Page 38 of Royal Shark
“Oh, come on,” Silvia says. “You’d rather ride public transit than ride with Adrian? Oops. Are you two on the outs?”
I blush, even though nothing happened. It’s what I’m afraid is going to happen if I keep spending time with him just the two of us. There’s too much chemistry, which makes it too risky to get close to him. At the same time, it would be an insult at this point to turn his offer down.
I paste on a smile as Adrian closes the distance between us, my cheeks and neck heating. “I’d be happy for a ride. Thank you.”
Adrian squeezes my shoulder as he leans close. “Good,” he growls in my ear. “Because you were coming with me anyway.”
I shoot him a hard look, trying to cover my reaction to that commanding voice. My skin prickles with goose bumps, my pulse scrambling. “You are a bossy pants.” And as independent as I am, I like it way too much.
He winks. “Mr. Bossy Pants to you.” His gaze drops to my forearm, where goose bumps give me away. He smirks, and my cheeks flame.
A few minutes later, we say our goodbyes and head downstairs to his car with his guard. Adrian called ahead and had his driver bring the car around. The three of us pile into the backseat with me in the middle between Chloe and Adrian. It’s roomy enough I’m not squished, but I’m definitely aware of how close Adrian is, his spicy scent washing over me. The heat of his body makes me want to press close and inhale him. I don’t think I can resist him much longer.
Chloe pulls her phone out and starts studying. I can see the complex equations on the screen. If only she was texting a friend or playing a stupid game, anything would be better than constant studying. I definitely failed her and now it’s too late. I’m at a loss on how to fix it, so I focus on something else.
I turn to Adrian. “You mentioned you wanted to talk to me about something earlier. What was it?”
He glances meaningfully toward Chloe.
“She’s studying, tuning out the world.”
He keeps his voice low. “I asked my cousin about Yuri’s land deal—he knows a lot of people in construction—and he says it’s no good. Yuri’s father, who runs the company, doesn’t pay his contractors and gambles away his money. He’s in serious debt on his projects. Seems like a shady guy.”
I take this in for a moment, and then realize he’s asking around about my players. “Why were you asking about my players’ business? They’re just having fun and enjoying themselves. Besides, I screened ahead of time to be sure no one was involved in drugs, human trafficking, or anything like that. I have standards. What they do in their business doesn’t concern me.”
“If they all go in on this, they may lose so much money they won’t be your players anymore. And you should care what they do. They could be connected to the Russian mafia.”
I shake my head. “Now you’re being ridiculous. They’re nice guys.”
“Toyouthey’re nice. My cousin says the Russian mafia is alive and well here.”
I lift a shoulder in a careless shrug. My players seem like men everywhere, looking out for themselves and taking what they want. And what they want is a good poker game.
“Would you care if they were?” he asks.
I clamp my mouth shut, tired of him poking around in my business.
His voice is a fierce growl. “Sara.”
My body responds with a lusty roar to life—my nerve endings tingling, my stomach doing a flip, and a low ache of need. Dammit.
I turn away, focusing on my sister instead. “Chloe.” No response. “Chloe!” I cover her phone with my hand.
She looks up, blinking like she just came out of a trance. “Huh?”
“Do you need any money? Any clothes or shoes? Anything?”
She goes back to her phone, muttering, “I’m fine.”
I look out the window, my throat tight. She’s been the center of my life, my purpose for so long. I can’t quite believe she doesn’t need me anymore.
When we arrive at her dorm, I get out of the car, hug her, and slip a twenty into her pocket. “I love you. Please make time for something fun for you.”
She sticks her hand in her pocket and pulls the money out. “Sara! I said I’m fine.” She tries to hand it back, but I push it toward her.
“Promise me you’ll have some fun.”
“Working at the hospital is fun.”
