you go again.”
“I wasn’t thinking of you that time.”
“So you just admitted that the other times, you were.” He smiled, and Alex didn’t know what to make of it. It seemed … genuine.
“Yes, okay, fine, I was thinking about …our time together. Is that so hard to believe?”
“I’ve thought about our kiss plenty of times.”
“I doubt that.”
He leaned forward, and before she could stop him, he’d captured both of her hands. “I’ve thought about how good your lips felt against mine. How I want to feel them all the fucking time. When I kiss you again, I’m going to hold you, feel you against me.”
“Who says there is going to be a next time?” she asked.
“We are because we’re going to make this work.”
“You want to make this work?”
“Yes.”
“Why don’t I believe you?” she asked.
He chuckled and clicked his fingers for the waiter to bring them the menus. When they first arrived at the table, he’d ordered wine. She had no choice but to quickly change her order to water. He’d tried to get her a sparkling water, but she hated that stuff and asked for still instead.
“Is it hard to imagine me wanting a nice marriage?” he asked.
“You didn’t want to be married to me.”
“True, but you didn’t want to be married to me either. Don’t forget that I read your diary, so I know all your little secrets.” He stopped long enough for the waiter to give them their menus. “How about I make a proposal?”
Alex looked up at him, not exactly sure what he meant.
“I don’t want to have a marriage that is … like all the ones I know. They’re filled with…” He stopped talking and looked past her shoulder.
“Loneliness. Pain. Deceit. Betrayal.”
“How do you know that?” he asked.
“No one talks to me. It doesn’t mean I don’t listen to what everyone else has to say.” She shrugged and glanced down at the menu.
“Is that the marriage you want?” he asked.
“You mean to hate my husband, to dread him coming home, to be afraid to even talk to him? Yeah, sounds like a real dream.” She rolled her eyes. “Of course, I don’t want that.” She shook her head. “Has anyone ever told you how annoying you can be?”
“I do get that from time to time,” he said, smiling.
“You look way too proud of yourself.”
“I didn’t think I’d enjoy this.” He pointed between them. “It’s fun.”
“I’m glad I somehow entertain you.”
“You truly do, and I can safely say it is a gift.”
She stared down at her menu, somewhat happy that she has been able to make him happy, which was crazy. Up until a few days ago, they never spent any time together, and when they did, whatever he had to say was critical.
“What do you want out of a marriage?” Roman asked.
“I honestly don’t know. I never thought I was going to get married, so I didn’t think I’d have to come up with an ideal part of it.” She sighed. “What about you?”
He held his hands up and started to tick his fingers. “I wanted a wife who was loyal. A good mother. Someone who doesn’t freak out at the sight of blood. Who can … handle this life.”