Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 112762 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112762 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Over and over.
And over.
Like he wouldn’t stop until it was too late.
I pushed through the agony blazing through my arm, grabbed the gun, and aimed it at him.
One
SLOANE
Present day
Ardnoch, Scottish Highlands
The aim of housekeeping at Ardnoch Estate was to be as invisible as possible. We didn’t use the main stairwells, and we had staff elevators that took us from floor to floor. On most days, I only ever saw the grand entrance of Ardnoch Castle if I was walking past it on my way to club manager Aria Howard’s office.
The members-only club in the remote Scottish Highlands was the last place I’d ever have imagined I’d end up working. But here I was, in my housekeeper’s uniform, pushing my little cart with fresh towels and amenities down the plush carpeted hallways of the renovated castle. The coastal estate was enormous, and the elite membership was only open to film and television industry professionals who could afford it. Once the crumbling ancestral property of ex-Hollywood actor and local Lachlan Adair, he’d turned his family’s estate into a lucrative haven for famous people seeking peace and quiet from their celebrity lives. Highly trained close protection teams and state-of-the-art security meant Ardnoch was one of the safest places on earth.
As soon as I stepped into my first suite of the day, I realized pretty quickly I’d forgotten the parcel of locally made biscuits I was supposed to leave in each room after I cleaned. At night, the turndown service left members hot toddies and chocolates in their bedrooms. Smiling to myself, thinking how much I’d love someone to bring me a hot chocolate each night, I pushed my cart off to the side so it wouldn’t get in anyone’s way. The staff elevator was at the end of the hall. It would take me only a few minutes to get to the housekeepers’ storage room.
I’d just stepped into the staff elevator when I heard a familiar, deep, growly voice demand, “Hold the lift.”
I knew that voice. It did things to me. Heart racing, I turned around and held the door open as Walker Ironside strode toward me.
No name could be more perfect for a man.
The first time I saw Walker, he should have intimidated me. He towered over most everyone, standing about six feet five. He had massive shoulders and thick biceps, a tapered, strong waist, and long legs. The man was too handsome for his own good, smooth and rough all at the same time. He kept his beard trimmed, but his brown hair was styled—shaved at the sides and longer on top. The first time I saw Walker, it wasn’t intimidation I felt. I had the most visceral physical reaction I’ve ever had to a man in my life.
I wanted to strip him naked and explore every inch of his spectacular body. I wanted to climb him like a freaking tree while he murmured dirty words in my ear in that gruff Scottish accent.
Even his monosyllabic, steely-eyed manner didn’t put me off. His utter masculinity enthralled me. Back in LA, I’d been surrounded by gun-toting thugs and gangsters … but I’d never met a guy who was so truly a grown-ass man as Walker Ironside.
My physical response to him was unsettling. His lack of physical response to me was disappointing.
Correction: It was crushing.
My breath caught as I had to tilt my chin to meet his aquamarine eyes, stepping back to allow him entrance. He dwarfed the entire elevator. “Thanks,” he muttered.
“No problem.”
I let the door go and it shut. Heavy silence fell between us, and my whole body zinged with hyperawareness. Feeling all of thirteen with an infatuation, I tried to control my breathing so Walker wouldn’t see how he affected me. I was already concerned there was a telltale flush to my tan cheeks.
The elevator moved downward, and I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. He wore a black tailored suit that fit to perfection. All the security guards at Ardnoch dressed like the Men in Black. It was a good look for Walker. “What brings you to our level?” I asked in a teasing voice, referring to the fact that the guards spent most of their days monitoring the security perimeter, estate entrances, and escorting any members who required private security while they toured the Highlands.
Walker’s expression was annoyingly blank. “We’re considering alarming vulnerable areas of the castle in case the estate is ever breached.”
My eyes widened. “I didn’t think that was possible.”
“It’s very unlikely. As I said, it’s only a consideration.”
“Yeah, I don’t think the members want to feel like they’re in a fancy prison.” I grinned.
His intense gaze flicked to my mouth before quickly returning to my eyes. He didn’t smile. Not that I’d ever seen Walker smile. I’d never taken his gruff demeanor to heart, but lately he’d verged on cool and distant. He had come to Ardnoch with Brodan Adair, Lachlan’s younger brother. While Lachlan might have retired from Hollywood years ago, Brodan was even more globally famous. He’d returned to Ardnoch last summer with his bodyguard, Walker, in tow. Brodan had infamously retired to stay at home in Ardnoch after he and Monroe—his estranged childhood best friend—rekindled their epic love story. Walker decided to stay, too, after Lachlan offered him a job as part of the estate’s security team. Monroe shared all this with me—she was Callie’s teacher last year, and the two of us hit it off and became fast friends.