Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
I ran into Daniel after I left a photo shoot for a newly launched jewelry line.
He asked if there was anything new going on in my life.
I gushed about the guy I was dating at the time. Brogan McCabe was handsome and successful. I believed he had long-term potential.
When I told Daniel my boyfriend’s name, he ordered me to dump him. He listed all of the reasons why Brogan was no good for me.
I balked and told Daniel he had no idea what he was talking about.
He claimed to know someone who knew Brogan.
He sidestepped when I asked for more information about who was feeding him all the bullshit about Brogan that was coming out of his mouth.
In exasperation, Daniel stormed away.
He never looked back.
Six months later, he boarded a plane for California and hasn’t been back to New York since.
My relationship with Brogan ended a week after Daniel warned me about him. The breakup had nothing to do with Daniel’s accusations and everything to do with the fact that the lease on Brogan’s apartment was coming due, and he wanted us to find a place together.
I wasn’t ready for that step, so Brogan broke up with me via text message.
I glance in Daniel’s direction again, and this time, his gaze is pinned to me.
His blue eyes lock on my face before they trail over my body and back up again.
Is Lawton checking me out?
He moves to stand.
All six feet two inches of him are as muscular and trim as ever. His dark brown hair is shorter than I remember but still styled to perfection. Late day stubble covers his chiseled jaw.
The man is nothing if not hot as hell.
I had a brief crush on him when I was eighteen, and he was twenty-five, but it was over almost as soon as it began.
I went to the apartment he shared with my brother one Saturday afternoon, hoping to get some time alone with Daniel. I had convinced myself that it was the perfect day to tell him that I had feelings for him.
Daniel opened the door without a shirt on. He invited me in, and then a woman wandered out of his bedroom wearing one of his T-shirts.
My infatuation went up in smoke when she begged him to take her back to bed. He told her to wait until I left.
I ran out in a rush, burdened with embarrassment.
“You’re staring at Daniel,” Bella whispers in my ear. “He can’t take his eyes off of you. Is this a movie moment? Are you falling in love across a crowded casino floor?”
I tear my gaze away from the well-tailored dark blue suit Daniel is wearing to glance at my sister. “Put your dreams away, Bella. I’m never falling in love again.”
Her head falls back in laughter. “That’s not how it works, Gina. Love is going to find you. It might even happen here.”
I turn to walk away. “I’m going to my room before dinner.”
Bella rushes to fall in step next to me. “To catch your breath after seeing Daniel?”
Yes, but I won’t admit that to her.
“To change my dress,” I say before I add for good measure, “I want to check on Arietta, too.”
Our future sister-in-law is just fine. Ten minutes ago, she left the casino to go up to the suite she’s sharing with our brother. I suspect she did that to check in with her dog sitter, who just happens to be our grandmother.
“I’ll go find Barrett,” Bella says with a sigh. “When I left our room, he was in the shower. Maybe I can convince him to get dirty before dinner.”
Shaking my head, I laugh. “You’re taking advantage of your child-free weekend, aren’t you?”
She winks. “Absolutely.”
Still chuckling, I wag a finger at her. “Play safe, or Luisa will have a sibling in nine months.”
“Would that be so bad?”
“That would be phenomenal.” I don’t try hiding my excitement at the prospect of becoming an aunt to another little bundle of fun. “Are you pregnant?”
My sister shakes her head. “No, but if it happens, we’d be thrilled.”
“Me too,” I whisper.
As we reach the bank of elevators that lead up to our rooms, Bella wraps an arm around my waist. “You know that all I want is for you to be happy, right?”
I look into her eyes. “I know.”
“Promise me you won’t hide your heart away forever,” she whispers as people gather around us, waiting to board the elevator. “Just because you lost on love a few times doesn’t mean you won’t find it again. We are in the luckiest place on earth, after all.”
I laugh as I hear another person shout when a slot machine’s bells and whistles signal a win in the distance. “I promise you my heart is right where it needs to be. Safe and sound in my chest.”