Working Out West - Lila Rose Page 0,11

He grunted, jaw clenching. “You won’t give me name?”

“No, sorry.” God, why was I apologizing for saving someone? It was weird, yet my chest expanded and warmed because it was then I knew Adrik cared.

Shit.

I removed my hand and waved it around. “Anyway, can I get a hint as to where we’re going?” My heart was beating so fast in my chest. I didn’t need to know Adrik was protective or sweet in an aggressive way, because knowing it made him more appealing.

“Nyet,” Adrik said softly. He smirked over at me. “You do not like surprises?”

“They’re great… for other people.”

He snorted.

“Is it far?” I tried.

He crossed his arms and kept his smirk in place.

Rolling my eyes, I huffed. “Fine.”

“How is college?”

This was normal. Too normal. Like a couple seeing how their day was. I wanted to cry because my heart wanted it to be real.

Brushing invisible lint off my jeans, I shrugged. “College is college. Hard, but something needed for the future.”

“Had you always wanted to be a doctor?”

I smiled. “Pretty much. My mind is inquisitive. I love puzzles of any kind, and besides helping people, I knew becoming a doctor would be a good challenge.”

“You will practice in a… doctor’s office?”

“Yes, being a surgeon wouldn’t be for me. I get a little queasy with blood.”

When he chuckled, it drew my attention immediately. He looked beautiful laughing like that. He shook his head. “You will still need to deal with blood.”

Smiling, I shrugged. “I know, but not as much.”

I liked this. Talking with him.

Too much.

Sadness gripped me for a moment, but I pushed it away. Client, client, client, I chanted in my head. Hell, Adrik probably thought nothing of our time together anyway. I was behaving like a lovestruck teen with a silly little crush. I had to put my man pants on and stop this shit.

“We are here,” Adrik said.

Pushing everything aside, I grinned and shifted over to the window to look out. My eyes widened. “A casino?”

“Da.”

“We’re going into a casino for dinner?”

“Da.” He grinned.

“Well, I certainly didn’t expect that,” I told him when we pulled into the underground parking. We were lucky enough to get a spot right in front of the doors and one that would fit a limo…. Wait, how were we so lucky? I laughed at myself. Of course we were lucky. Adrik probably paid them to save a spot.

Our door opened, and I jumped since I was looking at Adrik. He was still grinning, and if I was right, I had a feeling I was missing something.

“Ready, sir?”

“Da,” Adrik answered and nodded at me.

I climbed out, and nerves rolled through to my stomach when I saw Death parked in a spot next to our car. He got out of his and shut the door just as Adrik stepped up behind me.

“Do you wish to follow or stay here?” Adrik asked. I thought he was asking me, but I saw his gaze on Death when I looked over my shoulder.

“I’ll follow.”

“Come then,” he ordered. His men, and somehow he’d gathered four more, spread out. Two went ahead. Another two stayed with us as we made our way in, and the last kept a distance behind us. Death followed a little closer than what they were.

Adrik and I walked side by side, but I stopped and took in the view when we entered.

“Holy shit,” I whispered. Lights and noise bombarded me. There were people everywhere, and even though it looked like this was the only floor, which was huge on its own, I’d seen from the outside it was at least twenty stories high.

My view caught on Adrik, who stood a couple of paces in front of me and looked back at me with a soft smile. One I hadn’t seen before. One that caused my dick to throb.

Fuck.

“Sorry,” I said, catching up to him. “Even when I turned legal and we weren’t far from all this, I never went to a casino.”

“Never?” he asked, surprise evident in his voice.

“Nyet,” I said, and grinned over at him as we walked.

His gaze was in front of us, but I didn’t miss his smile.

“I never felt the need to. Life kept me busy, and there was also me saving every penny I had for college, books, and rent.”

We stopped at a row of elevators. “Your parents, they helped?”

“In elementary and high school, yes. But not for college. It was lucky I got a scholarship, but they didn’t like I moved away from them, so they weren’t… um,