Total pages in book: 12
Estimated words: 10546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 53(@200wpm)___ 42(@250wpm)___ 35(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 10546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 53(@200wpm)___ 42(@250wpm)___ 35(@300wpm)
Rolling his eyes, he gave me a mock salute. “Sir, yes, sir,” he muttered.
I rounded the counter and dropped a kiss to the top of his head, letting my lips linger. And just like that, the tension bled from his shoulders. I scraped my nails along his scalp, then headed for my room to change into my work clothes. By the time I was done getting ready, Drew was sprawled out on my couch, the TV was turned on to a random horror movie, and he was snoring softly.
I laughed softly and grabbed the throw blanket off the back, draping it over him. I softly kissed his parted lips, then left the house, feeling on top of the fucking world.
EPILOGUE
Drew
Icrossed my arms over my chest, watching as Maksim and Anurak looked inside the jewelry cases together, whispering quietly amongst themselves. Maksim was looking for a new ring for Alfonzo since the man had lost his skull ring while on a job, and Anurak wanted to tag along to get out of the house. Which meant Bento was along for the shopping spree, too.
He didn’t seem to mind all the bright lights, the too-cheery employees dressed in cheap suits, and all the chatter in the mall’s food court behind us. But I did. I fucking hated shopping. But thankfully, whenever I had to tag along on one of these fucking trips, Alfonzo put a pretty little bonus in my bank account for suffering through it.
When I asked him about it one time, he just said he understood, patted my shoulder, and thanked me for my service.
“You look miserable,” Bento teased.
I grunted. “Lights are too fucking bright,” I muttered.
Seriously, how hard was it to find a goddamn ring? This was the third jewelry store we’d been to, and I was over this shit. Couldn’t he just order one online? Online shopping was there for a damn reason. For people like me who hated the public, for one.
“Can we help you?” one of the men asked. He had hair graying at his temples, and his suit was ill-fitting. And his damn striped button down beneath the suit jacket was a poor pick. I had almost zero fashion sense, and even I knew his outfit was just all fucking wrong.
“No,” I said, hoping he’d get the memo and fuck off.
“Well, I’ll have to ask you to leave if you’re not shopping. You’re making some of the employees and shoppers a little nervous—”
I cut him a dark look, opening my mouth to tell him just how fucking nervous I could make someone since I’d more than had enough of all this bullshit, but Bento gripped my arm and stepped in before I could get all four of us kicked out. “We’re actually with those two gentleman looking through your display cases,” Bento explained. “And while I apologize that we’re making everyone nervous, we’re not exactly here to be pleasant. We’re bodyguards. And those two men, if they find what they’re looking for, will drop a very pretty penny in your shop.”
Money spoke, clearly. Because the man quickly shook his head. “Oh, I apologize. I didn’t realize. Please forgive me.” And with that, he hurried away to go talk to Maksim and Anurak.
Bento chuckled when the man was out of earshot and cut me an amused look. “You’re such a dick, bro.”
I gave him my middle finger and hoped Maksim and Anurak would hurry the fuck up so I could get home, take some pain medicine for the migraine I was beginning to get, and then dump Maksim in Alfonzo’s lap. I wanted a nap—preferably in my husband’s office where he could take care of me.
Nicholas had spoiled the absolute fuck out of me since getting together, and I was ready to be spoiled.
When we got back to the house—no ring to be found, though they had bought other stuff—I led Maksim straight to his office, where Alfonzo was already waiting, his booted feet kicked up on Maksim’s desk as he cleaned his nailbed with a knife. Seeing us, he dropped his feet and tucked his knife away. “Hey, mouse. Good shopping trip?” He looked at me and bit back a smile. I gritted my teeth. I liked Alfonzo, but he was a dick. He knew I hated shopping, and he found it so amusing how bad of a mood it put me in. “You’re dismissed for the rest of the day.”
Thank fuck.
Without a word, I spun on my heel and headed further down the hall to Nicholas’s office. His door was open, but only his lamp was on. When I stepped inside, he looked up from his laptop, and his eyes softened. “That bad?”
I grunted and kicked my boots off, then sprawled out on my back on the hospital gurney, closing my eyes. I threw my arms over my eyes, my head pounding and making me nauseous. I hated malls. There were too many people, too many scents, and the lights were too goddamn bright.