Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 156392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 782(@200wpm)___ 626(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 156392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 782(@200wpm)___ 626(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
He's wearing dark-gray slacks, Italian loafers, and a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows.
His hair is buzz cut on the sides, and the middle is thrown back in a beautiful chaos I itch to run my fingers through.
Just once.
But he never lets me get close, let alone allows me the chance to touch him.
While I can’t pinpoint when exactly I started to like him this strongly, I know that I always felt a sense of intimidation when we were growing up. Mostly because he played rough and didn’t hesitate to pull on my hair or step on my princess lace dresses or dirty my sparkly shoes.
It wasn’t until I hit puberty that the dread turned into a heating of my cheeks whenever he was around.
My real infatuation with Eli started when I saw him play polo when I was around twelve. He looked absolutely majestic on top of the horse. Regal, handsome, and so attractive.
And then he saved me from a wayward ball and I kind of fell head over heels. I yearned to get close so he’d grant me access to his true self and what hid behind his winter-day eyes.
I wanted to be his exception.
But I was mostly invisible to him.
Even though I’ve been using my special relationship with Aunt Elsa to visit whenever possible, it’s pointless since he moved to a boarding uni with Lan, Bran, and Remi.
He's allowing Kylie to touch him now, her coffin nails tracing a line on his forearm as she bats her lashes and probably speaks in that breathy tone that should be reserved for sexy times.
Maybe that’s what they’ll do later.
Don’t think about it. Don’t think about that.
I chase away the image of him embracing, kissing, and fucking her out of my head. Like I’ve done a thousand times before.
It’s not our fault that we’re six years apart or that he hit puberty when I was arguing with Cecy about cartoons. In fact, it would’ve been entirely weird if he’d taken a liking to me when I was a kid.
It sucks that he thinks I’m still a child, but I don’t blame him for sleeping around.
My only consolation is that he’s never had a relationship and I haven’t seen him with the same woman three times. As Remi mentioned, he doesn’t sleep with the same girl more than twice.
What makes you think you wouldn’t be another statistic in his endless women's adventures?
I used to think he’d just fall in love with me as easily as I fell in love with him, would see that I’m his best option and would cherish me forever.
Obviously, that’s the hopeless romantic in me.
Realistically, I know Eli is a cruel man who has no qualms about crushing people’s pride and aspirations. But that’s part of his charm.
Besides, he can be warm with a select few he considers his people—namely his parents, Creigh, and even Lan, Bran, and Glyn.
I just want to be added to the list.
Which is not a lot to ask.
I hide behind a pillar to watch him, creepily becoming aware of where Ari gets her stalkerish habits from.
Eli’s still speaking to Kylie, or she’s the one who’s doing the talking while he listens with little interest, polite nodding, and the absolute opposite of the signs she’s giving.
My eyes narrow on her hand on his forearm, the way she leans closer to whisper something in his ear. She pulls away with sensual laughter. His lips tug in a small smile.
Why is he smiling at her?
A lick of jealousy burns my skin, and my feelings burst at the seams.
You know what?
There’s no way in hell I’ll be able to wait until I’m a few years older and he finally sees me as a grown-up. I have to take my shot.
As Papa says, you’ll always fail if you never try.
Though he’d certainly break Eli’s neck if he knew about my fixation on the gray-eyed, mythically handsome prince.
Who’s six years older than me.
But age is just a number. I’ve known I liked him since I was young. In the beginning, I thought it was because he was so cool and handsome and the face of every fairy-tale prince I read about.
As I grew older, I began to compare every boy, actor, and musician crush to him.
They all failed miserably to hold a candle to my Eli, by the way.
It’s not a hopeless crush like Lan and Remi said, or an unhealthy obsession as Cecy likes to remind me.
It’s fate.
Otherwise, the universe wouldn’t have placed him in my path.
Pushing my shoulders back, I walk toward him and Kylie, who, if I didn’t know she was good at her job, I’d contemplate having her fired from Mama’s NGO.
I keep my eyes on him, and the closer I get, the more dazzling he becomes. I can hardly breathe because of how beautiful he is. Tall, dark, masculine, and smells like mysterious cloudy nights.