Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 105825 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105825 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
The footsteps entered the kitchen behind me. I pulled open the door of the refrigerator and stuck my head in, letting the cool air bathe my face. I took some long, slow breaths and gradually battled the memories back down. “Almond milk,” I muttered, playing for time, “oat milk. Where’s the damn cow milk?”
A slender arm snaked in from behind me, pulled a carton from the back and waggled it. I grabbed it, took one more deep breath and closed the refrigerator. But when I turned around, it wasn’t Lorna behind me. It was Paige.
“Hey,” I said awkwardly. “Thanks. I’m—”
“JD,” said Paige brightly. “We met.” She jumped, nimble as a cat, and sat on the counter, grinning. “Lorna told me what’s happening. You want some coffee to put that milk in, cowboy? She twisted and pushed buttons on the fancy coffee machine, then turned back to me as it started to hiss. “So you’re going to be her bodyguard?”
“...yeah,” I muttered. I had myself under control, now, but she was all blonde hair and bouncy confidence and it made me feel dumb and awkward, a farm boy talking to a cheerleader.
“Guarding her day and night.” Paige leaned forward, smirking. “Close protection. That’s what they call it, right?”
Dammit. She knew I liked Lorna. Or had Lorna said something about liking me? I suddenly needed to know but this was Lorna’s BFF, everything would get reported back to her… God, this was like being back in high school. I dug deep and managed to make my face an impassive mask.
And then Lorna walked in. And any hope of me hiding my feelings disintegrated.
Those soft waves of black hair were gone: they’d been hauled back and captured in a ponytail, with just two little wisps of hair hanging down to frame her face. It looked classy and businesslike, but it also opened up whole new virgin plains of soft, pale skin down the sides and back of her neck, areas I’d never seen before and now couldn’t tear my eyes from. And it made those pale gray eyes seem bigger and even more beautiful. God, she was gorgeous.
I realized she wouldn’t be able to hide shyly behind her hair anymore. Then I realized that’s why she’d done it. Something tightened in my chest. Lorna!
Her suit jacket and skirt were the color of a stormy sky and the sheen of the expensive fabric made it look like armor. A snow-white blouse hugged the sumptuous contours of her chest. She looked like a goddamn valkyrie.
And she was in heels. High heels, like every extra inch bought her more confidence, and spiky, like she was going to stamp them through the hearts of her enemies. And between the heels and the skirt and the glossy sheen of nylon…Jesus, her legs went on forever. My eyes were drawn up and up until they locked on the ripe curves of her hips, trying to laser through her skirt. I had to know: was it pantyhose she was wearing, or stockings?
I finally managed to lift my gaze and found those big gray eyes looking right at me. “How do I look?” she asked, and she wasn’t preening, fishing for compliments. I could hear the fear in her voice. She was about to go into battle and she was terrified.
I felt my chest fill. There was so much I wanted to say. Amazing. Fucking fantastic. I wanted to grab her hand, pull her up against me and just kiss her. But I couldn’t. Just thinking about it made an icy blade stab my guts. I’d be betraying Jillian.
But there was something I could tell Lorna, right from the heart. “You look like a CEO,” I growled.
Her eyes lit up and the fact I was doing that to her, just by telling the truth, made that closeness between us grow even warmer. The ruined place in my chest, where they used to live, ached, but I held her gaze and the moment stretched on and on…
Paige coughed quietly and we spun, startled, then muttered thanks and took the steaming mugs she was holding out. I focused hard on my coffee, careful not to meet Paige’s eyes, but I could feel her grinning.
When Lorna had double-checked Cody had his books, lunch, and swim gear and given him a huge hug goodbye, Paige took him to school. I followed Lorna to the staircase that led from the penthouse down to the top floor of the McBride offices.
As we walked down it, I could hear her breathing speeding up. By the time we reached the door at the bottom, she was gulping in air, almost panic-breathing. We could hear the bustle of people on the other side. Hundreds of staff and thousands more spread out around the world, all relying on her.
Lorna swallowed, her face pale, and reached for the door handle. Then she flinched away. “I can’t do this,” she whispered.