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)
He wanted her to choose him. And not because he’d used sex to manipulate her into staying.
Patience. You have time. He sat back and smiled. “We can talk about it later.”
She gave him a look like he’d just whipped out a poisonous snake and threatened her with it. “What’s your angle?”
They hadn’t had time to build more than a superficial layer of trust. It was tempting to try to charm her, but she’d asked for him to be just him tonight. So he went with the honest answer. “The subject obviously freaks you out, and forcing you to talk about it isn’t going to do anything except ruin our night. I’m willing to be patient while you figure out how you feel about the whole thing. This wasn’t part of the plan you agreed to when you first came here.” He lifted his glass of wine. “So we won’t talk about it until you’re ready.”
“You’re being awfully agreeable right now.”
And she was being understandably suspicious. He scrubbed a hand over his face. “What would you do if I tried to force your hand or manipulate you into doing what I want?”
“I’d leave.”
Even hearing the words made his chest ache. He set the wineglass down. “Exactly. No games. No masks. No manipulations. Just the truth. I want you. I put myself out there and took the first step. I think you want me, too, but you need time. I get that. So take your time, and we’ll talk again after the Eldridge threat is removed.”
“Removed. Is that the only solution you have for enemies?” She flinched and held up her hand. “Sorry. I’m lashing out. That’s not fair. You just caught me off guard.”
“I know.” Aiden let himself take her in the same way she had when he’d first walked into the office. Today, she wore a pair of jeans that looked new enough that he figured they were among the items Liam had strong-armed her into buying, with a tank top that clung to her frame in a way that made his mouth water. The jacket covered up the fact that the majority of her bandages were gone, leaving only the butterfly ones on a few of the cuts. She looked like a grunge warrior with her alternative hair and ever-present bright red lipstick.
“Tell me about your day.”
She hesitated, but eventually relented. “Carrigan called me to schedule a time to get together next week, and we ended up chatting for a while about the new moves she’s making with her nonprofit.”
He was glad his oldest sister had already made overtures. “She and James have done a lot of good in the last few years.” If he’d pulled his head out of his ass and stood up to their father, she could have been doing the same things under the O’Malley name.
But that was in the past now. Carrigan was happy, which was all that really mattered.
It didn’t hurt that her relationship with James Halloran had effectively doused what was left of the brewing conflict between their families.
“Do you…”
“Do I have any charitable shell company set up to do good in the world? Not yet.” He wished that he’d taken the time to do something exactly like that so he could show Charlie that a life with him didn’t have to be one spent in the darkness. There was that element, of course. He couldn’t change that. But it wasn’t just that element. “I like how Carrigan’s run things over there, though.”
“Me too. It’s not like I thought at all.” She gave him a half smile. “None of this is.”
“But not all bad.”
That earned him a laugh. “No, not all bad.” She finally picked up her wineglass again and swirled the dark red liquid around. “Though I have to get out of this house. I’ll go crazy if I’m cooped up much longer. The only reason I haven’t up to this point is because you keep sexing me into submission, and it’s hard to work up the energy to bolt when I’m all blissed-out.”
He laughed, just as he suspected she had intended. “It sounds like it’s a terrible problem to have.”
“It is. Just awful. Keep it up.”
“In that case…” He took her hand, urging her up out of her seat and into his lap. “It sounds like I’ve left you wanting for too long.”
“More than twelve hours? Without a doubt.” She ran her hands down his chest. “You’d better talk me down so I don’t find a convenient window to slip through in my escape attempt.”
He liked her like this, relaxed and flirty. He suspected he was getting a glimpse of the woman she’d been before her world came crashing down around her. Aiden hooked a hand into the band of her jeans, his fingers teasing the top of her panties. “If you have that much energy, maybe I should keep you with me in my office. You’d have to wear something, naturally, because I’m not overly fond of the thought of anyone else knowing that you’re half a second from coming for me…A dress. Or a skirt.” He used his other hand to flick open the top button and pull down the zipper, allowing him to dip inside her panties. “Nothing underneath, though, unless you want to get inventive with garters and thigh-high stockings.”