Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 67266 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 336(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67266 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 336(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
“Ha. My follow-through would rock your world.”
Darren gave me another glacial stare. “I don’t sleep with my employees.”
“Really? Aren’t all evil billionaires supposed to do that?”
“What makes you think I’m evil?”
“Would you be a billionaire if you weren’t?”
Darren inclined his head. “Touché.”
“I won’t always be an employee.”
“No. If you don’t get back to your room, you’ll be a dead man.”
I clutched some pretend pearls. “Then who would protect you? You’d be in such danger.”
“I’m sure Xavier could find someone else to send.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “X likes me. Don’t forget that.”
“I’m not afraid of X.”
“You should be.”
6
DARREN
Fox walked out of the room, and I closed my eyes to prevent myself from staring at his tight, round ass. I did not sleep with employees. I absolutely did not sleep with employees.
No matter how hard I tried to concentrate, I couldn’t forget about how badly Fox’s flirting had gotten to me. I finally gave up on getting anymore work done. My brain had turned to mush, and I was useless. I shut my laptop and set it back on the table. I’d signed all the damn paperwork Lawson had bitched about, and I’d worked on a few of our perspective accounts. That would have to do. I felt nearly as restless as Fox had been earlier.
I glanced at the king-size bed where I would be sleeping all alone and sighed. Wasn’t that how I liked it, though? It was only when I hit it off exceptionally well with a hookup that I ever spent the night. I hadn’t meant to stay with the woman Xavier had interrupted me with, but I’d gone close to forty-eight hours without sleep, so I’d allowed her to lure me into it.
Despite my usual aversion to someone in my bed, all I could think about was Fox’s suggestion that he could not only protect me but keep me warm. Of course, I also had my own climate control in the room, so I could make it as warm as I wanted it to be. The room also came with a wide array of blankets and other coverings, and I liked crisp, cool sheets anyway.
I shook my head as if I could banish all thoughts of Fox as I headed to the bathroom.
Once I was ready for bed, I slipped between my high-quality sheets and let out a sigh. This was what I wanted: luxury, privacy, everything under my control. I grabbed the remote from the nightstand and turned on the television. I wasn’t at all sleepy, so I figured I’d watch a movie or two, but nothing on the TV appealed to me. I didn’t seem to have the attention span for reading. Going through the news on my phone was a surefire way to keep me from sleeping. Eventually, I turned the TV off, pulled the covers up around me, and commanded myself to go to sleep. The world was supposed to do what I wanted, and so was my own body.
I had no idea how long I’d lain there, but it was far longer than it should’ve been before my mind and body finally gave into the need to rest.
A noise woke me sometime late in the night. I reached for the gun that was under my other pillow and rolled silently to my side, facing the balcony doors. Someone was out there. Dammit. I hadn’t wanted Fox to be right about the dangers of the balcony exposure, but if I could dispatch whoever it was quickly, he’d never need to know. I slipped from the bed and moved across the room soundlessly, stopping at the curtain for the balcony doors. I’d pulled the heavy fabric fully closed before getting into bed because I liked complete darkness when I slept.
Before attempting to pull it back, I stood still and listened. I needed to figure out the position of the intruder before I risked exposing myself.
I waited for a repeat of the light scrape of feet I’d heard outside, but before any sounds came, the door to my room opened. Fox stood there, wearing only a pair of boxers, gun in hand. He glared at me and used his weapon to gesture toward the bed.
I shook my head and stood my ground. I didn’t care how angry Fox got. I knew the real reason I was there, and I wasn’t about to let anything happen to him on my watch, no matter how obnoxious he was. I owed that to X.
As he moved toward me, I was impressed by how silently such a large man could cross a room. I shouldn’t have been. I knew how well trained Fox was. He might be irritating as hell, but he was damn good at his job. If Xavier was afraid for him, then I knew the threat was serious.