Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 37854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 189(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 189(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
“How?” Max asked.
Raine took a deep breath.
The restaurant was a nice place. She liked the low lighting, the soft music. The fact there was a nightclub next door was a surprise. It had been a long time since she had gone to any nightclub.
Pushing some hair out of her face, she sat back. They still hadn’t ordered their meal, and they were talking about love.
“How what?” she asked, hoping to stall.
“How is love deeper? How does it consume?”
She licked her dry lips and glanced down at the menu, trying to think of the right words. “I guess, the way I see it, especially after not having any feelings about my breakup, love means more. It’s what gets you up on a day. It’s what drives you to get through the day. The thought of that one person who you love, and without any reason for it, a smile appears on your face. Just thinking about them makes you happy. At the same time, the very thought of anything bad happening to them makes you feel sick inside. You want to die or put yourself so you’re the one feeling their pain. To me, love consumes you. In the oddest of moments, you want to call them, just to hear their voice.” She smiled. “Even if that means getting their voicemail. You still get to hear them.”
“Love sounds awful.”
Raine chuckled. “It is, but that’s why it’s one of the biggest industries, right? Love and romance in books and movies.”
The waiter returned to the table, and Raine listened to Max order a steak special. She decided to join him by having the same.
Their menus were taken and she turned to see a woman move onto the stage. She was dressed in gold and looked so stunning. She stood in front of a microphone and began to sing. The soft sounds of her voice filled the air, calming Raine’s mind.
Talking about love made her nervous. Mainly because she knew deep down, she was falling for both of her employers. Max and Dylan were so different from her ex. Even when it came to her feelings. She didn’t feel like she was going through the motions or making quick decisions for an easy life.
Dylan and Max made her feel so many things that at times, it scared her. Lake as well. She adored the little girl so much. She wanted to protect her from the outside world, from the fear of loneliness.
Raine was startled and looked down to see Max had taken her hand, locking their fingers together.
Three weeks, they had shared their bodies with each other. She’d woken up every morning sandwiched between the two.
Biting her lip, she listened to the love song the woman sang. The pain of losing a fresh love, the despair of never finding another. Tears filled her eyes. All this talk of love was getting to her.
“Excuse me.” She pulled her hand away from Max’s and excused herself, seeing the sign for the bathroom. She was quiet, so as not to interrupt the woman’s performance. Her chest hurt.
After opening the bathroom door, she moved to the sink, grabbed the edge, and took several deep breaths. “I can do this. I can do this.”
As her world was falling apart, she couldn’t help but remember the contract she’d signed. Max and Dylan were her employers. She had no right. No claim to them.
Lifting her head, she stared at her reflection and sank her teeth into her bottom lip.
This wasn’t a good way to spend her life.
The bathroom door opened, and Max entered the room. “What’s the matter?”
“It’s nothing.”
“I know I’m not the easiest man to get along with. I know I’m an asshole, and cold, and I struggle with everyday life, but you don’t need to hide from me. You don’t have to be afraid.”
“I’m not afraid.” She turned toward him as he closed the distance between them.
He cupped her cheek. “Then why do you look like you’re going to cry?”
“I’m not.”
“No?”
She shook her head.
His gaze roamed her face, then settled on her lips. His thumb brushed across her bottom lip, and she closed her eyes, gasping as he slowly pushed his thumb in.
“I think you’re lying, Raine.” His other hand went to her waist. Slowly, he slid his hand up until he captured her breast in his palm. He groaned.
“Someone might come in and see.”
“No, they won’t. No one will interrupt us,” he said. “I have to wonder, though.” His hand moved from her hip, going to the curve of her ass. “I cannot feel any panties on you.”
“I’m not wearing any.”
He growled against her neck, his teeth nipping at the flesh. “How am I going to go out there knowing that?” he asked.
Max pressed his pelvis against her stomach, and she gasped.
“You feel that? That’s what you do to me.”