Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
My lemon square sat there untouched, looking delicious but sad. The idea of shoving it all into my mouth and returning to the counter for a scone was more tempting than I cared to admit.
Gathering up what little courage I had, I leaned across the table so that I was nearly whispering in Simon’s ear. “I’m having trouble dealing with Rome’s money.”
Simon’s eyebrows shot to his hairline, and he said nothing for several seconds as I dropped back into my chair. “Well…” he began slowly. “Disputes over money are the number one reason most relationships fail.”
“Yeah, but most of the time, the problem is not having enough of it. You and I know that is not an issue for Rome.”
“True.” Simon took a sip of his latte. “Could you be more specific?” He lowered his voice, in case anyone was close enough to overhear us. “Do you have a problem with rich guys?”
“No!” A scoff broke from my throat. “It’s nice to know that he won’t borrow a crap ton of money from me or constantly stiff me on the rent. That sort of stuff. I guess I wasn’t prepared for people to use me to get to Rome and his money. I don’t know how to protect him from people like that. How do I recognize the con artists? Does he ever worry I’m going to use him for his money? I don’t think he does, but what if I take him and his money for granted? And shouldn’t he have, like, a bodyguard or even bodyguards to protect him? I’ve been to his place, and as far as I could tell, he didn’t have a cook or a butler or a live-in housekeeper? Dating him feels like I’m taking on a full-time job of trying to protect him—not that I have a problem with protecting him. Absolutely not. It’s that I’m just a freaking paleontologist and a part-time university professor. What do I know about that kind of lifestyle?”
By the time I’d spilled all of my guts, I was panting and frantic. And yet, Simon was staring at me with the biggest grin on his face.
“What?” I snapped. Yep, he thought I was stupid.
“Rome is so lucky to have you.”
“But he doesn’t. I’ve left him hanging out there because I needed some space to figure my shit out. Except I haven’t figured anything out. All I’ve done is panic.”
Simon surprised me by reaching across the table and taking my hands in his. His hands were soft and cool, but his fingertips were surprisingly rough from calluses.
“Liam, I’m going to remind you of a few things you seem to have forgotten. Rome is thirty-five.”
“Thirty-four,” I corrected, making his smile even wider.
“He’s thirty-four, and he comes from a family that has been rich for several generations. He grew up with money, just like his father and grandfather.”
Fuck. He was right. I was the newbie here. Not Rome.
“The only problem I see here is that Rome hasn’t done a good job of showing you all the precautions he has in place to protect him from bad actors. He also hasn’t taken steps to protect you from those people or taught you how to deal with things. This shit isn’t on your shoulders. It’s on Rome’s.”
“He showed me a business card for someone named Shonna. She’s the head of his charitable foundation.”
Simon nodded. “My mom heads up a small foundation, and she has David. She calls him her No Ma’am Man because it’s his job to say no to all the people who want access to the money.”
“But what about bodyguards? How does he know that someone won’t kidnap him for ransom?”
“From what I know of Rome, he lives a rather low-key life. He doesn’t post pictures on social media about extravagant trips or expensive toys. He’s not the head of a company like his cousin. Sebastian is the head of Courtland Enterprises, and Pierce is the head of a major corporate law firm. As people in the public eye, they are more likely to have bodyguards. Rome has avoided it so far, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he adds one or two to his roster of employees once you two are openly dating. For now, most people look at Rome and see a guy with some money, but they don’t realize he’s a billionaire.”
“Oh.” The sound slipped out of me. I must have thought the world knew Rome was rich and a target because my boss had recognized him in an instant. But then, that was part of her job. She had to gather donations for our department, so she probably knew all the rich people in the tristate area by sight.
I pulled my hands out of Simon’s loose grip as I sat back in my chair. “Rome doesn’t need me to worry about him.”