Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 83216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
We arrived together, and I’m hoping we leave the same way.
Zane struts past a mirror and whistles at his own reflection. “Gonna be a record breaker tonight, boys. Women are lining up to spend big money on me.”
I roll my eyes. “Pretty sure they’re lining up for the charity, not your overinflated ego.”
Knox adjusts his collar without sparing him a glance. “Trust me, nobody’s paying a fortune to hear you talk about yourself for two hours.”
“Correction,” Jax says, flashing that easy grin as he straightens his cuff links. “They’re paying to get him off the stage.”
Laughter ripples through the room. Even Laiken lets out a rumble of amusement, though he looks like he’d much rather be spending time at home with his daughter than trapped under the harsh glare of fluorescent lights.
“I’m surprised Rina and Evelyn were able to talk you into this, Lennox,” I say.
He shrugs, big shoulders rolling beneath his jacket. “That charity covered my niece’s hospital bills last year. Giving back’s the least I can do.”
The noise dips for a second. It’s a small, human pause in all the posturing before Zane ruins it by opening his mouth again.
“Then the charity’s really gonna love me.” He flexes in front of the mirror. “Wait until they see the numbers I pull in.”
With a shake of my head, I shove away from the wall. “Do you ever think before you speak?”
He bumps my shoulder as he passes by, smirking like he knows it’ll get under my skin. I shove him back a few paces without thinking. For a heartbeat, the whole room stills as tension vibrates before Steele’s voice cuts through it.
“Enough. Save it for the ice.”
Zane lifts his hands with fake innocence. “Sorry, Cap. Didn’t know Van Doren was so damn moody. Must be that time of the month.”
I glare at him until he looks away.
My nerves are just beginning to settle when Rina walks in.
She moves through the room, iPad clutched to her front, her focus sharp as glass. She looks every inch the polished PR professional she is until her gaze locks on mine and her mask falters for a beat before quickly recovering. But it’s more than enough for me to catch the crack beneath the surface.
Where that woman is concerned, I see everything.
Probably because I can’t stop staring.
The scent of her perfume reaches me a second before she does. It’s something smoky and warm with spice threaded through it that manages to cut through the stale heat until the whole room smells like her. She’s sunlight poured through amber glass, and for just a moment, I can’t remember how to breathe.
When her fingers brush the lapel of my tux, adjusting it as if she’s just doing her job, the simple touch burns right through the fabric.
“You look…” Her voice is husky enough to scrape along my spine before she clears her throat. “Very handsome.”
The compliment hits me hard.
I dip my head to her ear. “You better be the one holding up your paddle tonight.”
Her brow arches, but the tiny flutter beneath the delicate skin of her throat gives her away. “Excuse me?”
“I’ve been circulating for over an hour. There are plenty of hungry women out there, ready to spend a fortune for a night with me.” I lean in closer. “Do you really want that?”
She fidgets with her tablet, but her tone remains calm. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll meet the love of your life tonight. Stranger things have happened.”
I invade even more of her personal space until we’re almost touching. “If I end up with another woman, you’ll pay the price. And you know exactly how.”
For half a heartbeat, desire flashes in her eyes. Then she blinks, shutters it, and shoves me away. “Back off. Someone might see us.”
A handler’s shout carries from the hall, followed by the squeal of a mic check. The reminder of cameras is enough to make her flinch. She slips past me, fleeing from the room before I can stop her.
I drag a hand through my hair as every muscle tightens.
Rina wears her control like a shield, all the while pretending this is just part of her job. As if what happens between us is something she can manage with a press release.
But she’s wrong about that.
Through the curtain gap, I catch a glimpse of her in the crowd. Her shoulders are straight as she orchestrates the people around her like a five-star general. The sight nearly cleaves me in two.
I should hate how easily she’s able to compartmentalize our relationship by forcing me into the dark corners of her life. Instead, I feel this twisted surge of pride that she’s able to keep the whole damn team from going up in flames even when I’m the one lighting the match.
Knox glances over as he buttons his jacket. “Problem, Van Doren?”