Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72325 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72325 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
He stared at me. “Do you want a shorter life?”
“No.”
“Then we stay here.”
“Fine,” I said stiffly. “Good thing I have such pleasant company.”
Julian looked away, but not before I caught the corner of his mouth twitching upward. “Glad you think so,” he muttered under his breath.
After that, I did the dishes. Then I made the bed. I even cleaned the bathroom. After that, I was completely out of ideas. The guys wouldn’t even let me use my phone because they said someone might be able to track it. They got to use theirs, though, which was annoying. They told me theirs were different. Not sure if I believed that, though.
By midmorning, I was bored out of my mind. Julian had gone out to check the perimeter—which may or may not have been an excuse to get some fresh air. I decided to take advantage of his absence to try to remember some poses I’d learned in a yoga class at the community center ages ago.
Balancing on one foot on the shag rug in front of the sofa, I attempted one pose after another. None of them were super accurate, but the stretching felt good.
At least until Julian strode back into the cabin while I had my head down and my ass up in the air. Stupid downward facing dog. It was the only pose I was sure I’d gotten right.
Julian whistled. “And I thought the view was good out there.”
I scowled, dropping onto the carpet and crossing my legs. “Well, what else am I supposed to do?”
He sat down in an armchair across from me. “I’m sure as hell not going to stop you. Proceed.”
“Get your cheap thrills elsewhere, pal.”
“Those are in short supply lately.” He shook his head ruefully. “You’re really not going to continue?”
“Of course not.”
He cocked his head to the side. “How about if I make lunch?”
“Nope.”
“How about if I give you a million dollars?”
“Nope.” But then I thought of something. I’d spent so long worrying about if my supposed half-brother was going to kill me that I hadn’t spent much time considering the inheritance itself. It seemed like a real longshot that I’d end up with it, but it would be good to at least know about it. And it was a way to pass the time that didn’t involve mooning Julian. “Did Nick really inherit millions?”
Julian sighed, apparently accepting that no more yoga was going to happen. “Yeah. And not just that. He’s got a bunch of businesses, too.”
“Legal ones?”
“Both kinds.” His forehead wrinkled as he thought about it. “On the legal—ish—side are some spas, tanning salons, nail salons, and I think a hardware store or two.”
“And those could be… mine?”
“They would’ve had been already, if the will had been followed.”
“Weird.” It just didn’t add up. “Why would Emilio leave those to me when he never even wanted to know me?”
Julian’s expression darkened. “Well, he knew his son, so must’ve known he was an asshole.” He sighed. “I can’t tell you why he did the things he did, but I found him to be a fair man. A good man, even, which is rare in this business.”
I hugged my knees to my chest as I thought about it. “What if I just renounce my claim to all those things? Would Nick leave me alone?”
“No,” Julian said shortly. “He wants you out of his hair permanently.”
“Great.”
Julian was staring in my direction, but I didn’t think he was really seeing me. He seemed lost in thought. But then he abruptly met my eyes. “Want to make lunch together?”
“Sure.”
Twenty-four hours later, all three men were in the cabin, making it feel claustrophobic. Rocco had actually given me a kiss on the cheek when he arrived. It made me blush, since it was in front of the other two, but I liked it all the same.
Slater had handed me a shopping bag. Inside were two paperbacks, a handful of magazines, and a bar of chocolate. “Julian said you were going a bit stir-crazy,” he said with a wink.
They also brought lunch, some Chinese food they’d gotten along the way. For a while, all concerns left my mind as I enjoyed the tangy chicken and the delicious sticky rice.
Then Julian’s phone rang.
We all tensed up and stared at him while he answered.
“Yes, this is he.” His eyes settled on me, and I could guess who was calling. Tension filled me and I tapped my fingers nervously on the table.
All Julian was doing was nodding and saying “uh-huh,” and the anticipation was killing me. When Slater reached over and stilled my nervous fingers with his, I latched on, squeezing his hand nervously.
Finally, Julian hung up.
“Well?” Rocco demanded when I couldn’t find my voice.
Julian turned to me. “You and Nick share DNA. You’re half-siblings.”
My shoulders slumped as I continued to squeeze Slater’s hand. I’d been expecting this, but still… it was somehow still a shock.