She nodded.
Going to his knees in front of her, he cupped her face, tilted her head back, and took her lips once again. He just couldn’t get enough of her. All he wanted to do was consume her.
He pressed a kiss to her nose. “I like this outfit.”
“Me too,” she said.
He noticed once again she didn’t touch him, nor had she initiated the kiss. She held herself back from him. What would it take to get her to relax for him? To want to touch him. To initiate a kiss.
Running his thumb across her lip, he stared into her eyes, trying to figure her out. He could read so many people because they were an open book. Mira, she was difficult. He had a feeling money didn’t impress her. She’d only come to him because of her brother. She was humble, unlike other women he’d known.
She didn’t put a price on her body, not really. He’d been the one to do that. All she wanted was her brother’s safety. This was another reason he wanted her love, craved her acceptance and submission.
He didn’t know what rules to play by with this woman. She got under his skin.
Drake let her go and took a step back, then another until he was back on the sofa. “Continue,” he said.
From the way she pressed her thighs together, he was glad she was aroused. He wanted her to be desperate for him. Soon, he’d have every part of her all to himself.
Chapter Six
Mira waited for the elevator, tapping her foot and checking her watch. Nigel’s building was nothing compared to Drake’s home. If the elevator wasn’t broken, it was ridiculously slow. After waiting for five minutes, she decided to take the stairs.
Once alone in the stairwell, surrounded by concrete, she got an uneasy feeling. The joys of being a single woman in the city. After being bullied half her life, her nerves were permanently frayed. When she heard a door above her creak open, she hoped it wasn’t some creepy guy. Her heart began to pick up. If she needed to scream, the sound would probably be drowned out by the enclosed space.
She should have just waited for the damn elevator.
When the sound of heels clicking on the stairs echoed around her, her nerves settled. It was another woman. As Mira continued to walk up the stairs, the other woman came down. They finally crossed paths, and she remembered that face from before. It was Nigel’s PSW, or she looked just like her.
After they passed each other, the other woman spoke out loud. “It’s about time you visited your brother, Mira. I’m sure Drake’s happy to have you out of his hair for once.”
“Excuse me?” Mira stopped dead on the stairs, turning to look down at her. How did she even know who Mira was? Or that she was in a relationship of sorts with Drake?
“I know you’ve been staying at Drake’s place. Even following him to work every day. It’s pathetic, if you ask me. Don’t you realize he’s so far out of your league that it’s laughable?”
She swallowed hard, feeling cornered and uncomfortable. This woman didn’t sound stable at all, and she knew way too much for a stranger.
“Who are you?”
“I’m the woman Drake should be with. Will be with.”
None of this made any sense. “Aren’t you working with my brother?”
“Convenient, isn’t it? They say to keep your friends close and your enemies even closer.”
She froze, fear creeping up her spine. “Stay away from Nigel,” she whispered. Then she rushed up the stairs, terrified for her brother’s safety.
“And you stay away from Drake!” the voice rang out. “Go back to the ghetto where you came from.”
She burst through the door on Nigel’s floor and ran to his apartment. It was unlocked. As soon as she rushed inside, she saw her brother lounging on the sofa, the remote control in his hand.
“Are you okay?” she asked, almost completely out of breath.
“Yeah. Why?”
“Did your PSW just leave here?”
He nodded. “Yeah, did you catch her in the hallway?”
She exhaled, dropped her purse, and sat in the empty chair near the couch. “Something just happened. That PSW of yours is crazy. I mean, clinically insane. You need to call the hospital and report her.”
“What are you talking about?” He sat straighter.
“She threatened me, Nigel. Told me to stay away from Drake. It was the craziest encounter I’ve ever had.” Well, next to selling herself to pay Nigel’s debts.
“That’s impossible. Are you sure we’re talking about the same woman here?” Nigel narrowed his eyes. “You haven’t visited in weeks, Mira. My PSW comes every day. Nothing out of the ordinary, and certainly no talk about you or Drake.”
She stood back up and started pacing. Was she going crazy? She was so confused. How could she get Nigel to get rid of his PSW when he clearly didn’t believe a word she was saying? He’d always been easy to deceive, forever falling for pyramid schemes and scams. She imagined it would be even easier for a pretty woman to mess with his head.