Total pages in book: 165
Estimated words: 166103 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 831(@200wpm)___ 664(@250wpm)___ 554(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 166103 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 831(@200wpm)___ 664(@250wpm)___ 554(@300wpm)
Sure, Owen would talk to other people when necessary. But small talk wasn’t his forte. And if he could avoid talking, he would.
However, that hadn’t been small talk.
That had been . . . well, he wasn’t sure what it was.
But he was slightly worried that it was Owen’s way of flirting. He’d never seen him like that before. And they’d all been in a relationship with the same woman. Surely, he’d have noticed Owen flirting with Ester.
Right?
Maybe he’d never flirted with her. He didn’t really date.
Not that any of them did.
If they ever went out, Hux drew women toward him like flies, Judd scared them away with his scowl, Owen seemed to intrigue them against their better judgment.
And Beck? Well, he wasn’t charming or mysterious or attractive.
He was just an average everyday guy.
Chloe was all made up again. Her make-up perfect, not a hair out of place, in beautiful clothes that looked expensive. She appeared unattainable. Completely out of his league.
But he remembered the way she’d looked this morning. Slightly messy, flustered. He’d even noticed a faint sprinkling of freckles over her nose that her make-up was covering now.
Somehow, that had all made her feel more human. Attainable.
But she wasn’t and he had to remember that.
There was no way she’d be interested in a guy like him. Old insecurities threatened to rise, but he pushed them away.
He wasn’t the kid that got picked on all the time anymore. He was a grown man.
Beck kept his gaze out the window as they made their way into the business part of the city. He’d seen His Lordship’s face when he’d gotten into the backseat with them. Where did he expect him to sit, though?
Or did he want him to run alongside them like a dog?
Probably. Lord Fothersam didn’t seem too pleased at the idea of having them guard him. But he didn’t have any choice.
Her scent was teasing him, arousal filled him. What was the matter with him? She was a client.
Shit. She already had Owen acting weird. And Hux had been all bossy earlier. Should he have asked her if Hux had been inappropriate?
Or maybe you should mind your own business. You know they wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.
No. But he didn’t want her to feel intimidated or scared.
Ma would kill him if he didn’t protect her. Although that wasn’t the only reason. He’d always been protective over women, but after Ester . . . well, he’d learned not to trust so easily.
She’d messed them all up in ways he didn’t even want to think about.
Chloe was the first woman since Ester to stir him like this. To make him think that maybe it was time to try again . . .
Damn, what kind of scent was she wearing? She smelled like sugar cookies. Sweet but not overpowering. And it made him want to strip her naked and explore every part of her body that scent clung to.
He needed to cool it.
She’d never look at him. She was breathtakingly gorgeous. And he was just him.
“Oh, wow, the ocean is so beautiful,” she said with a hint of awe.
“It’s just an ocean, my dear. Same as oceans everywhere. We’ve seen a lot of them,” Lord Fothersam said dismissively as he stared down at his phone.
He wondered at their relationship. They were boss and employee. But it felt like something more. Or maybe it just seemed that way because His Lordship had insisted they be given a shared suite.
Judd had been certain that they had to be hooking up and that’s why he’d asked for it. But Beck wasn’t so sure. He was old enough to be her father, after all.
Not that an age gap mattered. But would she really be with someone like him?
Then again . . . Ester had left them for someone fifteen years old than her, someone wealthy and powerful.
Chloe moved slightly and his gaze shot to her. Was she hot? Cold? Hungry? Uncomfortable?
Should he ask her what she wanted? Would she tell him? She seemed the type to downplay her own needs which is why he’d wanted to make sure that Owen wasn’t scaring her half to death.
He seemed to have that effect on people.
Suddenly, Lord Fothersam raised his gaze, his lips twisting into a smile as he glanced out the window.
“But you’re right. This ocean is very pretty. Too bad we don’t have any spare time to spend going to the beach. I’m afraid our schedule is filled with appointments.”
Was that disappointment that filled her face? Did she want to go to the beach?
How could he make that happen?
Okay. Chill. You’re here to keep her safe.
You don’t have to bend over backward giving her everything she wants.
But there was something in her that drew him to her, that made him want to make her smile. Something that he recognized in himself.