The Russian's Assertive Lover (The Tonov Triplets Series Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Nikolay. She had only meant to give him a grateful peck on the cheek, which was forward enough, but she wasn't thinking straight that night. She was still recovering her strength and she was feeling the effects of sleep deprivation when she had done that.
    It must have been a mistake when their lips met but oh, it felt good. The kiss had seared her flesh as effectively as a red-hot poker and she knew he wasn't unaffected either. His eyes had practically been wild with want when they broke apart. She smiled at the thought of a man as attractive as Nikolay Tonov actually wanting her.
    Shaking her head, she reminded herself that nothing good came out of men's lust. It didn't matter if they were good-looking. She had to do something to quell whatever feelings of attraction they had for each other, which would be difficult considering she wore little more than underwear at her job.
    At noon, there was a knock on her door. Courtney was just stepping out of the shower and she quickly wrapped herself in a towel and grabbed her clothes.
    “Who is it?” she shouted out.
    “It’s me.”
    Running to the door, she unlocked it before darting back to the bathroom. “Come in,” she called. “I'll be out in a second!”
    Courtney heard the front close and a few moments later, she emerged, brushing through her hair to get rid of the thick tangles.
    “Hey, I thought I'd drop by for a bit.” Janet said, shaking a bag of takeaway. “And I brought your favorite.”
    “Thanks, you really didn't have to do that.”
    “How could I not?” she asked. “It's about time you've had something to celebrate. Seriously, Court, it's like you are a ghost. A really depressing, skinny one.”
    “My life isn't depressing,” Courtney replied defensively, sitting down on her sleeping bag. “It's just practical.”
    Janet rolled her eyes and pulled out small cardboard boxes full of thick burgers and fries from Gaeghans , a popular bar and grill that was one of Janet's favorite places to eat when she was with her friends from Maine Edge , the popular Maine paper that she worked for. Courtney could already smell tantalizing scents coming out of the boxes.
    Janet opened her box of food to reveal a big, juicy burger with a side of fries. “Come on, where's your youth and vigor?” she asked. “You’re not even twenty-five.”
    “It's been beaten out of me by life,” Courtney replied as she got out the last of the tangles from her hair. She threw it up into a ponytail before grabbing her own food.
    “See? Your life is officially boring.”
    “Hey,” she said. “I work at a strip club. My life can hardly be called boring.”
    “Sweetie, it's a strip club in Maine.” “I know the people who go in there and let me tell you that can definitely be called boring.”
    Courtney smiled but had to concede. There was no lack of pervs and sleazes but they all had the same bad pick-up lines and the same moves, even though many of them were well into their fifties or local college boys. At least, it was well paid, even after ten percent of her tips went to the house. She might even be able to afford her tattoo removal surgery within a year.
    As if on cue, Janet nodded to the number scrawled on the wall. “What’s with the $800?”
    “Tattoo removal. I looked it up online. That's the best deal in the area.”
    “I don't doubt it,” Janet said. “That shit's expensive.”
    Courtney bit into her burger and almost groaned. After a steady diet of noodles and cheap hot dogs, the burger was pure heaven. “I miss real food,” she said.
    “Don't worry,” Janet said, grinning. “Now that you're taking big bucks from rich womanizers, you'll be back eating bar food like the rest of us.”
    “I wish,” said Courtney. “Unfortunately with my student loans and my tattoo removal, I'll still be eating noodles for a while. And I need to save money for medical school. I'll need some cushion when I have to cut down on my hours at the club and make