Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
“Yeah, most people would. And I would be one of them if not for the fact that I know you, and I know what you’re doing. Dropping an obscene amount of cash can’t, and won’t buy back your soul, if you even still possess one. My forgiveness cannot be bought, damn you.” She was so angry she vibrated with it, and I realized I might have made a big misstep with Bella.
“I wasn’t trying to do that,” I insisted, but when the words were out I couldn’t be sure.
“Weren’t you? What other reason could you possibly have for paying that fee when this is none of your business?”
I had no answer, none that came to mind quickly enough anyway.
“Yeah,” she folded her arms and nodded. “Exactly what I thought. Stupid me for thinking you’d changed.” She opened her mouth to say something else and then thought better of it, and shook her head. “Whatever,” she murmured and marched off.
I grabbed her wrist and she froze, her gaze slid down to where my thumb and forefinger circled her slender wrist. “Get. Your. Hands. Off. Me.”
“How did it go? Is Ian the man for the job?”
Bella yanked out of my hold and took a step back. “It went very well, thanks for asking. He said there won’t be an issue with me keeping Everest.”
“That’s good,” I nodded. “Look, maybe I did do it to ease my guilt, but what do you care if it helps you give him the life he deserves? The life you promised his mother you would give him? Use me and my money to win this fight Bella.”
She blinked rapidly, almost as if she was blinking back tears, and took another step back before finally, she left the table with a lot less fury than when she arrived.
“Shit,” I mumbled to myself and risked a glance over my shoulder, where Everest glared at me, accusation burning in those pale eyes.
“Tell me everything,” Pippa insisted, eyes bright and filled with curiosity.
I shrugged. “There’s nothing to tell,” I lied easily. I didn’t want to relive that time in my life, when I was a selfish asshole who didn’t know how to handle my feelings.
“Baloney. Tell me everything, or I’ll tell Ryan you were flirting with me.”
“I flirt with everyone.”
Just then Ryan appeared, almost as if speaking his name had conjured him up. “You flirting with my wife again, Derek?”
I flashed a smile that I didn’t feel and leaned back in my seat. “Your wife was flirting with me. She finds me irresistible. Always has. Ouch.” I groaned when Ryan punched me in the shoulder before taking a seat beside his Pippa.
“No one was flirting, honey. But Derek was just about to tell me about the mysterious history between him and Bella York.”
“Oh?” His eyes lit up and he stole a bite of the weird vegan lasagna. “I’d be curious to know about it myself. Speak,” he commanded like the oldest brother he was.
“I was kind of a dick to her back in school.” I shook my head and thought of the pain in her eyes when she told me I couldn’t buy her forgiveness. “No, it was more than that. I wasn’t just a jerk, I was an asshole, some might even call me a bully.” My stomach twisted in knots just thinking of all the ways I’d failed Bella.
“Whaaaatt?” Pippa shrieked the word. “I always thought you had a crush on her, the way your eyes would follow her around.”
“I did. Kind of.” There was something there, attraction without a doubt, but it had been more than that.
Pippa snorted and shook her head. “So you’re one of those jerks. No wonder you can’t keep a woman.”
“Who said I wanted to be kept by a woman?”
Pippa pointed at me with a knowing smile. “Nope, don’t even try that with me. Not anymore, mister. I’ve got your number Derek. I see you now, the real you.”
Her words sent unease down my spine, and I shook my head in denial. “You see what you want to see, Pip. That’s why you love this guy,” I said and nodded at my brother.
“You liked Bella and you didn’t know how to handle it, so you made her life miserable instead of just ignoring her.”
I couldn’t have ignored Bella if I tried. She was smart and beautiful, with those big brown eyes that made me want to protect her from the world, when all she needed was protection from me. “I was a dumb shit kid and I regret it.”
“Let me guess,” Ryan sat back and motioned for a waitress before he folded his arms. “You tried to soothe your guilt with money?”
“Got it in one,” Pippa said on a laugh. “Oh hey, Bella would be perfect for your, ah, problem.” She had an excited gleam in her eyes. “Seriously. She’s beautiful and she has a normal job, and you won’t have to worry about her falling for you, despite the sparks.”