Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 141428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
Fuck.
May would be fucking ashamed of him but he didn’t care.
He missed her.
Yeah? So why haven’t you been thinking of her much lately? Why haven’t your dreams been filled with her?
Why did panic fill you as you watched that young girl fall over? As you saw her shoulders slump and tears drip down her face?
Fuck.
He had to get Devi out of his mind. He was in his forties and she had to be in her twenties, he was certain of it.
Yeah, he was way too old for her. Way too grouchy. Morbid. Dour. Negative.
And he was married.
Even though May had died several years ago, she was still his wife.
And he could never replace her.
What would May want?
He ignored that voice in his head trying to push him to move past the trauma of losing his wife . . . the voice that begged him at times to try and live.
He wasn’t interested.
Instead, he realized he needed to tune in to what Sondra and the other woman were saying.
The woman who kept sneaking him looks.
Hayes wasn’t an idiot. Women were drawn to him. He didn’t know what it was. Maybe his size. Or the fact that he showed no interest in them. It seemed to present some sort of challenge.
But he wasn’t a challenge. He simply wasn’t interested.
So he just stared at the woman impassively. “She needs to be in a room with only one entrance.”
“I, um, what?” the woman said, looking from him to Sondra.
Sondra smiled apologetically. “This is my bodyguard, Hayes. Alan has been getting these threats and for some reason he’s gone all paranoid and thinks the person threatening him could use me to get to him so he hired a security company.”
“Oh, he’s protecting you,” the other woman said with a sigh. “That’s so sweet and romantic. And a bodyguard, that’s so Hollywood.”
Sondra smiled tightly. “To be honest, it’s more inconvenient than anything. No offense, Hayes.”
He just shrugged. He got it. If he was Sondra, he’d find it annoying too. But he was here to protect her.
Although he wasn’t sure that he agreed that Alan was sweet and romantic. He seemed more paranoid and afraid.
“It’s also expensive. I don’t know how long we can afford to employ two bodyguards. So I better get all of my beauty treatments done before Alan decides to lock me away. For my own good.”
The other woman actually pressed her hands together and sighed. “So romantic.”
Dear God.
What was wrong with her? How was being locked away romantic?
“I don’t think so,” Sondra said with a laugh. “After a week, I’ll be ready to kill Alan. But, anyway, I need a secure room. It can only have one entrance so that Hayes can guard the door. Otherwise, he’ll be in there with us.”
“I don’t mind that,” the woman said, eyeing him hungrily.
“Well, I do,” Sondra said with a huff, frowning. “I would rather he didn’t see me getting my hoo-ha waxed.”
“Oh, um, yes, of course. What was I thinking?” The other woman laughed nervously. “Just let me get that room sorted.”
Sondra turned to Hayes after she’d left and rolled her eyes. “Sorry, I think all the spray tan has affected her brain.”
Hayes actually considered smiling at that. But decided it wasn’t worth the effort. He just grunted.
“You don’t like me much, do you?” Sondra asked.
He raised his eyebrows. “Not my job to like or dislike you.”
“Right, which is a diplomatic way of avoiding my question. Because you dislike me.”
Hayes sighed. This happened more than he would like. Where a client would get obsessed over whether he liked them or not. He didn’t know why they cared. He was no one. So what did it matter to them?
But in this case, he didn’t dislike Sondra. And there was something almost vulnerable in her face that had him wanting to put her at ease.
“I don’t dislike you.”
“Really? You never really talk to me. If I fell over in a café would you rush to help me up or leave me there?”
Huh?
What did Devi falling over have to do with anything?
“I’d rush over to help you up,” he said.
Sondra eyed him for a long moment then nodded. “All right. I believe you. Sorry, you probably think I’m ridiculous. I think I’m ridiculous.” She smiled tightly. “The way you looked at that girl, though. You’re always so stoic and hard to read. But for a moment, you softened. Have you met her before?”
“Never met her in my life,” he said gruffly. “But she’s been serving us every day at the cafe this last week. And she fell over right in front of us. I was simply helping her up.”
“Hmm. Sure, of course.”
“Sondra, your room is ready,” the woman called out.
“Right. Thanks, Jen,” Sondra replied.
She waited for him to check the room and once he was satisfied, he stepped out.