Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 70826 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70826 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
The call goes through, then my friend growls, “Yes?”
A frown forms on my forehead as I ask, “Everything okay?”
“No,” he mutters, clearly upset about something.
When Nikolai is in a mood, it just helps to listen. Most of the time, I’m able to calm him down.
“Want to talk about it?”
“I fucked one of the attendees.”
I shake my head, not understanding why that would upset him. “And?”
“She’s a fucking thorn in my side.”
I let out a chuckle. “And you decided fucking her would be the best course of action? Why?”
“Christ, it’s hard to explain,” he grumbles. “She’s full of sass and strives to drive me insane.”
Not half as much as Camille’s driving me insane.
I don’t mention anything because this conversation isn’t about me. Instead, I say, “Yeah, I still don’t understand why you decided to fuck her and why it’s a problem.”
There’s a moment’s silence before he admits, “I care about her.”
My eyebrows fly up because that’s a first. Nikolai is a bachelor by choice, and the longest relationship he’s had was when he married my sister because I asked him to.
“Oh,” I mutter. “How much do you care about her?”
“Too much. I fucking asked Viktor to cancel the hit he had out on her.”
“Hold on.” I almost choke on a droplet of spit and clear my throat. “Last time I checked, there were two active hits. Which one are we talking about?”
“Abigail Sartori.”
Surprised as fuck, I almost shout, “You fucked Sartori’s daughter?” A bark of laughter escapes from me. “Jesus, now this story is getting good.”
The Sartoris are enemies of the bratva and mafia. For Nikolai to fuck Abigail, the woman has to mean something to him.
“Fuck off,” Nikolai mutters.
I get my laughter under control, then ask, “Again, why is this a problem?”
Nikolai lets out a sigh. “Because I love my life the way it is, and I don’t need a woman destroying my routine.”
“Did you ever stop to think that just maybe a woman will add to the quality of your life?”
“Yeah, so tell me, why aren’t you married yet?” he asks.
“Because I haven’t met the one.”
Camille’s face pops into my mind, but I quickly shake my head to banish her from my thoughts.
“Right.” Nikolai sighs again, then says, “Abigail is a fucking handful. We’ll end up killing each other.”
Trying to be the voice of reason, I say, “You don’t know that.”
“I do. No one has ever pissed me off as much as she does.”
Getting up from the couch, I walk to the kitchen and take a bottle of water from the fridge. “Why does she piss you off?”
“She fucking flirts like it’s a paying job and doesn’t take anything seriously.”
Another chuckle escapes me because it sounds like she’s the right woman for him. “Hey, opposites attract. With you being anal about your routine and where everything has to be, her ruffling things up might be a good change.”
Nikolai lets out a frustrated groan. “There’s an eighteen-year age gap between us. I’m old enough to be her father.”
“But you’re not her father,” I state the obvious. “Age doesn’t fucking matter as long as both parties consent to the relationship.”
“You’re not fucking helping,” he grumbles.
After taking a sip of water, I say, “I’m not going to tell you what you want to hear, Nikolai. I think if you care about the woman, then you should give a relationship a try. The worst that can happen is you fuck her for a while and realize she’s not the one for you.”
Fucking her a couple of times won’t be enough.
“She’s already under my skin. If I let her in, there will be no getting her out.”
I place the bottle of water on the counter and stare at the living room. “I don’t see why this is a problem.”
“Of course you don’t, because it’s not your perfectly constructed life that will fall to pieces.”
I sigh, then say, “Listen to me, Nikolai. You don’t want to wake up one day and realize you’ve let the only woman you could love get away.” I pause to let my words sink in. “Take time and think things through. If your feelings for the woman keep growing, just go for it. At least the odds are in your favor.”
“How do you figure that?”
“She let you fuck her. It’s an emotional act for women.” And that’s why I have to keep Camille at a distance, and I can’t cross any lines with her. “Stop worrying and let things happen naturally. You can’t control every-fucking-thing in this world.”
“I’m sure as fuck going to try,” he mutters.
“I pity the woman who has to deal with your OCD and control issues,” I taunt my friend.
“Yeah, like you’ve done for over thirty years.”
I press my hand to my chest, a grin on my face. “Damn, you’re right. I pity myself.”
“Fuck off,” he chuckles.
“Feeling better?” I ask.