Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 98965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
“My luggage is arriving separately,” I told Wakefield. “I don’t know how long I’m going to be staying at the moment.”
“Very good, sir. Let me show you to Ms. Howard’s office.”
I groaned inwardly. “Can’t you just show me to my room?” It was like being taken to the head teacher’s office. A tantalizingly sexy head teacher. But I wasn’t in the mood for Aria Howard’s disdain today.
“Ms. Howard would like to speak to you, sir,” Wakefield said carefully.
Oh, aye, right. I had a feeling I knew what she wanted to say, and honestly, I wasn’t sure my frayed bloody nerves could take it.
Usually, I got a kind of perverse satisfaction out of her aloof and caustic reaction to me. It had been like that between us from the moment we met, and I had no clue why. Today, however, I just wanted to hide in my fucking room and have no bugger bother me.
Reluctantly, I followed the butler to Aria’s office.
She spoke with Wakefield before I entered the room and I knew I was in a bad way because her husky voice did nothing to me. Her voice normally made my cock twitch. I didn’t think the woman realized she had the bedroom voice to beat all bedroom voices.
The butler withdrew as I stepped inside, and he closed the door behind us. Aria stood, drawing my attention. I didn’t want to look at her, but I couldn’t stop myself.
Women had fallen at my feet my whole life. Aye, that sounded horrifically arrogant, didn’t it? But it was the truth. I’d never had to work hard to get a woman in my bed. In fact, since becoming famous, I’d even found them in it without invitation. Problem was, I couldn’t do casual sex. It wasn’t something I talked about a lot because my mates would probably look at me like I was off my nut, but casual sex left me feeling empty. I enjoyed being in a relationship. Enjoyed feeling needed. I was in a long-term relationship with Cara Rochdale the first time I’d met Aria, so the fact that another woman made my blood hot beyond bearing incited some major fucking guilt.
But after what Cara did to me only fourteen hours ago, I no longer felt guilty about my attraction to the estate manager. I didn’t know what it was about Aria Howard that excited me. Aye, she was beautiful, but I’d dated beautiful women before, Cara among them. I think it was the dichotomy of Aria’s overtly sexual, physical appearance to her cool, efficient manner.
My gut twisted as our eyes met and held.
Aria had striking eyes. Mossy green and so light and clear against her olive complexion and almost black hair. Everything about her made a man want to sink into her. Plump lips, spectacularly large tits, and full hips. She was tall, almost my height in heels, and her length stretched her voluptuous curves, but thankfully not enough. Her waist drew in, giving her that perfect, exaggerated hourglass. I’d overheard an actor gossiping with another on the estate a few months back and Aria had come up in conversation. She’d called Aria fat. Jealous cow. Aria was perfect.
Unfortunately, she hated me even before today.
I waited for her disgust to twist that knot in my gut even tighter.
She rounded her desk to face me, and I insolently drew my eyes down her body and back up again, provoking her. Her lips pursed for a second, and she crossed her arms over her chest. I wondered if she knew her body language gave her away. She was always crossing her arms over her chest in my presence. Guarding herself. Defensive. I had no idea what I’d done to this woman, but I didn’t have my usual energy to figure it out.
“Room key?” I held out my hand.
Her eyes flared at my abruptness. “I put you in the Bruce Suite.”
I didn’t say thank you. Any other day I’d appreciate it, but I wanted to disappear.
Aria drew herself up, her arms dropping to her sides. “I want you to know that security here at Ardnoch will protect your privacy. You’re safe from the tabloids, and you can come and go across the estate as you please. If you wish to leave the estate for any reason, we’ll assemble a team to escort you.”
Shock rendered me speechless. For the past few months, I’d dropped in on Ardnoch for a few days here and there, and anytime I met Aria, she was antagonistic as fuck. The conclusion I’d come to, since as far as I knew I had done nothing to warrant her disdain, was that she knew of my background and thought I was beneath her.
However, today a story broke in the news that I was complicit in the murder of a homeless man when I was thirteen years old … and she’d decided to be almost welcoming. It made no sense.