Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 79211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
“Harper,” I say, taking a step toward her. “You’re only showing off now.”
“Oh, yeah?” she answers playfully. “Gonna do something about that?”
“Woman,” I warn. “Do you need me to remind you to be safe?”
She pauses and gives me a quick glance as if the words have finally cut through the thrill of the game. “Is that a promise, Aleks?”
She’s still wet with my come but it seems she needs my handprint on her ass to remind her. She fucking loves to defy me, the little brat.
Nikko chuckles beside me. “Oh, brother, you have your work cut out for you, don’t you?”
I groan, even as my chest swells. “You have no idea.” I give him a sharp look. “Keep this between us, Nikko. Mikhail will have to know soon, but for now, just us.”
Nikko nods. “I get it. You’ll outfit her?”
I nod. “Absolutely.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Harper
I’ve never felt anything like this before.
Nikko stands beside me. A big guy covered in tats, he’s ruggedly handsome but more boy-next-door-meets-mobster next to Aleks. His large frame and menacing scowl would scare me if I wasn’t more experienced by now.
“I’ve never felt anything like this before,” I tell him, shaking my head. “I don’t know how to describe it.”
“I get it,” Aleks says beside me. “This is what I’m like when I’m breaking code. When I’m deep in the weeds, unraveling numbers and letters and breaking through.”
“State of flow,” Nikko says. “You’re in the state of flow. Can take people a long time to get there. We call it natural instincts.”
Aleks nod. “You’re fully focused. Everything else fades away. Time can slow down or speed up. You have absolute control over everything and know intuitively what will happen next. You can almost envision it.”
I stare at him, my eyes wide. How did he know that?
“I’ve never felt so in control in my life. It’s like I’m commanding the sun to set or the moon to rise. It’s like…like…”
“Waving a magic wand,” Aleks says. “I get it.”
“Aleks! Nikko! Harper! Are you guys coming or what?” Polina’s a little dot by the front door.
I glance at my phone, shocked to see hours have passed. It’s lunchtime, and his family’s due to arrive any minute.
“Oh my God, I can’t believe it’s this late already. I need to change, fix my hair, and see to Ivy.”
I spin around, looking for a place to put the gun down when both Nikko and Aleks flinch. “Harper.” I wince at the sharp sound of Aleks’s voice.
“What?”
“Freeze. Stay right there.” He puts his hands out as if he’s trying to stop someone from jumping off a bridge.
I look down to see the gun in my hand pointed straight at him.
“Relax, I’m not going to shoot you,” I say with a laugh as I drop my arm.
Nikko grimaces and Aleks puts his hands on his hips. “You’ve already forgotten the gun safety we went over when we started. That doesn’t come naturally to anyone, woman.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Don’t mansplain to me, Aleks.”
His gaze snaps to mine, his jaw tight. “Sass me again in front of my brother,” he says in a low growl. “See how that works out for you.”
A lick of heat curls up my neck and spreads across my chest. I swallow and turn away from him so the gun’s pointed at the dense woods when I snap the safety in position and slide the gun back in the metal box it came in.
I feel a sense of loss when I’m not holding it anymore.
“You look like someone just died,” he says. When I don’t contradict him, his voice gentles and he takes a step closer to me. “I’ll get you a holster, baby. Sexiest little fucking thing you’ve ever seen, I promise. Wait until you see the custom kits you can get.”
Nikko folds his arms on his chest. “Need to see how good she is with other weapons, Aleks. Someone this good with a gun, good chance she’s skilled with a knife, too. You ever used a knife, Harper?”
“To cut my chicken? Yeah. As a weapon? No.”
The guys exchange a look I don’t quite understand.
“We’ll talk about it over lunch.”
My steps feel lighter, my heart soaring as we head back to the house, my sexy husband beside me, my daughter waiting for me, and a newfound skill I never knew I had within me. I can’t wait to get back out there again.
My lighthearted steps come to a halt when I get to the front door. Voices — lots of voices — drift out from inside the house, and some of them are woefully too familiar.
I swivel my gaze to Aleks. “You didn’t tell me my family was coming.”
The way his brows snap together in a scowl, he didn’t know either. “Who invited her family?”
Polina sits at the kitchen table with my little Ivy. Ivy’s swinging her legs and coloring in a little coloring book. Next to her is a huge stuffed teddy bear, a rainbow-colored sippy cup, and a lollipop the size of her head.