“Shrek’s twin?” He hooted.
I grinned. “Yeah, I’ll explain later.”
Ruvash choked on his laughter. “I’ll be another twenty or so minutes, then I’ll come to fetch you, and we can go straight to the new place. Okay?”
“Sure.”
“Tootles.”
“Thanks again, Ru, Love you.”
“Love you three.”
When the call disconnected, I stared at the counter then reached for one of the tequila shots. The sudden firm hand over mine surprised me, and I inhaled against the warm touch.
Prince pushed the bottled water toward me. “Drink that. You’ll thank me in the morning.”
Smiling, I unscrewed the cap and took a couple of swigs. “Thank you.”
He picked up his second glass of whiskey, took a sip, and turned to face me. “You’re moving out of the area?”
“Not by choice.” The words came out harsher than I intended.
“You don’t want to move?”
I turned to look at the man studying me with avid interest and returned the smile. “Well, anything is better than living with my aunt, but cramping other people’s quarters wasn’t on the cards. My aunt owned a house on a block that developers are planning to turn into a mall. It’s considered prime property due to its size, and they paid her a price she couldn’t refuse. No one in their right mind would, but that meant putting me out on the street. Unfortunately to her, it was no biggie because she has the money, and I don’t.” I lifted my shoulders in a light shrug before dejection forced it back down. I took a slow drink from the bottle, letting the cold water slide down my throat as though appeasing my irritation.
“Did she not discuss it with you?”
Slowly, I shook my head. “Why would she? It’s her house, I was just the maid—” I slapped a hand to my mouth and glanced away, unsure why I was telling a stranger my life’s story. “The good thing is I have a place to stay now.”
He remained silent for a long while before setting his glass on the counter. “If someone had to ask you what you wanted right now, what would you say?”
“Honestly.” I toyed with the label on the bottle. “To get behind the wheel of a car I don’t have, drive on a road I don’t know until it takes me where it wants to go and follow a plan that requires no thought.”
“What if someone can make that happen.”
I looked at him, a deep frown creasing my brow. “What do you mean?”
His gaze roamed my face, penetrative, yet there was nothing lewd about the gesture. It was as if he were trying to find the right words before he spoke. “I have a proposal for you.”
“I’m not sleeping with you if that’s what you’re asking,” the words spilled out unchecked, immediately reddening my cheeks. Had I not had copious amounts of liquor in my system, that statement would’ve been far less straightlaced.
Still, his soft laughter spiked the small hairs at the back of my nape. “Would you like to hear it?”
“Would I like it?”
A languid smile teased the corner of his mouth. “You might.”
Even though I resisted the urge to say yes, curiosity got the better of me. “Okay. Tell me.”
“Do you believe there are limits to what money can buy?”
“Yes,” came my quick reply.
“Like what?”
Intrigued by his curious gaze, I shrugged. “People, I suppose.”
