Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 496(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 496(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
“Aiden.” She stopped him with a hand on his arm, catching her breath when he turned to face her. He looked downright lickable in his black suit, the sheer lack of color in his clothing somehow bringing out the green of his eyes, even in this light. Charlie wanted to tell him that it would be okay, that whatever it was that was bothering him—father or enemies or otherwise—she’d be at his side to face it. But if she said any of that, he’d laugh in her face, and rightly so. She wasn’t his girlfriend, and there might be a ring on her finger but she wasn’t walking down the aisle to him. This wasn’t real.
So she didn’t say any of it. She just adjusted his already perfectly buttoned-up shirt. “I’ll tell you a secret.”
“Oh?”
Conscious of Liam and the other man just a few feet away and the possibility of cameras and audio equipment monitoring their every move, she inched closer. Her heels—just as red as her dress—put her at almost the same height as Aiden, so it was child’s play to lean in and whisper in his ear. “I’m not wearing anything under this dress.” That would distract him.
Sure enough, his hands came to rest on her ass, palming her as he confirmed what she’d just said. Aiden growled a little. “When I said make a statement, that wasn’t what I meant.”
“Wasn’t it?” Even though her adrenaline was pumping in anticipation of walking through that warehouse door, she smiled. “Doesn’t it make you feel just an eensie bit better knowing that you’ll be having me in the backseat of that town car after this hellhole of a meeting is over?”
His hands spasmed on her ass. “Christ, bright eyes, you really know how to change a man’s outlook.”
Apparently, she didn’t need sweet and comforting words to get his head in the game and chase that hopeless look off his face. She just needed to remind him of what they did best. “Let’s go get them.”
He took a step back, claiming her hand as he did, and they turned to face the warehouse. “Try not to bait Mae this time.”
“She likes it when I bait her.” She squeezed his hand. “If she thinks that we’re so in love that you’ll actually marry me, she might cut my throat herself. It amuses her to consider me a dalliance and to consider you something of a sure thing for her.”
Charlie loathed the thought of Aiden with that monster of a woman. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t something he wanted or planned for—she’d put a ton of money on Mae planning on making it happen.
He shot her a look and then cursed. “Fuck, Charlie, I didn’t even think about that when I asked you to do this.”
“That’s because even with three sisters, apparently you don’t know how the female mind works.” Especially in a sociopath like Mae. Or a psychopath. Charlie had always had some difficulty telling those two apart. “She’s set her sights on you, Aiden. She couldn’t care less that you’re claiming to be desperately in love with someone else, engaged or not.”
“Fuck.” He slowed to a stop.
“What?” She looked around, but nothing popped out as overtly dangerous, aside from the murder warehouse. “What’s wrong?”
“You didn’t bargain on the Eldridge heir gunning for your blood when you agreed to this. I didn’t bargain on it. I can’t ask you to go through with it.”
She blinked. Of all the responses I imagined, that wasn’t on the list. “Aiden, I’m more than capable of taking care of myself.”
“In a fair fight, sure. But she won’t come at you fair. Mae will knife you in the back.”
She knew that. She also knew that the end justified the means—and the risks ventured along the way. Charlie turned to face him again. Sexual distraction wouldn’t work this time. She had to lay it out straight and hope that he’d be rational enough to realize she was right. “Your dad showing up has you all messed up in the head. Stop. Think. If you walk in there without me, either they’re going to assume I’m too weak to hold my own and they’re going to come gunning for me, or they’re going to know that you have no intention of marrying me. We don’t have time for you to worry about me.”
Though a small selfish part of her warmed at his wanting to keep her safe, the rest of her was doing her best not to be insulted. Didn’t he know that the worst for her had already come to pass? It was possible that Mae could kill her, but she had no intention of letting the woman get the opportunity.
“Charlie…”
She could tell he was still wavering, some streak of honor trying to take hold, so she went for the sucker punch. “If we don’t do this, Keira marries Romanov.”