Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
A moment later, a young man in a suit pulled himself up onto the fence, then awkwardly heaved himself over and landed in some bushes. Finally, this party was getting interesting!
I sat up and adjusted my glasses while he untangled himself from the shrubs. When he backed out ass-first, a laugh slipped from me. His pants had split, providing an unobstructed view of his butt crack. Whatever this guy was up to, it clearly wasn’t going according to plan.
When he discovered his wardrobe malfunction, he scurried to the gazebo. Did he think he was hiding? He tied his suit jacket around his waist and took a moment to get himself together. Then he squared his shoulders and strode toward the house, apparently determined to crash this party.
That wasn’t going to end well. Whit was rigidly enforcing his guest list, for reasons known only to him. He also had a great memory for faces, so he’d know right away that that person didn’t belong.
Curiosity sent me hurrying out of the library and down the stairs. As soon as I reached the ground floor, several party guests began clamoring for my attention. I did a lot of smiling and apologizing as they tried to strike up conversations, but I also kept moving and looking for the blond.
By the time I spotted him, our host had already closed in. Whit could be very intimidating, and he towered over the party crasher, who looked tiny by comparison.
People were starting to gather around them and stare as Whit questioned him, which made me cringe with secondhand embarrassment. I decided to help that guy leave the party with a shred of dignity and got there just as Whit made a grab for him. The blond stepped back and bumped into me, so I put a hand on his shoulder to steady him.
When he turned to look at me, I was struck by how absolutely beautiful he was. Then I noticed the stark vulnerability in his big, green eyes. A moment later, recognition dawned in them. I was sure we’d never met—I would’ve remembered this guy. But I did get recognized by fans from time to time, so it wasn’t all that unusual.
Since Whit was watching us, I said the first thing that came to mind. “There you are, darling. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
The blond’s brow creased in confusion, and Whit asked me, “Do you know this person, Malcolm?”
“Of course I do. This is my date. He was running late, so we decided to arrive separately.” I shifted my attention back to the party crasher and said, “Why don’t you introduce yourself to our host, sweetness?”
When he realized what I was doing, a playful grin curled the corners of his full lips. He turned to Whit and stuck out his hand. “Daniel Larson, of the Stockholm Larsons. Mal’s told me all about you.”
Whit blinked a couple of times before shaking Daniel’s hand. “Whitman Brenner. Apologies. Malcolm neglected to tell me he was bringing a guest.”
I draped my arm around Daniel’s shoulders and acted confused. “Did I? Sorry about that. I guess I also forgot to tell you we have to leave by nine.” I glanced at my watch and added, “In fact, we’d better get going.”
Whit’s pale blue eyes flashed with anger. “You’re leaving?” Seeing how quickly his temper flared brought back a few memories from our childhood—times where he’d taken that temper out on me. All of a sudden, I didn’t feel guilty about ditching this party. It had never been for me or about me anyway.
“Yes, I’m afraid so.” I kept my tone light as I concocted a lie. “We need to get to a birthday party for Danny’s Nan. Isn’t that right, love muffin?”
Daniel slid his arm around my waist and seamlessly kept the fib going. “Nan’s turning ninety-two, bless her heart. It’s already past her bedtime, and she’ll be ever so disappointed if we don’t make it to the party before she nods off. She adores Mal, and who can blame her? He’s an absolute prince.”
I flashed Whit a smile. “Thanks for the party. It was really something.” Then I steered my new friend toward the front door.
Once we were outside, Daniel said, “Thank you for saving me. That was about to get super embarrassing.”
“My pleasure.”
“I hope you’re not leaving on my account.”
“I’m leaving because that party was torture, and you provided a way out. I hope I’m not ruining your plans, though. You went through a lot of trouble to get here, what with climbing over the back fence and all.”
He stopped walking and turned to me with a startled expression. “You saw that?”
I grinned and picked a small twig out of his hair. “I’m sorry about your pants. That looked like a nice suit.”
His cheeks turned red as he whispered, “Oh god.”