Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 96065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Bastian sends me another video. I have my earbud in one ear as I watch yet another one. They’re past news broadcasts about strange things happening with Earth. He told me in his first text it’s a puzzle I can solve and maybe I’ll go ahead and save the world while I’m at it. I’d been amused by his silliness, though it felt good to be getting back to a more normal place with my brother.
The third video I watch is about cryptocurrency mining and how, because of its extensive requirement for electricity, it’s adding to the atmosphere’s greenhouse gas emission. The video before this discussed how concrete production creates significant amounts of carbon dioxide, which also adds to the global emissions.
Caius briefly glances over at what I’m watching but is pulled back into conversation. I become enthralled by how horrible this mining for something intangible is such a terrible thing for our environment. They go on to explain it’s the same for AI as well. I wonder if Caius knows every time he uses his AI program to recreate people’s voices—aka mine—that it’s harming our planet.
I’m going down a rabbit hole. It feels different than my usual obsessive pulls. This one doesn’t sharpen my senses and needle me to where I need to go. It’s like rocks tied around my ankles, tugging me deep into a mental abyss.
Caius plucks my phone out of my hand and shoves it into my pocket. I blink away my confusion.
“What did you do that for?” I demand as I take the earbud out. “I was in the middle of watching those.”
“I know,” he rumbles as he brings his mouth close to my ear. “I like it when your attention is on me.”
My mind still races with thoughts of the freaking environment of all things, but he’s quickly distracting me. His mouth on my neck drives me wild with need. It’s dark in the vehicle, so unless someone is directly looking at us, his neck kisses are private.
“Have I told you that you look hot tonight?”
I grin and nod. “You can tell me again, though.”
“So hot, love.”
This version of him who doesn’t hide his desire for me is my favorite. He doesn’t flaunt it in front of his father or Theo, which I’m grateful for, but he doesn’t hide it either. After Bastian left earlier and Caius came back, we went shopping for tonight’s event. He easily found a tux to wear while my search was a lot more difficult. What do you wear to meet the president?
Does the president know how bad cryptocurrency mining is for the environment? Maybe I should share the video with him.
My thoughts are once again jerked back to Caius. His palm is lazily teasing over the bare skin of my thigh exposed with the high slit of my dress. There are other people in the car, but I’m wishing it were just us. The things I’d let him do to me right now…
“Did you ever hear anymore from you-know-who?” I whisper, needing to throw a blanket over the burning heat igniting within me.
“Nope,” he murmurs before fusing his lips to mine.
I guess that’s the end of that conversation.
I’m okay with the kiss instead of words. He kisses me deeply and with such possessiveness that I feel like I belong to him. It’s nice to feel so wanted and cared for.
For how long?
I ignore the negative thoughts. It’s easy to push them out and focus on the good stuff. The man I should be wary of knows how to play my body exactly as it should be played. His fingertips brush over the lips of my pussy over my thong, causing me to jolt in surprise. He kisses me hard, snuffing out the yelp of surprise coming out of me.
We can’t do this stuff with people in the car.
And yet I try to part my legs in this fancy dress. I don’t get much movement, but he’s able to add just enough pressure.
“Do you think there will be any hot models or actresses there?” Theo asks from the front seat.
Caius, while keeping his fingertip right where I want it, pulls away from our kiss to answer him. “Naturally. The beautiful people always get invited first.”
Kaitlyn then asks Theo if there will be real princesses there. I’m unable to keep up with their conversation as Caius continues to tease me. Just when I think I might come, he stops.
My heart races out of control and I whip my head to glower at him. This makes him chuckle under his breath.
I’ve seen him smile—truly smile—and now I get a laugh out of him. Is this real life? Where’s the psychopath who held me at gunpoint on our first meeting and then proceeded to lock me back up under the floor? Or where’s the sinister man who had no issue whatsoever drugging me whenever it suited him?