Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 66387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
“Aww, look at that. Five minutes in, and you’re already having brother-sister spats.” I laugh and add more grapes to the charcuterie board. “I’ll show you around the house if you like.”
“Yes, I want to see everything,” Ellie says, clapping her hands. “Show us.”
I take them through the house, pointing out their guest rooms where their luggage has already been delivered. Then I show them the movie theater.
“You even have a popcorn machine,” Ellie says. “And M&Ms.”
“All you can eat,” I say with a nod. “We’ll have to watch a movie in here one evening. Or TV. We can get any of the streaming services in here, along with a library of movies.”
“Brilliant,” Callum says.
I take them to the gaming room, where there’s pool and ping-pong, and accordion doors that open to the outdoor patio. Steps lead down to the guest house, the boathouse, and the dock.
“This place is just gorgeous,” Ellie says. She wraps her arm around my shoulders. “And you look happy.”
“I am.”
“I was sorry to hear about your mum,” Callum says.
“Thank you.”
Sebastian steps outside and claps his brother on the shoulder. “What should we do this evening?”
“Aren’t you tired?” I ask. “The jet lag is awful. Maybe you want to nap?”
“If we nap, the jet lag will be worse,” Ellie says. “Let’s just go upstairs and eat that amazing food, watch the water, and catch up.”
“You’re my favorite sister,” Sebastian says, making her laugh. “That sounds perfect to me.”
“It’ll give your security guys a chance to rest, as well,” I say with a nod. “Let’s take it easy tonight. We can take Cunningham Falls by storm tomorrow.”
***
“So, tell me about Liam,” Ellie says later that evening as she and I sit on the patio, drinking boozy strawberry lemonade and watching as Callum, Harrison, and Sebastian have a look at the new speedboat. Liam is standing nearby, along with Callum’s guard.
“He’s American,” I reply. “Nick knows him from the military.”
I glance over at Nick, who’s sitting far enough away to be out of immediate earshot. I like that he’s discreet, and he values my privacy.
“He’s ridiculously hot,” Ellie says, still talking about Liam. “And he looks a little dangerous, too.”
“I think he’s supposed to look that way.” Sebastian laughs at something Callum said, then looks up at the house, searching for me. When he sees us on the patio, he sends me a little wave.
Of course, I blow him a kiss.
“He loves you,” Ellie says with a sigh. “It’s written all over his ugly face.”
“He’s not ugly.” My smile is smug. “He’s not ugly in the least.”
“Don’t let him hear you say that. It’ll only give him a big head. Now, back to Liam.”
“I don’t know anything else,” I say with a laugh. “If you have questions, go ask him.”
“It’s frowned upon to fraternize with the staff.” She sighs.
“But he’s not technically your staff,” I remind her. “And he doesn’t even work in London.”
“That’s true.” She grins. “Well, aren’t you the clever one?”
“Does this mean it’s over between you and Alistair?”
“It was never really on between Alistair and me. I officially told him that I don’t want to see him anymore.”
“How did that go over?”
“He didn’t really care. I think he was as interested in me as I was in him. My mother, however, was not happy.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.”
“Trust me, she wasn’t happy. But I feel better. I don’t want to be with someone boring. I want to be with someone interesting. Exciting. Maybe a little dangerous.”
“I think you should talk to Liam. Just a conversation.”
“He’s with Sebastian 24/7.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t start up a conversation. And they’re not together all the time. Maybe see if you can catch him early in the morning or when Sebastian’s gone to bed for the evening. And, I must say, when we’re here in Montana, the guys are a lot more relaxed, especially when we’re at home. They monitor a lot of stuff from camera feeds and footage in the guest house.”
“They don’t hover all the time?”
“A lot, but not like in London or when we’re away from here. So, you’ll probably be able to catch Liam when he’s not with your brother.”
She bites her lip, watching Liam and seeming to think it over. “I’ll see what happens. It’s so silly because there are times I have to stand in front of hundreds of thousands of people, and I don’t get nervous. But talking to an attractive man has me completely shy.”
“It’s not silly, and not the same thing at all,” I assure her. “So, why don’t you know how to swim? I’m surprised.”
“I never learned,” she says with a frown. “And when I was a teenager, we were at one of our summer homes that has a pond in the pasture. I went out to get my toes wet. It was hot, and I wanted to cool off.”