Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 109608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
We headed down the steps to the car I’d hired for the day, but Dru paused before getting in the back, her attention aimed across the street.
“What is it?” I queried.
She turned her head my way. “I just…got a strange feeling that man was watching us.”
I looked across the street. “What man?”
“He’s gone. He took off when I looked at him.”
Considering Hale was a billionaire, Genny was a famous actress, Tom was a retired tennis star, and Elsa was an up-and-coming celebrity interviewer, and frankly, all of us were very photogenic, our group had no small amount of attention from gossips and the media, so I asked, “Was it a paparazzo?”
“He didn’t have a camera.” She shook her head. “Maybe I was wrong. It’s not a big deal.”
She ducked into the car.
I watched her do it, standing on the sidewalk, unmoving.
Something was off with her, I just didn’t know her enough to know what it was.
But I didn’t like it.
“Ma’am, is something wrong?” my driver of the day (today, the agency sent David) inquired.
“No, nothing,” I murmured, and folded in beside Dru.
David closed my door and got behind the wheel.
He took Dru to her session.
He then took me to Mika’s so we could have a drink and a gab before I headed home to have dinner with my Jamie.
As we were wont to do, Mika and I lost track of the time.
So I was late arriving home that evening.
Alyona opened the door for me, and I wasn’t sure I understood the look on her face.
“He’s in the bedroom,” she murmured.
I felt my brows draw down in confusion, but she took my bag and jerked her chin to the hall.
Swiftly, I walked down the hall.
When I entered our bedroom, I saw Jamie in a position I’d seen him in before, but it was much different this time.
He was sitting on the French Provincial bench at the end of the bed, leaned forward into his elbows at his knees.
Heiress was sitting beside him, her tail twitching, her face saying to me Do something!
I moved to him, calling, “Jamie?”
His head came up, as did his torso.
I moved to stand in front of him, and the instant I did, he reached for me, grasping my hips and pulling me closer, between his legs.
He then held my hips and stared at my belly.
I rested a hand on the top of his head, gliding it down to the side, as I whispered, “Jamie, what’s the matter?”
He slid his hands up to span my ribs and tipped his head back to look at me.
“Dru is very excited about the plans you’re making for the brownstone.”
Oh, my Jamie.
I moved my hand again, to cup his jaw. “I could tell.”
“She says you’re not changing the library.”
I shook my head. “No. Rosalind gave that to you, so it will remain.”
He fell forward and buried his face in my stomach.
I wrapped both hands around his head. “Jamie.”
“I hate this,” he said into my stomach.
“You hate what?”
He tipped his head back to look up at me and put his chin to my stomach.
For Jamie, it was oddly boyish, and terribly sweet, but even so, it made me no less concerned, so I smoothed my hands over his hair as he answered, “I hate that I have to tell you this.”
My hands stopped moving. “Tell me what?”
“That sometimes, I miss her.”
I cupped his face in both hands, moaning, “Oh, my darling. Of course you do.”
“I wouldn’t change us, Nora.”
“I know, honey,” I whispered.
“The fact remains.”
“I know.”
“It’s excruciating to experience that loss, at the same time think, if it hadn’t happened, you would be alone. We would not have what we have. We wouldn’t have a future.”
Unfortunately, these horribly conflicting thoughts he was sure to have hadn’t occurred to me.
I brushed his hands aside so I could sit in his lap.
He wrapped his arms around me.
“And the fuck of it is, I can’t stand the thought of you being alone,” Jamie went on. “That’s the worst of it. You have so much love to give. It causes physical pain to think of you not having a man to give it to. It just gets worse, thinking that man would not be me.”
“This has to be very confusing,” I noted.
“As fuck,” he agreed.
There was nothing I could say but, “I’m sorry.”
His arms gave me a squeeze. “I hope you know, even with what I’m saying, that I’ve moved on. I understand she’s gone. I’m not pining. I’m not only prepared, but happy to look forward to a future with you.”
“I know.”
“Don’t forget that,” he demanded.
“Don’t stop talking to me about these things, even if you think you shouldn’t. I want all of you, Jameson Oakley. I would not be best pleased if you buried any of you away from me.”
“Fuck,” he grunted.
“What?” I asked.
“Alyona has dinner ready, but now I have to fuck you.”