Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 102942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
“How? I haven’t touched your pot.”
“She sits on my bedside table, and your inconsiderate thrusting literally knocked her right onto the floor. You smashed her pot. Not to mention, the cornices on my ceiling are starting to crumble, and when they inevitably fall off and crush me in my sleep, you’ll be the one paying to get it fixed.”
I grin at her, knowing how it will get under her skin. “Exaggerate much?”
She sucks in a breath, her gaze filling with red-hot fury. “I swear to God, you are the most chronically exhausting man I have ever met in my life.”
I lean back into her. “Baby, you haven’t been chronically exhausted until you’ve felt what it’s like to be truly fucked by me.”
Her hands ball into fists at her sides, and if we were back at home with the safety of our separate apartments to escape to, then I’d probably push this further, but considering we’re at a party, surrounded by business associates, I try to keep it somewhat professional. “How’d you end up here, Firecracker?” I ask. “Javier Rodríguez is not somebody you should be mixing with.”
Her brows crease, and she looks at me as though I just spoke fluent Japanese. “Who?”
“Javier Rodríguez,” I tell her. “He’s the guy who owns this estate. This is his party.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh, yeah. No, I had no idea about that,” she explains. “I was at this cute beachfront restaurant earlier and accidentally tripped. The guy at the next table helped me up and asked if I wanted to go. I wasn’t planning on it, but then he offered me his black card to go shopping for a dress, and well . . . I couldn’t say no to that. I mean, look at this thing. Have you ever seen a dress more mind-blowing than this?”
My gaze drops down her body, and a groan rumbles through my chest. She’s right. Her dress is gorgeous, but it’s her that makes it truly breathtaking. “It’s one hell of a dress, Firecracker,” I agree, my tone giving away just how much I truly appreciate it. “I take it you’re talking about Louis Mendez?”
Her brows furrow. “How do you know Louis?”
“He’s a sick businessman,” I explain, not wanting to give too many details. “All the men here are. You need to be careful.”
She grins, and those jade eyes come right back to me. “That wouldn’t be concern in your tone, would it?” she says with a mock gasp, teasing me. “And here I thought the great Raiden Kane was incapable of caring about anything except his own dick.”
“Cute,” I say. “But I’m serious. Louis isn’t somebody you should be fucking with. Enjoy your night, but don’t let him get his claws into you.”
Kiara steps into me again, her hand skimming across my chest. “I don’t know if you’ve realized this yet, but I’m more than capable of handling myself,” she tells me. “But enough of my interrogation. I’ve told you how I ended up here, but what about you? If these guys really are as bad as you say they are, then what the hell are you doing here?”
A grin cuts across my face. “Money is money, Firecracker. No matter where it comes from,” I explain. “You already know I’m an international sales rep, and this is the biggest party of the year. Every single asshole here with deep pockets is a potential client. I’m here to lay the groundwork, just like every other rep here.”
Her brows crease, and she scans the crowd as though not having considered that the people here are working their contacts, not just random men and women here to have a good time. But that’s business. No matter the setting, no matter if it’s day or night, business doesn’t stop for anything.
“Fair call,” she says, nodding as she looks me over, still incredibly suspicious, but that’s a two-way street right there. The fact that we both ended up in the same town at the exact same party is screaming that it’s much more than just a coincidence, but despite these past two weeks of desperately trying to get under her skin, she’s never given me a reason not to trust her. “Okay, well, now that we’ve confirmed that you’re not a sleazy stalker who likes to follow women across the country, I’m going to go enjoy my night.”
“You do that, Firecracker.”
She groans. “Are you ever going to stop calling me that?”
“No chance in hell.”
Kiara rolls her eyes and steps right into me, stretching up onto her tippy toes as if to press a kiss to my cheek, but despite barely knowing her, I’m clued-in enough to know that gifting me a kiss on the cheek is the last thing she would ever do. “You even think about following me to my hotel just to book the room next to mine, and I will make your life a living hell.”