Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94279 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94279 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
“Uh, what’s happening?” I asked.
“Shit. I think your bag must be lost.”
“Lost? No. It can’t be.”
He gestured toward a small office I hadn’t noticed. “The baggage-claim office is over there. Sadly, I’ve been there recently.”
“You’ve had your luggage lost?”
“Twice.”
“How long did it take for them to find it?”
“I got it back the next day both times.”
“Great. I usually take a change of clothes in my carry-on bag, but I had so much work stuff to carry, I didn’t this time. I don’t even have underwear.”
Wilder wiggled his brows. “I’ll make a stop at the lingerie store if you model them for me.”
The baggage-claim office had me fill out a bunch of paperwork and took my phone number, promising to contact me as soon as they located my bag. Wilder and I left with only my carry-on filled with work.
“I’ll have my assistant follow up with them and send a messenger to grab your bag when it arrives. It’ll be quicker than waiting for the airline to drop it off.”
“Oh. That would be great. Thank you.”
Wilder led me to a small Volkswagen parked in the short-term lot. “This is us,” he said.
“Such a normal car. I would’ve expected something flashier, Hayes.”
He opened the back hatch and grinned. “It’s my assistant’s. My car is slightly more memorable. We swapped to throw off the paparazzi.”
“What do you normally drive?”
“A vintage Aston Martin in Caribbean blue.”
“I don’t know what that is, but it sounds expensive.”
He shut the hatch. “My father got me into old cars.”
I started to walk around to the passenger side, but Wilder stopped me. “You driving?”
“Definitely not.”
He chuckled. “Then why are you getting in on the driver’s side?”
I looked at the car. “Oh!” I laughed. “Sorry, I forgot they drive on the other side of the road here.”
Wilder opened my door before sliding behind the wheel. Not only was the steering wheel on the wrong side, the car was a stick shift.
“Don’t you get confused driving here one week and in New York the other?”
“Sometimes, like after a few weeks of driving in the States and then I come back here and pull into a roundabout. It takes a bit for my brain to work it out. Luckily, there’s always traffic in both places, so I can mostly just follow the flow.”
We drove out of the airport lot and onto a busy highway. Maybe I was delirious from lack of sleep, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the way Wilder’s big hand wrapped around the gear shift and took control. Then again, there wasn’t much I didn’t find sexy about the man these days. Usually it was the opposite—I’d think a man was handsome and the more I got to know him, the less handsome he became.
I forced my eyes back to the road.
“Did you sleep on the plane?” Wilder asked.
I shook my head. “I drank too much coffee beforehand. I’d planned to work since I can’t sleep sitting up and thought I was stuck in a middle seat in economy. By the way, did you do that? Upgrade me to first class?”
He shrugged. “You’re my guest. I wanted to make sure you were comfortable.”
“Thank you. It was incredible. I’ve always peeked at the prices of those tickets and didn’t understand what the fuss was about for all that extra money. But I get it now. I had a full bed and could’ve probably slept the entire flight if I wasn’t all caffeinated. Even the food was good.”
“Really helps on quick trips. When I do the red-eye, I can usually knock out for five to six hours and be functional for meetings when I land.”
“I can see that.”
“I also changed your hotel. Hope you don’t mind.”
“Umm … no, I guess you would know better. I just picked a chain I knew.”
“You’re at the Rosewood now.” He looked over with a cheeky smile. “It’s closer to my place. How about if I drop you there so you can get some sleep, and tomorrow morning I’ll scoop up your suitcase and bring it with me when I come to pick you up? I’ll have some coffee in the restaurant while you unpack and get ready.”
“That sounds perfect. I don’t know how to thank you.”
“I can think of a few ways…”
I shook my head. And then a few minutes later, my mouth fell open. I figured Wilder had moved me somewhere nicer, but I didn’t expect iron gates leading to a grand Edwardian courtyard. The opulent building was rather intimidating as we pulled up.
“Here we go.”
“Wilder…” I looked over at him. “I can’t stay here.”
His brows pulled together. “You don’t like it?”
“It’s gorgeous. But it must cost a small fortune.”
“Don’t worry about it. You’re my guest.”
“That’s very sweet, but…”
He met my eyes. “I just wanted you to stay somewhere nice. I don’t expect anything, Sloane.”