Page 29 of Caught By the Bratva Beast

“I've thought about doing other things with my life, but every time I start to think, well maybe this is my chance, something happens, or I need the money. The job comes easy. I honestly don't know what I'd be doing without it.”

“You could put that degree in computer science to use. You're an intelligent woman, I don't see why you think that you need men to pay your bills when you could outearn any of those idiots any day.”

“How do you think so highly of me when you just met me?”

I pause, trying to consider the right answer. The one that's caught somewhere between the truth and what she wants to hear. I'm sure right now she's thinking that something romantic is going to happen. That I'm going to pour out my heart and soul to her.

But then, on the other hand, she knows who I am. At least the basics of me. She knows how men like me are.

“You're not like anyone else I've ever met, and if that means that I think highly of you because I treat you with the respect you deserve, well then, I guess I think highly of you. But that's only the start.”

“And let me guess, you're not going to tell me the rest until I tell you something about myself?”

“We don't have to talk about you tonight if you don't want to. I could spend the rest of the night out here laying under the stars with you talking about the constellations.”

“That would hardly feel fair with how much you told me about yourself.” Pearl hums and tucks her hands behind her head, staring up at the sky.

She opens and closes her mouth a couple of times, but it seems like she can't figure out quite what to say.” In another world where I wasn't an escort and I could use my degree, I think I'd go back to working with a startup.”

“So that part of your story was true. You were working with a tech startup.”

“Yes, for a while I worked with one. I thought it was something I wanted to do. The company never went under. I decided to leave when the boss decided to start being a scumbag.”

“What lines did he cross?” I ask, my tone low and deadly. “Give me his name.”

“And what are you going to do? Are you going to hunt him down? Make him pay for being an asshole all those years ago? Kill him? He’s not worth it.”

“How can you say all those years ago when you're barely more than twenty?”

“I'm twenty-two. Just turned twenty-two, actually. How old are you?”

“Forty-one.”

Pearl’s nose wrinkles. “Oh, you're old. A really old man. Honestly, I'm surprised you made it down here without the help of a walker.”

“Excuse me?” I stare at her with an incredulous look, trying not to laugh when she gives me a playful little poke.

“You heard me.” She sits up before getting to her feet, looking down at me with her hands planted on her hips. “I think you're an old man. Very old. Geriatric, really. Maybe we should have been touring nursing homes instead of coming out here this weekend. Are you sure you want to spend the next five days with me? I can't change diapers.”

“You better run.” I get to my feet, kicking off my shoes. “I'm going to give you a five-second head start and if I catch you, you're mine.”

“Careful not to break a hip, grandpa,” she says before she races away, her hair whipping up behind her.

I take my time counting to five, waiting until she gets to the trees again before launching after her.

While I could close the gap between us fairly quickly, I let her think that she was winning, allowing her to dart through the trees, jumping over bushes and logs.

She scrambles up a tree and sits on a little branch looking down at me.

Smirking, I cross my arms over my chest. “How do you know where my favorite tree was?”

She arches an eyebrow. “Your favorite tree? That might be the oldest old person thing you ever said. Tell me, do you do bird watching too? Oh, maybe you spend your days lawn bowling.”

“Do you realize how high you're sitting right now?” I step between her legs, turning my head and pressing a kiss against her bare inner thigh, just below the hem over her denim shorts.

Her legs clamp together as she glares down at me. “Don't even think about trying anything funny with me. Contract.”

“I don't know, sitting out here with your legs spread like that could constitute begging for it. That is, if you lean in and kiss me first. Or shimmy out of your shorts. I'm good with whatever option you choose.”

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