Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 56416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
He looks at me like I’ve grown two heads. “Well, tell her. It’s not like she’s going to be upset that a millionaire is attracted to her. Go talk to her.”
I mutter shamefully, “She thinks I’m someone else.”
He puts his hand up. “What does that even mean? Have you talked to her?”
I nod. “Oh, we’ve talked.”
His forehead creases, and he shakes his head in confusion. “Okay, so who does she think you are?”
Fuck. This is so fucked up. “She thinks I’m a cuddler.”
Holden starts to laugh, and when I don’t even crack a smile, he stops. “Wait, you’re serious? What the fuck is a cuddler?”
I look around at the people walking down the sidewalk around us and then back at my brother. “It’s a form of therapy.”
He holds his hands up. “Do I even want to know how she came to think you were a therapist?”
I look down at the ground because shame doesn’t even begin to cover it. “That’s how I introduced myself.”
“Fuck, King. What were you thinking?”
“I know. I know. I’m going to fix it.”
“You lied to her… fuck, as her therapist. That’s all kinds of fucked up, brother.” He rams his hand through his hair and blows out a breath. “All you can do is hope she forgives you when she finds out you're a millionaire.”
I give him a dirty look. “She’s not like that, Holden.”
He shakes his head and walks to where my driver is standing next to my car. “Well, it would be better for you if she was like that.”
I jog to catch up with him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He shakes his head and puts his hands on my shoulders. “It means if she cared about the money, she might forgive you. But if she’s a good girl, the kind you’d want to settle down with, then she’s not going to be so quick to forgive, King.”
Fuck, he’s right. I know he’s right. I may have just met Haven, but I know her enough to know that she’s not going to care about my money. All she’s going to care about is the fact that I lied to her. “Fuck, I gotta fix this, Holden.”
He puts his arm around me and pulls me to the car. “Yeah, you do. Come on. You promised me food. Let’s eat and we’ll come up with a plan.”
He climbs into the back of my car, and I take one last look at the building we just walked out of. For just a second, I wonder if I should just go in and come clean, tell her the whole truth and then beg for her forgiveness. But the thought of her walking away from me stops me. I need to prepare because I can’t lose Haven… not now… not ever.
9
HAVEN
There’s a buzz in the room around me. It’s always like this after a successful show, and today, the women are even happier than usual. We’re all gathered on the stage, and we have to walk back out there and take a bow as soon as the curtain comes up. I’m waiting for it to happen, and when it does, I look at the spot I last saw King. I know it was him. There’s no doubt in my mind it was him I saw, staring at me from the back of the room.
But he’s no longer standing in that spot. I let my gaze move around the expansive room, but he’s nowhere to be found.
The crowd is on their feet, clapping, and after a few waves, smiles, and bows, the curtain comes back down, and we’re left backstage.
I move to the dressing rooms, pushing my way through the crowd of models. Everyone else is taking their time, enjoying the high of finishing what was a successful show, and I’m hoping to get ready and possibly catch another glance of King. I know it was him… but why didn’t he stick around and say something or at least acknowledge me?
I sit down in front of the mirror to wipe the makeup off my face when I hear one of the other models call into the room. “All right, ladies. Who is it? Which one of you dug your claws into Ridge Beckett?”
Cathy shrills on the other side of me, “I know I saw him in the audience with Holden Gray.” I look at her in the mirror, and she’s fanning herself like she’s trying to cool off.
People keep talking. I hear the words “Most eligible bachelor,” “big league player,” and “millionaire,” but my mind is completely focused on the man that causes me to feel things I’ve never felt before.
I tune the other models out because I’m not worried about whatever or whoever they’re talking about. I’m wondering what King was doing here. It was him, I know it was, and when I smiled at him, he just stared back at me like he was in shock or something. It’s okay, though, because I have an appointment with him tomorrow, and I can ask him then.