Coldhearted Bastard by Jenika Snow

Author:Jenika Snow [Snow, Jenika]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Contemporary, Crime, Adult, Suspense
Publisher: Jenika Snow
Published: 2021-10-04T18:30:00+00:00

15

Galina

The following day, the routine was the same. But I’d called off from my shift, knowing it was the smart thing to do even if it felt wrong with my end goal.

We ate breakfast before Arlo took me to the gym, where he barked out in Russian at the men there, which had them scattering out of sight, and then he proceeded to help me train for a few hours.

After a light lunch, we came back to his apartment, where I showered, then proceeded to pass out until dinner. My body ached, even my skin hurting from the almost brutal way Arlo had pushed me with self-defense.

And although I’d never been so tired before, I’d also never felt stronger or more sure of protecting myself. I’d never felt so… safe.

The sun had set an hour ago, and Arlo ordered Italian, which had just been delivered. The bags were fancy and black, gold lettering stamped across the front. I’d never eaten from anywhere that had delivery bags as swanky as these or, hell, delivery bags at all.

I was doing everything in my power not to look at him. I felt his eyes on me, so magnetic that I was hyperaware of every little move he made.

He hadn’t gone to work—or whatever he did to make a living—since he’d brought me to his apartment, and my curiosity was starting to get the better of me, but I refrained from asking. I did have tonight off but was scheduled for Sal’s tomorrow, and I wasn’t going to miss it. No matter what he said.

I brought my fork to the chicken parm on my plate and cut off a piece, focusing way too damn hard on it. It was either that or look at Arlo.

The flavors burst in my mouth, the sauce rich and everything combining together as if the cook had been creating a masterpiece. But instead of his tools being a canvas and paints, he used tomatoes, basil, and other seasoning.

And it was the fact that I was trying so hard not to focus on Arlo, who sat across from me yet felt so close, that I was comparing food with painting.

For fuck’s sake.

The tension in my body got too tight, but I finally looked up at him. He was leaning back and his body shifted to the side slightly, a glass in his hand with clear liquid filling it, liquid I knew wasn’t water. He had one arm bent at the elbow and resting over the back of his chair, his focus trained on me. I actually shivered. I had no idea why this man had this kind of effect on me, but there was no pushing it aside.

There was no ignoring it or trying to act like I had a handle on anything. I didn’t. My life was so messed up at the moment that any kind of relationship, including the sexual kind, shouldn’t have even been a blip in my mind.

“I have to leave after dinner to do some work.

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