Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 109695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
My lips twisted. “I think you’re imagining it.”
“Girl… you can’t deny the attraction between the two of you. It’s off the charts. We can all see it, even if you won’t accept it.”
My stomach dropped. This was not helping. “Sure… I admit we’re attracted to each other, but he’s off-limits.”
“Why?”
“I already told you, he’s a client.”
“So what did he do that he needs you twenty-four-seven?”
I huffed out a breath. “I can’t talk about it.”
She glanced out the window. “So he’s not who he said he was?”
“He’s exactly what he said. It’s all true. There’s just something he needs help solving, and his boss thought that, with my special skills, I could figure it out.”
“So… his boss is the one who hired you?” She raised an eyebrow at me.
“Yes,” I answered reluctantly. What was with the look?
“Well, if that’s the case, then Nate isn’t your client.”
“What? Yes he is.”
She grinned. “He’s not the one paying you.”
I groaned. “Stop.”
“So, who’s his boss, then?”
Shit. I did not want to tell her it was Quentin Vanetti. She’d had a fit when I told her about the last job I’d done for him. “I can’t tell you that either.”
She folded her arms and gave me a pointed stare. “It better not be who I think it is.”
“And what if it is?” I threw my hands up. “What matters is that it’s a job, and once it’s over… I’ll get paid, and then I can pay my lawyer and finally get divorced. So back off.”
Felicity stared at me for a few seconds before she let out a breath, her eyes softening. “I’m sorry, Sen. I just want to make sure you’re safe, that’s all.”
“I know.”
She rubbed my arm before glancing out the window. “You know you could actually date him once the job’s done.”
“Ha! I don’t know. I mean… I don’t even know why he’s pretending to be my boyfriend. He probably won’t even want anything more to do with me after this. Besides, he’s not the type to settle down.”
She studied Stone, who had somehow managed to make Will and my dad laugh. “Okay, I get what you’re saying… but seriously? Have you seen the way he looks at you? I mean…” She fanned herself. “It’s pretty obvious you have feelings for each other, and with a guy like him… I think it would be worth it, even for one night. I mean… look at him. How could you regret that?”
“Oh. My. Hell!”
She laughed. “Don’t tell my husband I said that.”
I shook my head. “I can’t believe you’re telling me to have sex with someone I hardly know. What if he breaks my heart?”
“Okay, look. I’m not telling you to sleep with him, but I am telling you to give him a chance.” She pulled me around and looked me in the eyes. “Serenity. From everything I’ve seen of him, he truly cares about you. I don’t know what will come of it. Hell… nothing is guaranteed in this life. But you can’t live without taking risks. At least a broken heart means you’re still alive.”
She huffed out a breath and turned away. “Besides, you and Brandon would have been divorced a long time ago if he’d just signed the damn papers. Seriously, don’t let that asshole have any more control over your life than he already has. He just keeps taking from you. What I’m telling you to do is live for yourself.”
She lifted her chin in Stone’s direction, then let out a dramatic sigh and shook her head. “I’ll be disappointed if you miss out and nothing happens between you two.” She caught my gaze. “And it’s not the sex I’m talking about; though… I mean, come on. He cares about you.”
“But you don’t—”
She raised her hand. “Sen. Stop. You haven’t seen how he looks at you while you’re talking to someone else. He seems like a hard man, but his eyes get all soft. When Will accused you of telling on him, Nate bristled, like he was ready to beat Will up. Just look at him out there.”
She motioned toward the yard. Stone held Gracie in his arms, and they were laughing. He set her down, and she dragged him over to her playhouse. He was too big to go inside, but he crouched down while she showed him her kitchen.
Felicity shook her head. “It’s your life. But, if you ask me, he might be worth the risk.”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat. If only she was right. But she didn’t know that Stone worked for a mob boss, and I was beginning to understand that he didn’t just take care of security.
He’d basically confessed to shooting someone, even though it was self-defense. Then there was his reputation, and the way he’d fought Joint. All of that pointed to a lot more that I didn’t know about. Did I want to be involved with someone like that?