Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 135847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
His lips quirked. “Glad you look at it like that, sweetheart. It wasn’t that I was keeping it from you…”
I picked up his trail. “It was just that, when you threaten your girlfriend’s brother, it’s not easy to wedge that intel into a conversation,” I teased.
“Something like that,” he replied, his eyes smiling. “Mostly, you were upset, and I could do something about it, so I did. It worked out for your dad, and that was my goal, so I didn’t see any reason to upset you again by admitting I threatened your brother. I honestly didn’t think he’d tell anyone in order to save face at how easily he caved.”
I smirked my enjoyment of that knowledge.
Hale took that in, his lips again twitching.
Then he went back to pouring.
So, my handsome, sweet, fucked-up, awesome man who I’m falling in love with, what’s going on here, between you and me?
Easy to say, right?
Wrong!
He slid the wine across to me then I watched as he walked to the sofa, where his laptop and the messenger bag he used as a briefcase were resting, along with some files and papers.
He retrieved his beer and came back to me.
He touched his lips to mine when he arrived and asked, “Need something to take the edge off before we head out? I could probably throw together some bruschetta.”
Of course he could “throw together some bruschetta.”
“I can wait for dinner. Speaking of. Are you down with having dinner with Dad sometime this week?”
He leaned against the counter beside me. “Ditto on that, but answer to your question. Yes. Also, Tom and Mika have asked us over. You good to do that?”
Met his mom (both of them, actually).
Now his dad.
What was happening here?
I needed to ask. Just ask. I was me. I asked questions for a living.
And this was important, I needed to know. We both needed to be operating under the same idea of where we stood.
I didn’t ask.
I wanted to drink my glass of wine. Make plans with our parents. Walk to the restaurant. Have great pizza. Come home. Have great sex. Sleep beside him.
What I didn’t want to do was get his answer, which might mean the rest of that wouldn’t happen.
Not tonight.
Not ever again.
“Hey,” he called softly. “You okay?”
Ask him now, Elsa! What is this? Where is it going? You’re offering him your heart. Does he even want it?
“I’m fine. It was just a lot…you know, with Mom and Adam and Dad and whoever he’s dating and all that,” I lied.
“Yeah,” he said gently, moved in for another kiss, this time it went longer and he held my jaw through it. When he pulled away, he suggested, “We can order takeout. Stay in. I’ll go get it. Or call Jim and have someone fetch it.”
“No,” I said quickly. “I wanna be out in the world. Take my mind off things.”
“Whatever you need, sweetheart.” His phone made a sound, vibrating on the coffee table where it was resting. “Be back.”
I sipped wine and watched him walk away, understanding something new and uncomfortable about myself.
I was a boss bitch who was willing to take risks and put myself out there to get something I wanted.
Except when it came to ascertaining if I was safe in giving my heart because, in return, I was receiving another’s.
With that, it turned out, I was straight up chickenshit.
CHAPTER 22
LOVE IS MORE COMPLICATED
Hale
“Hale! Is Elsa Cohen living with you?”
“Is it serious?”
“Hale! Over here. Look over here!”
“Is she the one?”
Hale ignored all of this as he went from car to the front door of his building, Hudson and Rodrigo, their doorman, helping him push through the throng.
“Hale Wheeler!”
He had experience with this shit, but this was fucking madness.
So, at hearing a woman’s voice, which was unusual when it came to paparazzi, automatically he turned his head and saw her being jostled by the cameramen trying to jockey for position.
She wasn’t paparazzi, and she didn’t seem to mind, her eyes were glued to him.
He felt his neck tighten, but clipped at the two assholes who were pushing her out of the way like she wasn’t even there, “Mind yourselves, you might hurt her.”
Then he ducked into the door Jim was holding open.
It swung closed behind him, Rodrigo on the outside, guarding it, Jim heading back to the concierge desk, Hudson walking at his side to the elevators.
“The team had a meet today, Hale,” Hudson said. “We want to put protection on Elsa.”
Hale tagged the elevator, his neck getting even tighter. “Have you received threats?”
“No. But Paul says this is happening outside her office too.” He angled his head to the front doors. “Not as bad as that, but it’s there.”
The elevator arrived and they both got in it. “Anything new with my number one fan?”
Hudson shook his head. “Nope. Not a word for weeks. But it’s been five days since you two have been out about your relationship, and this isn’t dying down. We can pull the detail if it’s deemed no longer necessary. But, right now, we’re looking at the safe side.”